Page 110 of Ruled By Fate

“Go. Back. To. Hell.”

There was a violent explosion, a hailstorm of light. Then Mammon imploded in on herself like a black hole, ripping into itself until nothing remained.

The light vanished, and Brie dropped, senseless, to the ground.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

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“Wake up! Please, please wake up!”

Brie opened her eyes and saw a fuzzy version of Cameron floating above her, his face half-covered in blood, his eyes shot through with agonized worry and filled with unshed tears.

“Cam?” She blinked once, twice, trying to get her bearings.

“You’re alright!” He crushed her to his chest in a breathless embrace, squeezing the air from her lungs. “Oh, thank God. Thank you, God…”

She relaxed into his arms.

This is nice. Much nicer than whatever I was doing before.

What was I doing before?

It hit her. “Sherry!”

She broke from his arms and raced to where her friend lay, prone on the ground. In a flash, he was right beside her, watching as Sherry stirred with a quiet groan.

“Are you okay? Are you alright?”

Brie took her pulse and checked her all over for damage. Cameron did the same to Mike, pressing a glowing palm to his skull and healing his wounds.

“Sherry, can you hear me? Say something!” Brie cried.

There was no response.

“Love, can you hear me?”

Silence.

It was time to pull out the big guns. She leaned in close and whispered in Sherry’s ear.

“Audrey Hepburn is an overrated fashion icon, and Givenchy overuses pattern.”

A hand slapped blindly into the air, making weak contact with her cheek. “Blasphemy.”

It was barely a whisper, but it was enough to get a choked sob of joy out of Brie. She gathered the woman into her arms, rocking her gently. “I’m so sorry, Sher. I’m so, so sorry.”

“Mike’s alright,” Cameron interjected quietly. “Just asleep. Sherry should sleep too, Brie. For a moment.” He touched Sherry’s shoulder with a glowing hand, and she went limp in Brie’s arms again.

Brie whirled on him. “Why did you do that? If she has a concussion, she shouldn’t—”

“She isn’t the one we need to worry about right now,” he answered softly.

It took a moment to register. When it did, all the color drained from Brie’s face.

Rashida.

They left Mike and Sherry propped up against one another, then turned and walked across the parking lot. There was no longer a need to run. Brie sank to the ground between the rows of cars without a hint of expression, staring down at her friend. She lay in a halo of her own blood, eyes open, an expression of permanent confusion splashed across her lovely face.

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