Page 4 of Danny's Dance

“What’s wrong, Danny? Was that all you got? Can’t kill your best friend again? Come on, it’s the second time, shouldn’t it be easier by now?” Chesca taunted, pressing the knife in my hands harder into her skin. A cry echoed through my mind as I recalled the day I let Chesca down. The day she died in myarms.

I tried to let go of the knife, not wanting a repeat of that day. I didn’t want my friend to die. Not really. Even if she was crazy and had fueled an age-old conflict into a war, she was still myChesca.

“Please...” I begged, trying to stop the blade from digging deeper into herneck.

“Oh, Danny, don’t be such a crybaby,” she sang. “Do it, do it again. Kill me again, but this time, do it with your own hands. Take my life once more,” she sneered, drawing blood from her own skin. “It’ll be easy. Come on, just one little cut and I’ll bleed out in front of your eyes again. Don’t you want to see it happen once more?” she asked, licking her lips as she played out my worst nightmare. Only, this time it wasreal.

Tears sprung to my eyes. Was this really happening? Was I going to killChesca?

With a loud cackle, the woman in my arms released her grip on my wrist and shoved me away. I staggered backwards, trying to regain my footing, but was quickly knocked off my feet. With the agility you’d expect from a Puma, she jumped on top of me as she pinned me down. Her hand coiled around my neck, her fingers digging hard into my windpipe. Her bright eyes flickering menacingly as she mockingly laughed at myhelplessness.

She was too much. I couldn’t keep up with her. Her games were too much. One moment, she was replaying my worst nightmares, the next she was threatening to take my life. I was exhausted. I was done playing her games. She had me. She knew she had me. Maybe this time around, it was my turn todie.

More out of defeat then anything else, my fingers unclenched and the blade slipped out of my grip. The dull thumb of the metal hitting the gravel sent all different kind of memories through my mind and I closed my eyes. Chesca died because I made a mistake, it was only fair she was the one who killed me in the end. This was only fitting. Yes, this is how it should end. The fight, my fight, finallyover.

A sudden rush of air fills my lungs as Chesca releases me. Coughing and spluttering, I shot up and clutched myneck.

“Oh, silly Danny, did you really think I’d kill you? Where would be the fun in that? No, your story doesn’t end here. That’s not how this little game works. You’re going to live for a long time and I’ll make you watch how I die over and overagain.”

Not more games. No, I couldn’t take it anymore. She was torturing me, toying with me like a predator plays with it’s prey. She was enjoying this and I was just along for the ride. I couldn’t keep up. I pressed my hands against my ears, trying to block out her taunting words, but it was no use. She curled up behind me and with her chin digging into my shoulder, she continues her verbal torture. “How many times do you think I’ll come back? Maybe the next time I die, it’ll be my last life. Imagine being around for that. Imagine letting me down again, won’t that be fun? Answer me, Danny, don’t you want to see me die forreal?”

“That’s enough,demon!”

A loud voice overruled Chesca’s evil whispers as her body is yanked away from mine. An immediate relief washed over me. Regan. He washere.

“Are you o-okay?” Another voice replaced Chesca’s at my ear and I felt myself relax as warm hands caressed my skin. With a sigh, I fell into JP’s arms. They were here. My men werehere.

“W-What did she d-do to you?” JP asked, his hands expertly examining the bruises on myneck.

“Nothing worse than my nightmares,” I mumbled, finally daring to look up. Chesca was struggling against Regan’s grip, but without use. He was far too strong forher.

“Is this how you’re going to let it end, Danny? By letting your men rescue you?” she yelled, trying to win my attentionback.

“D-Don’t let her get to you,” JP whispered, helping me get backup.

“All the thing shesaid...”

“T-They’re probably not worse t-than the things you say to y-yourself,” he reasoned, pushing my chin up so I was facing him. “This w-war needs to stop. W-We need to s-stopher.”

“I don’t know how,” I admitted, hiding my face against his jacket. His familiar scent of honey flooding my senses as he soothingly rubbed myback.

“She l-loves tormenting you. Y-You need to get o-over your guilt. Yes, s-she died, but she’s alive a-again, isn’t s-she?”

I swallowed a lump in my throat. “Yes...”

“Everyone m-makes mistakes. F-Forgive yourself so she can n-no longer haunt you. F-Faceher.”

I pressed myself into JP, seeking out his warmth for comfort. He was right. Chesca was playing with me and she could because of how I felt. If I moved on, if I stopped feeling guilty, she might loseinterest.

“I can do this,” I muttered, drawing from my lover’s strength. I needed to face Chesca and stop running from her. It was time. My guilt about her death almost got me killed today. What if next time, it wasn’t my life on the line but one of my lovers? I couldn’t let that happen. I needed to face her. I needed to give my mind some sort of peace, even if I didn’t deserveit.

“Chesca... I’m sorry for what happened,” I said in a shaky voice, every word I drew hurting my bruised windpipe. Served me right. “I didn’t mean for you to die, I really didn’t. I tried to protect you, tried to shield you and I failed. If you want me to suffer, you got it. I do. Every night. You haunt me and there’s nothing you can do, that’ll make itworse...”

The girl I once considered family laughed out loud at my words. “You sure, sis? Maybe I should just kill one of your boyfriends right now. Wouldn’t that befun?”

A warm hand found my waist and JP leant into me for support. “W-We won’t let that -hhappen.”

“Who should I kill first? Your precious boytoy? Or your mate? What will pain you the most,Danielle?”

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