Page 55 of Beautiful Dark Temptation

Jack shook his head, but I could tell he wasconsidering it. “Fuck you. There is nothing better than this.” Hisface hardened, turned colder.

“I’m not a Brennan,” I said.

“You ain’t anymore.” Jack lifted the gun andpulled the trigger.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Kieran

I saw the bullet leave the chamber as if thewhole world were thrown into a slow-motion reel. The air particleswarped as the golden projectile sliced its way at about seventeenhundred miles per hour in Tomás’s direction. Tomás’s head jerkedback, blood splatter followed, and he was falling. The whole eventtook just under a second.

My heart crashed against my sternum. Bloodfilled my head. The slight variation in my scope of reality snappedaway. True reality came crashing back into me like a batteringram.

Tomás was still standing.

Jack still held the gun. It hadmisfired.

Under the shadows, silent as the grave, myheart pounding an unnatural rhythm, I moved. Blade in hand, I cameup behind Jack. Just at the last moment, Tomás’s eyes met mine.

Most assassins I knew preferred slicing thethroat to make a statement. I, on the other hand, preferred thequicker kill. I clamped my hand over Jack’s forehead and tilted hishead, exposing more of his throat. Then I stabbed him in thecarotid with a cheap folding knife anyone could purchase on Amazonfor twelve bucks. The movement quick, precise, and before I couldget blood all over me, I retreated back into the shadows andwaited.

Jack dropped the gun and cupped his neck,blood gushing out of the wound. Nothing was going to save him now.For a few precious seconds, he’d be confused. The imminent deathnot quite real yet. He gurgled, tried to speak, eyes too wide forhis face, wondering what happened. The thirty to sixty seconds it’dtake him to bleed out seemed to take longer.

“No,” Tomás whispered.

I’d forgotten he was even in the room.

“Jack!”

Tomás started to go to the dying boy, but Istopped him. “No. He needs to bleed out.”

“Why? No. No.”

I didn’t see when Jack fell but I heard itbehind me. Tomás gripped my coat, his body trembling. I cupped theback of his neck, ignoring his blood between my fingers, and hidhis face into my shoulder.

After a minute, the only sounds were Tomás’sracking sobs.

Wren already moved inside. He gave me aWTF did you do, look.The how the hell are we going toclean up this loose end, look.

Tomás being the loose end.

Wren slowly pulled out his gun and pointedit at Tomás. With one swift shot, Wren could fix my mistake, cleanup my mess. Tomás wouldn’t even see it coming. It’d be quick.Clean. But the thought broke something inside of me. I guided Tomásout of the way while keeping Wren hidden from view. I slowly shookmy head.Touch him and die.

He returned the gun to his back holster.

“Tomás, I need you with me. Are you withme?” I cupped his face. I couldn’t think past my currentpredicament. I couldn’t think that Tomás had run from me. Thatblind luck had led me to him. He’d kept the coat tag which had aGPS component in it. People lost them all the time. I’dinterrogated Ruth and made sure she decided to leave townafterward. Then we had tracked Tomás here. Wren and me.

Tomás nodded but kept his eyes on me untilhe noticed Wren move. We all knew about the end marker that ourworld promised. Wren tapped Jack’s pockets with his gloved hands.When he didn’t find what he was looking for, he started to searcharound his neck. The blood hindering the process.

“What is he doing?” Tomás asked.

“It’s Charon’s payment to take him acrossthe river to the other side.” It also marked him as a student ofArcadia and the local authorities wouldn’t keep the case open forlong. They knew what they housed inside that school. They knew whatwe were, who we belonged to. If they wanted to live, they’d lookaway. My marker was under the blue sapphire stone on my leatherbracelet. I didn’t tell Tomás any of that. He didn’t need to knowit.

Wren pulled on a silver chain until it brokefree. Hanging off it was what looked like a gambling chip. Inside,rested a silver coin. An obol. Jack’s obol didn’t have a familycrest. He didn’t belong to one of the elites. He was just a normalkid. Wren pulled out the obol, pushed the guy’s chin down to openhis mouth, and carefully placed the coin inside. He whisperedsomething. A prayer maybe. Before stretching to his feet andglaring at me.

I shrugged out of my coat and threw itaround Tomás’s shoulders. “Come on,” I said using the softest voiceI could muster. “Let’s get out of here.”

Tomás didn’t fight. His body leaned againstmine, using me for support. I held him tight. Led him out the backdoor we had used to get inside the house and to Fox’s Jeep which weparked a few houses away. I pushed him up against it. His eyes werewide, and he clung to my coat. “Don’t leave me,” he whispered,barely audible.

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