Page 58 of Deathless
Who are you?I tried to scream into the silent, empty void pressing in all around me.
Louder. Use your voice.A third person was talking to me, feminine and familiar. This person had made me feel...annoyed. Frustrated. And yet I had immense respect for them.No matter what she tells you, do not stop fighting. You’re a daughter of Demons, so give her hell.
“I don’t know what’s happening!” The sound of my own voice was shocking to me. I could hear myself!
At the same time, I felt myself pulled down further, the oppressive weight on me even more restrictive. My memories, my loves, and my awareness were further away than ever.
Look at his face, this man you love,the third voice commanded me.Don’t lose sight of him. Don’t you dare forget him, Aurora.
He was barely visible through the fog and the vast distance between us, but I saw the tension in his brow, the slope of his nose. His lips trembled as they moved and I strained to hear him. A tear tracked down his face. Why was he crying? Who was he, again?
“...don’t become a fucking liar, Rori. Don’t you dare fucking leave me like they did.”
A tear dripped from his nose onto my lips, and holy shit, I couldfeelit.
“I love you too much to let you go.”
“Torr!” I cried out with all the strength I could gather. “I’m never fucking leaving you, meathead. You’re mine. I love you. I will never be someone who abandons you.”
It felt like trying to push a house off my chest, but I fought against that oppressive force holding me down with renewed vigor.
Torr’s face became clearer, his heartbroken beautiful face. One day I would roast him for crying over me, but I needed to reach him first. He thought he was losing me, and I couldn’t put him through that. I needed to kiss those tears away, hold him and tell him I was here, I was coming. And I would never leave him.
The more I fought against the current trying to drag me down, the more I remembered. The more of myself I regained.
I’m Aurora Wilder, president of the Vengeful Gods MC. I’m the eldest daughter of the Steel Demons MC. My twin brother is Daren. My two lovers are Torr and Santos. A deity has possessed me against my will, and for that, I’m one pissed off bitch.
For every new piece of myself I remembered, the invasive force inside me tried even harder to drag me back under.
Your vessel is mine. You are my prisoner, Aurora!
“Fuck you!” I screamed back. My throat, my actual physical throat ached from the scream, and it felt good. “Get the fuck out of my body!”
You can’t get rid of me! You are mine.
“Go cease to exist, you rotten cunt! Fuck the hell off!”
I wasjustthere. I could feel cool dirt beneath me, felt the weight of limbs pinning me down. I moved my own eyes, my own head, and I could see my men’s tense faces.
“Torr! Santos!” I screamed so loud, my lungs ached. “I’m here! I see you!”
But something was wrong. Santos’ eyes went completely black and Torr’s completely white.
Over my body, which seemed to be lying face up on the ground, Torr held his hands out, palm up, as if offering something to Santos on the other side of me. In response, Santos raised his machete over his head.
“No, what are you doing?” I demanded, now overrun by fear. “It’s me! Santos, I love you.”
He brought the blade down in a smooth arc with no hesitation. I felt the blade tear through me and screamed at the blinding pain.
I felt like I’d climbed up the rocky face of a cliff bare-handed and maimed to reach them. I’d used all my strength, fought to hold onto every little scrap of myself, only for them to toss me back down, hurtling toward my death.
That machete severed the last tie I had. The final thing connecting me to the men I loved.
In a freefall, I hurtled through darkness until there was nothing left.
19
HUDSON
