Page 133 of Dark Angel

Clarence goes to help Jordan to his feet when he freezes in his tracks. Daisy stands frozen at the bottom of the steps. Eyes raven black. The golden blade in her hand.

“No!” Clarence yells out.

45

The Kindest Souls Will Perish

Kora feels her blood draining from her face as she stands metres away from Daisy. A look of anger piercing hers. Her jaw locked as the silver dagger remains perched against Alice’s throat. She is visibly trembling under Daisy’s grip. Wide green eyes full of fear, lips quivering as Alice silently cries. Tears freely spill from her dark lashes.

“Get away from her!” Matthew snarls in his protective brotherly voice. He steps closer and Daisy’s face twists as she digs the knife into Alice’s flesh.

Alice winces loudly as a trickle of blood trails down her neck towards the top of her blouse. It soaks through the material, staining the cream fabric with ruby liquid.

“Daisy. Stop. This isn’t you!” Kora shouts at her.

Her black eyes move onto Kora’s like an ominous devilish beast stalking its prey. “Shut up. One more step and I won’t hesitate to kill her. Now hand over the blade, Kora.” Daisy hisses out.

Kora’s breath becomes thin as her chest swells with angst. She stares at her friend for a moment. Every ounce of her wants to hate Daisy, but she can’t. Her friend is still in there somewhere. “Just let Alice go, and I’ll give it to you. Just don’t hurt her,please.”

A sly smirk forms on Daisy’s lips as she seethes out, “Drop it first and then you can have the little rat.”

“She’s not a rat!” Matthew snaps at her angrily.

“The blade!” Daisy snarls.

Kora grits her teeth, tossing the blade regretfully onto the floor between them. It clangs loudly against the wooden surface before coming to a rest. “There. Now hand Alice over before you do something you’ll regret, Daisy.”

Daisy’s grin is savage. Wide and teeth baring. Monstrous and sinful. Then her face breaks as she laughs loudly. It’s a feral cackle that vibrates through to Kora’s bones.

“Hand her over!” Matthew growls loudly.

He dares another step closer to his sister as Daisy’s soulless eyes snap on to him. The knife glides along Alice’s skin and deep red blood pours out like a fountain. Alice chokes as Daisy drops the knife, blood dripping from the serrated edge onto the timber at her feet.

“ALICE!” Matthew screams out.

Daisy moves backwards as Alice’s body falls to the ground like a doll. Matthew races towards his sister’s limp figure at the same time Kora dives for the golden blade. Daisy lunges out, snatching it before Kora has the chance.

She can hear Matthew’s howling as Daisy moves towards her carefully. Kora pulls the blade out of her thigh sheath, defending and pushing Daisy off. “Youkilledher!” Kora shouts hoarsely, “you killedAlice!”

“I told you not to move. It was his own mistake!” Daisy seethes like a serpent.

Kora feels as though Daisy’s just stabbed her through the chest. Her pulse is quick and thundering, cooling her flesh in waves of despair and betrayal. “I cannot believe you would do that!” Kora rasps out.

Kora lunges for her, but Daisy takes off towards the staircase. Kora manages to grab a hold of her dress collar, yanking Daisy backwards. Daisy’s back slams against the hard timber floor.

“You’re not leaving!”

Daisy’s eyes turn impossibly darker as she stares up at Kora. Their gazes lock for a moment, and Kora thinks she might haveknocked some sense back into her friend when the blade pierces her flesh. Kora cries out in agony as pain lances up her side. Golden red blood rushing to the surface as Daisy pulls it out and kicks her to the side like a sack of wheat.

Daisy scrambles to her feet and races down the stairs with Uriel’s blade as Kora bleeds out, the wound beginning to heal itself.

“Matthew.” She croaks out.

His dull eyes find hers from across the room, blurred with tears as he holds Alice’s lifeless body in his arms. “She’s gone.” He grates out hoarsely, water coating his face and stinging his eyes. “She killed her! All that I had left in this world, and now that’s torn away from me as well!” Matthew shouts up at the ceiling angrily before breaking down once more.

“Matthew.” Is all Kora can bring herself to say. Misery wraps itself around her chest and squeezes her heart impossibly tighter.

Scurrying over, Kora holds Matthew as he howls a cry into her neck. Tears threaten her own eyes, and she lets them fall willingly, not holding back as she looks at Alice’s tiny body. Her throat is smeared with blood as her mouth hangs open and her eyes glare upwards. She was too young and innocent to be caught up in all of this.

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