Page 60 of Ethereally Redeemed

His voice is a cold shiver washing over me, freezing me in place. We can’t go back; we can’t be trapped once again. Not when we’vefinallytasted freedom.

“I won’t let it happen, little doll,” I whisper to her.

Emilio laughs mockingly, apparently hearing my words. “Pathetic. Your lives are in my hands, and soon, you will be cuffed inside a van and dragged back to Dankworth Institute.”

“Why are you so desperate to bring us back, Emilio? Are you afraid of what we might reveal about the institute? About the experiments you conducted?”

Naya’s eyes flicker toward me, and I instantly get the hint. She’s buying time, distracting him while I find a way to get closer to his body. I’ve never shot a fucking gun before, so I know my aim will be shit from afar. I need to get close. Without causing too much commotion, I step aside, letting Naya railhim up while it’s time to do what I’ve finally wanted for years. To kill the monster. Disgust fills every cell in my body as I think of all that he has done; all those souls he has tortured and condemned.

Memories of the corpse in the lake back at Dankworth Institute pile up in my mind. It was all because of Emilio—that patient didn’t make it through the evaluation to be taken to the dollhouse.

We were once Arthur’s prized possessions, which now makes us Emilio’s. But I will never let it get that far. Never will I ever fall back to that state of being captured.

“What do you know about the experiments?” Suspicion tinges his voice as he glares at Naya, too deep in his own thoughts to notice me silently approaching.

My heart pounds harder every second I have to be in his presence and face the man I fucking hate. From the way he previously said his men would drag us back, I know we don’t have much time. I can’t make him suffer as much as he’s made me, so we will have to kill him quickly.

Naya swallows, yet holds her head up high, not allowing Emilio to see her doubts. “I know that you and Frederick worked together on capturing subjects. Frederick experimented on children for his own twisted curiosity, and gathered the best so-called dolls to be sent to your facility for evaluation.”

His nostrils flare, attention fully on her, and she keeps meeting his eyes with determination that makes my cock harden. My brave, beautiful little doll. She challenges him with his eyes, all to make him look at her and not at me, who’s finally gotten close enough in the wreckage to be able to hit the target. He’s so caught off guard by what Naya revealed that he doesn’t notice me stepping up behind him, gripping the gun tightly, raising it high.

My finger hovers over the trigger, but my hands are shakinguncontrollably, anxiety crashing over me like never before. I can’t fucking fail Naya—not now. The thought of letting her down only makes the trembling worse.

“So, you finally figured it out,” he says in a low voice, like a growl.

His words barely register before I swing the gun’s head with all the strength I have. It collides with his skull with a sickening thud, digging into his flesh. Emilio turns around, staring at me with a shocked expression and true fear—all his plans have crumbled around him—before he falls to the ground. Unconsciousness claims him, and a wave of relief makes my shoulders sag.

“We cannot leave him here. He will find us. I don’t doubt he will find us anywhere we try to run,” I say, my breath ragged.

Naya’s eyes are on Emilio’s limp form, understanding glinting there, before she finally says, “Let’s do it together. Let’s kill him.”

“Are you sure?” My eyes widen, flashing with surprise yet something heated, remembering the time we killed that woman back at the dollhouse.

“I won’t let you bear this burden alone. My soul is already stained. What could another stain do?”

Awe washes over me, seeing how she calms the monster inside me, sensing my overwhelming anxiety and choosing to share the weight.

I nod grimly, feeling the weight of the life we’re going to take once again. We’re both killers, outcasts in society’s eyes, but that’s what happens when the system fails you.

I grab the gun, my hands trembling as Naya wraps hers around mine, steadying the hold together. Her scent envelops me like a safe embrace, making my heart slow down its rapid pace. She takes a deep, shuddering breath, and our gaze collides like stars in the sky, forging a bridge between us as we confrontour demons together. And then, we pull the trigger.

The gun roars to life with a deafening thud that leaves a temporary ringing in my ears. The recoil slams into us, the jarring impact catching me off guard, but Naya’s scent anchors me, helping me stay calm.

Emilio jerks violently as the bullet finds its mark in his chest, his body convulsing as blood spills, dark and vicious, soaking his pristine suit. His already unconscious frame pales, life slowly draining.

For seconds, we merely stand there, side by side, the gravity of what we’ve done crashing over us. Yet, despite it all, there’s a certain understanding between us—our inner demons are dancing in the shadows of his death.

“You will never fucking hurt us again,” Naya swears, spitting on Emilio’s dying form.

“I wish I could take you now. In the blood of our enemy, just as I fucked you in the blood back then,” I whisper to her, hinting at the first time we killed someone together.

She visibly shudders at my words, clenching her thighs as she looks at me with a heated expression. But there’s no time to react, not when the sound of approaching footsteps breaks through the windy surroundings, drawing closer with each passing second.

At first, we stare at each other, then at the debris-strewn wreckage around us, making it difficult to see what’s lurking beyond. My eyes widen as I wait for whatever is out there to reveal itself.

“Police!” a voice shouts, making my heart stop.

“Fuck.” I look around frantically, as if that would reveal whoever is there. “Fuck!” I curse again.

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