Page 37 of Secret Origins
“I get it.” Fenrir’s voice was dryer than a desert.
“Not just dead until he comes to visit again,” I added to make sure he really got it and wasn’t just saying that he did.
“I know what dead is, Myst.”
“Do you?” Tolling my shoulders, I hyped myself up to get into a serious fight with the cow. “Do you really? You almost shot him, which would’ve brought him back in twenty-four hours. It’s his thing, and that’s how long it takes him each time.”
“You were out, I was continuing with the plan that you specifically told me not to botch up for you. In those exact words.”
“Well we have a new directive now, get on with the program.” Puffing a few harsh breaths like a fighter before a match, I did a few slices with my sword in front of me. In all honesty, I wasn’t looking forward to a one on one with the cow. He was using this time to catch his breath too, but he looked pissed.
“Who gave the new directive?” I had to push Fenrir away when he thought it was a good idea to step in front of me like a living shield. Males.
“Remember the creature I told you about. The one that looks like a young girl?” His head jerked so hard my way I swore I heard his neck crack. “Yeah, that one. She’s the new sheriff in town, apparently. And don’t look at me that way, Fenrir. That one is crazier than crazy, and I don’t want to be on her bad side. If she says kill the cow permanently, I’ll even milk it for her.”
“You will do no such thing.”
“What, you don’t want to watch me …” I mimicked jerking off with my hand, which made it look like Fenrir was ready to explode. “Good, you are pissed. Now help me kill it.”
With a roar, Fenrir plowed into the minotaur, catching him off guard. The damn bull stumbled but kept standing. His huge arms wrapped around Fenrir’s waist, lifting him off the grown before he tossed him aside. It had to chafe on the Fae’s pride that he couldn’t use his powers tonight, and especially since it was ordered by the General. Sounds drifted from the street beyond the alley, a car alarm going off and screeching when the impact of Fenrir hitting the ground shook everything around us.
He did look hot when he was jealous.
“Let’s end this, cow.”
I didn’t wait for another second. Pushing off the ground with both feet, I spun and started kicking, slicing, and punching everywhere I could reach on the minotaur’s body. The bull might be three times my size and twice as strong, but I was faster. Taking advantage of my petite frame, I danced circles around him, forcing him to clumsily flip around and search for me. Each opening I had I took, turning his bare torso into kebob meat. Chunks of his skin and muscle fell, hitting the ground with wet, squelching sounds.
He roared so loud I lost my balance.
My back hit the wall behind me, and all I could think was the General would be pissed because there was no way humans didn’t hear this. The cow sounded like Godzilla was attacking the city, and although it was late, there were still enough people out and about. The only thing worse would be if someone used their phone to take a video of us before we caught sight of them.
A fist almost cracked my skull, banging the back of my head in the brick wall.
Stars twinkled behind my closed eyelids while I continued slashing blindly with my sword to keep the minotaur from killing me. A shadow moved behind the bull’s wide shoulders, but I was too dazed to see what it was. He also kept breathing harshly, his putrid breath wafting in my face strong enough to almost make me faint.
“End this.” Fenrir’s voice came from behind the minotaur just as the Fae wrapped both arms under the cow’s armpits, locking his hands behind the hornless head.
He was keeping the cow stationary for me so I could rip out his heart. Ghost pains from my shattered fist tingled on my now-healed hand. The bull was struggling, his flailing strong enough to dislodge Fenrir at any moment. I had no time to hesitate, and remembering the manic glint in the creature’s eyes when she spoke about what was coming told me if Danu knew exactly who I was, dying at the minotaur’s hand would be a mercy. If I couldn’t reach his heart with a hand, I would chew through his ribcage with my teeth.
I had no intention of dying. Not yet.
With a scream, I cocked my arm back, but something strange happened. All the runes that I hadn’t seen since my sex marathon with Fenrir flared to life. The darkness in the alley lit up with red as if resembling the pits of hell. Fenrir’s startled gaze was wide, and I really didn’t want to know how I looked. Unfortunately, the cow had very large, very black eyes, which of course he turned on me. The world stopped as I faced myself in the glossy, terrified gaze that was acting as a mirror.
Blonde hair twirled around my head like a living thing, the long strands curling like snakes in the air. My eyes were glowing like two stars on pale skin that was covered with deep red pulsing runes. My cheekbones were pointed and sharp, adding to the otherworldly quality of my appearance. The circlet on the top of my head was bigger, the spikes sticking out from my hair glinting and reflecting the glow of my runes.
But nothing was as horrifying as my smile.
Blood red lips were tilted at the corners, promising things worse than death.
My heart stopped when I saw what I had become.
Just as my hand punched through the chest of the minotaur, the sound returned with a whoosh. His face was frozen in terror, and he didn’t make a sound as I curled my fingers around his pulsing organ, ripping it out of his body with a squishy wet sound. The life left his dark eyes, leaving an empty shell hanging from Fenrir’s arms, but the heart was still pumping in the palm of my hand. My fingers went limp and I dropped the organ at my feet.
“Fenrir?” The voice coming out of my mouth was one of a young, lost girl. “What is happening to me?”
“I got you.” Dropping the body of the minotaur, he caught me in his arms when my knees gave out. “Myst, it’s okay.” He brushed the hair off my face, his worried gaze flicking over my features. “Just breathe, mo chridhe.”
Wrapping my fingers around the wrist of his hand, I stopped his fidgeting. Hearing him call me his heart, just like my father did to my mother, tightened my chest and prevented me from breathe. It scared me more than seeing my reflection in the minotaur’s eyes. Would we have the same fate as my parents? Would we have a chance at love, or would a deity force us to sacrifice ourselves to please the gods? How much time did I have to keep this males love until the Fates ripped us apart?
