Page 43 of Dust to Dust

Unclenching my fist, I splayed my palms out on the floor covered in Anton's blood. Warm red covered my hands.

Red was all I saw.

I'd never escape it.

"Nova," Titan cautioned. Was he warning me or the monster inside of me?

"The Rites of Passage." I spread the blood with my palm as I painted the floor. I drew a giant question mark with the blood using my index finger. Who was the enemy I should focus my anger at?

Anton said my father chose his blood. His blood betrayed him.

Igor.

My uncle had something to do with my father's death. But Igor's dead now.

Franco Fontaine killed Lucas,Ghost answered.And he wants to kill Titan too.

I giggled. "You're always so wise, aren't you, Ghost? Always fucking chirping in my ear." I smacked my fingers together like the beak of a bird, "Chirp, chirp, chirp."

"Nova," I felt Titan's hands on my back, "come back to me."

I did the opposite.

As he pulled me up, I snapped. My fist swung, hitting its target. My legs kicked, landing where I aimed. I was pulled back by foreign hands. An arm wrapped around my neck, choking off some of my air and trying to stop my fight.

Titan came forward as Dash held me. I bucked my head back, trying to hit Dash. When that didn't work, I lifted both my legs to throw off his balance but Dash was too strong to be affected.

"She doesn't stop chirping about you. She never cared about them, only for you. She wants me to let her win. She wants you. But what about what I want? I want justice for my parents and to keep you safe."

"I am safe, Nova. Come back to me, babygirl." Titan pleaded.

He grabbed my face. The look of pain in his eyes was unbearable. It poured water on my rage and broke the damn that held back all my emotions. Ghost and I were free. Our waters spilled as they mixed.

"Who am I, Titan?" I cried. "Who am I fighting now."

I trusted the boy that killed me.

I forgave him and accepted marriage to him. I didn't fight the bond our souls shared. I became a King. The name I sought to destroy.

I became the enemy I considered evil.

"My life was a joke; I was a joke. I was a doll passed around and played with. I talked to a dead girl in my head. I was a pawn that was played with, made to be broken and twisted, so I'd be the perfect wife for you. I want to be with the man that I thought killed my parents but he didn't. The man I married is just as fucked as me. I don't know who the enemy is because his face keeps changing."

"Come back to me," Titan pressed. His warm palms cradled my face.

I continued, "The Rites of Passage wants the man I loved. Franco Fontaine wants the man I love dead."

"I'm right here, babygirl." Titan continued to try and ground me. "You're my wife," Titan growled with a force that stalled my crazy conniption.

I slacked in Dash's hold. Dash's arms slipped free only to be replaced by Titan, who grabbed me and pressed me into his chest. I could hear the thunder of his beating heart. He held me so tight it felt like a straight jacket. It was what I needed; after all, I was losing it.

"I'll figure everything out, babygirl. I promise you."

"When are you going to give up on me?" I murmured against his shirt, which was cool from sweat.

There was only so much crazy a man could take, only so much I could take. Titan tipped my chin up and smiled. It calmed the storm inside of me. Titan was my lighthouse and I now saw the path I needed to take to escape the storm. I saw safety ahead of the choppy waters.

'Never," he beamed. "If someone is after you, they are after me. If you hurt, I hurt. I love you. My love is everlasting. I love every version of you I see. No matter how far you fall, I'll dive after you head first and save you."

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