Page 99 of Echoes

"Please," she begs painfully. "Please, don't hate me."

The words cut right through me, my chest tearing apart. "I don't hate you. I'm mad at him. How could he do this to me?"

Avery breaths a small sigh of relief, throwing her arms around me. I hug her back, inhaling her scent.

I'm going to fucking kill him.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" a voice snaps from the doorway.

We pull apart, eyes darting to the door. A guard stands there, hand on his taser and gun, eyes wide with flashing anger.

"Get out of here," I warn him, my gaze darkening at the new hire.

"You're out of bounds," he spits out, taking a few steps forward. "Back to your rooms—now."

And suddenly, I'm not seeing the guard anymore. I'm just seeing Damon's face, little bits of red filling my vision.

Avery hovers by my side quietly, assessing the situation. When neither of us respond, the guard closes the distance between us, charging at us with determination.

As soon as he's within reach, I fling my arm back, lunging forward with the letter opener. My aim is perfect—the tip of the blade jarring into the corner of his eye.

The guard lets out a hoarse scream, clutching his face as Avery gasps, stumbling back. I grab him by the scruff of his black vest, tossing him onto Whittingham's desk.

Retrieving the letter opener with apop, I turn to Avery while the guard writhes in pain, blood dripping onto my hand.

"I want to make one thing clear," I say to her, putting it down. "You'remine. I've made exceptions for Theo, but Damon will need to explain himself."

I spot a stationery canister on the desk, picking up a Sharpie. I scribble the word 'Mine' across the guard's cheek, dropping the marker on the ground as I reach into my back pocket. Pulling out my shiv—the one I fucked Avery with for the first time—I lift the guard up, his torso dangling above the desk, pressing the blade to his left ear.

"Your voice is the only one I want to hear," I snarl, pushing the sharp edge through the flesh. Blood spurts out, pooling onto the desk as the guard screams, begging me to stop.

Avery just stares, wide-eyed, frozen. I lift the severed ear, dropping it into Arthur's stationery canister.

"Your lips are the only ones I want to kiss."

I hear her gasp softly as I move the blade to the guard's mouth, dragging the sharp edge across as I thinly carve his lips off.

"Grey…"

Reaching over, I shove my finger into the corner of his eye, replacing the letter opener. "You're the only one I want to see," I growl, wiggling my finger around his sclera.

He bucks underneath me, like an electrified goldfish, arms and legs flailing as he weakly tries to push me off.

"I'd fuck his eye socket, but my cock is only for you," I finish, ripping my finger back out.

Avery's cheeks are flushed with confusion—horrified at seeing the real monster I am, while conflicted by my words of love.

And I mean every single one of them.

Lifting the knife, I hold it above the guard's chest, locking eyes with her. "My heart is only for you, little killer. I'll killanyonethat dares to touch you, hurt you."

Plunging the blade down, it enters his chest, straight into his heart. The guard stills, only the faintest of twitches as the last few beats of his fading life vibrate through the knife.

I grab his vest, tossing him off the desk like the trash he is. He lands between us, in a heap on the floor, bleeding out while making gurgling noises.

Avery's eyes dart to the knife in his chest, the pool of blood on the desk. Part of me wonders if she's going to run away screaming.

Slowly, she steps over his body, pulling me in for a hug. I know she's trying to calm me down, appease me. I'm covered in splattered blood, and when she leans back, I spot some on her.

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