Page 14 of The Eternal Mirror
Then he turns slowly toward Josh.
“No!” This time, I do scream out the word, and Zayne hesitates for a moment. His long neck twists so he can see me, and I see the pleading in his eyes.
Help me.
But I don’t know what to do. All I know is I have to stop this. Or die trying.
Zayne’s head jerks back, and he takes another step. I can see the tears streaming down Josh’s face.
And I do the only thing I can think of. I lunge forward and leap off the wall of the arena. I hit the sand, roll, and a second later, I’m on my feet, racing across the open space. I leap over the body of a still smoldering wolf, skidding to a halt in the space between the basilisk and Josh.
I stand with my hands on my hips, facing Zayne. He roars, flames flickering from his mouth, green venom dripping from his fangs.
But it’s Khronus I call out to. “I will die before I allow this to happen.”
He might want to teach me a lesson, but I have to believe he wants me alive more than he wants to make a point. Of course, I could be wrong.
Time seems to slow as I stare at him, willing him to give in. The trouble is, I think he might be partly insane, which means he’s not rational. He reminds me of Hecate. I thought the very same about her when she revealed her true self. Maybe craziness is a side effect of living so long.
I feel a small hand slide into mine and glance down. Josh is staring up at me, his eyes wide, and I squeeze his hand and then haul him against me, hiding his face in my side so at least he won’t see the end coming.
Zayne’s great jaws open wide, and I steel myself, expecting any moment to feel the burn of his flames. God, it’s going to hurt. And I don’t want to die. And Khaos is going to besopissed that I didn’t stay alive. And Zayne’s going to hate himself. And...
A shiver runs through the air, and a moment later, the basilisk is gone, and Zayne is back. He stands for a moment, then crashes to his knees and vomits into the sand.
Relief hits me like a tidal wave, crashing into me, rolling over me, pulling me under.
My last thought:I did what I had to. Please gods, let it be enough.
And then everything goes black.
Chapter 6
When I Don’t Even Get to Taste the Piña Colada
Ikeep my eyes closed. Maybe it was all a bad dream, and I’m actually lying on the beach in Hawaii, under a striped umbrella, with a piña colada on a bamboo table beside me, Khaos close by, dressed in nothing but a pair of...pink swim shorts, all his gleaming muscles on display. I can’t decide which to grab first; Khaos or my piña colada, so I reach out with both hands and—
“I know you’re awake, princess.”
Nooo!
Unfortunately, that’s not Khaosti’s voice pulling me out of my delicious daydream.
“So you might as well open your eyes.”
But I don’t want to.The whine runs through my head. I try to cling to my fantasy, but my piña colada is fading away, and I never even got a taste. I’ve never had a cocktail. How sad is that?
I blink open my eyes and stare at the ceiling. “Are we all alive?” I ask. If the answer is no, then I’m not moving.
“Yeah, we’re all alive.”
I roll my head to the side, and find Zayne slouched in a velvet chair, all exhaustion and haunted eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. I bet he’s regretting the moment I ever entered his life.
“Me too.” He straightens and runs a trembling hand through his thick hair.
I push myself up on my elbows and search the room. Josh is lying on a sofa close by; he’s fast asleep, a blanket pulled over him so I can just see the edge of his face and his messy hair. But I can see the rise and fall of his chest as he breathes.
