“We can’t go in unprepared.”

I ran my chipped nails and raw fingertips through my hair as I tapped my foot. “I know. You need to teach me something, anything.”

Gren shook out his hands, bent down, and snatched a couple of leaves.

I eyed him with concern and curiosity. “What are you doing?”

Gren shifted his free hand over the leaves, and a swirl of black mist devoured them and quickly evaporated and left dollars in the palm of his hand.

“You need food and rest before we do anything. You look awful.”

A loud chuckle erupted from my throat.

Of course, I looked like shit. Who wouldn’t after everything I went through? “Thanks, but I’m fine. We have to keep going. I need to prepare.” I shoved Gren’s chest to make him move, but he stood there, unbudging.

I huffed in frustration.

“No. You’re exhausted, wounded, and emotional. You need rest.” Gren shifted his feet and shoved the money into his back pocket. “And are you certain you have to do what Valeria says?”

My focus went back to Gren.

How could he say something like that? After everything I have done? I couldn’t fold and throw in the towel now.

“I can’t let them torture Lucien. He’s the only family I have, and he wouldn’t be in this mess if ... if he didn’t know me.” Another unstable laugh fled my mouth, and I shook out my hands and pressed my pointer finger to his chest. “I’ve already done horrible things I can’t take back. I need to see this through. He needs me.” I swung around and choked back the sobs threatening to spill out of my throat, but I couldn’t calm down.

Gren’s words ignited a fury within me. It pulsated in violet waves like an electric current shooting through my veins.

Blood flooded my vision as an intense anger shattered me from within. It churned and fed all the rotten emotions I buried, flailing back alive against my skin with thousands of needles puncturing me all at once.

My flesh burned from the inside out as the needles burrowed deeper.

I screamed out in agony as all my bleak emotions came alive, sinking their venomous fangs into me and cementing themselves into my flesh and bones. The crescent mark on my hand pulsated violently as I tossed my head back.

I was rotting from within as the pangs of brutality radiated through me, convulsing inside me like a deadly storm raging on until my vision went black.

The energy traveled up my throat and through both my arms and legs as if coerced out of me, and my body lightened under the release.

My eyes fluttered open, and Gren squeezed me into a hug, my arms frozen at my sides.

His firm body against mine—strong and determined.

Gren pulled away and spoke, but I couldn’t hear a goddamn thing as my body crumpled under the weight of gravity, and I lost all the strength to stand.

Gren caught me before my knees slammed against the asphalt.

I wanted to push Gren away and ask him what the fuck was happening, but my eyes rolled back, and all I could do was let the beckoning darkness swallow me whole.

In Spite and Anguish

Startled awake from an intense throbbing against my skull, I rubbed my face and scanned the room. The dim lighting produced a clean look, but the black gunk at the top of the cream walls stuck out. Most likely from chain smoking since a strong odor of cigarettes plagued the motel room, presumably from its last hundred occupants.

I wanted to recoil inward from the putrid smell and vacate this place, but my whole body ached so badly I could hardly move.

I struggled to get myself in a sitting position as I glanced down at the firm mattress with its cheap floral-designed comforter draped over me; a stained mahogany nightstand sat beside it with my phone on top.

My eyes glided over to the bay view window behind a circular table with one chair pulled out. A thick layer of dust restedon the plastic blinds. Only a minuscule amount of light filtered through them, but I could still catch glimpses of dirt particles floating in the air from each ray creeping in.

I snatched my phone, but I had no messages from Lucien despite finally having service.