Page 101 of Martyr
“Because as soon as you double-crossed me, I had her moved.”
My eye twitches. “Where?”
He laughs. He’s dressed impeccably, like always. Like the city hasn’t begun to burn around him in ways he cannot control. He reminds me of the men who used to frequent Terror. I’m surprised it took me this long…
No, wait.
The men who came to Terror, who paid for me, were in charge. I learned that early on, and no form of therapy—trust me, I tried it—would shake that. So when I came upon Ouranos, it was natural that I bent my neck for him.
But the one thing that always straightened my spine?
Lyssa.
I simply forgot, with her being asleep. But now he’s denying me again—you cannot go—and my spine is straightening. It’s about time I grew a fucking backbone.
“You knew I betrayed you, so you moved her,” I echo him. “And you won’t tell me where she is. The love of my life. The one thread keeping me from insanity. You think the best idea is to hide her from me?”
“I will give her to you once you help me,” Ouranos amends. “Kill Kade. Extinguish the hope that Artemis Madden and her family have ignited around this city, and you can go be with Lyssa.”
You’re a rabid dog on a chain. Kade once said that to me. In passing. When we first got to Sterling Falls and the rest of my mask chipped and fell off. Or maybe he mumbled it when I put the needle through the man’s eye. Or as I hung another from the outside of Bow & Arrow. Or when he found my room full of bomb-making material.
Alas, I focused too much on the rabid part. The frenzy, the chaos, the inability to control myself when I really got going.
I failed to acknowledge the chain.
And who held the other end of it.
“Do you think you control me?” I cock my head. I brush my hands down my shirt. “Truly? Order me to bark?—”
“And you’ll bark,” Ouranos finishes without hesitation.
Hedoesthink he controls me.
A laugh trickles out of me, the lightness in my chest akin to slurping a cold fizzy drink. Bubbles everywhere. Up my nose, in my throat. It’sdelightfullypainful. The kind of discomfort that comes with joy.
Until right this moment, he was probably right. He did control me. But there was someone else, too. Someone with a deeper hold driving my motivation.
And right now, Ouranos is trying to use her against me.
“What does Artemis have to do with your plans?” My curiosity has gotten the better of me.
He tenses, and that gives him away.
He lunges forward, his arm swinging. I watch it coming, but I don’t move. His palm collides with my cheek at a startlingly fast rate, and my head whips to the side. The explosion of pain is more severe than I expected, and my vision flickers. I lose touch with my body for a split second. When it comes back, I’m on the floor. On my hands and knees.
I forgot about my broken cheekbone.
He hauls me up by the back of my shirt. He catches sight of the gun holster hidden in the small of my back—empty—and he tuts. He shoves me away and slowly undoes his cufflinks. I watch him, blinking fast, while he rolls up his sleeves.
“This is all to teach me a lesson, isn’t it?” I laugh, bleeding effervescence. “I forgot about lessons.”
“You’ll remember,” he promises.
I straighten just as he comes at me again. He punches me in the gut. My stomach heaves, my breath comes out in awhooshof forced air. Everything in me seizes up when I can’t immediately draw in another breath.
Relax. I fight against the panic. This is natural. I’ve been here before. I used to relish it, and I catch the feeling with both hands. Metaphorically speaking.
I let the absence of air sharpen me. His elbow comes down on my back, knocking me back to my knees.
