Page 95 of Destined for Shadows
Chapter 29
Cori
She gazed around at all her friends who’d come for her, settling on Bartol last. His reaction to Griff holding her life in his demented hands was the most painful. Everyone was upset, but the conflicting panic and rage reflecting in Bartol’s eyes went above and beyond the others. He was desperate to save her no matter what it took. Too bad he didn’t understand she wasn’t worth rescuing.
If by some miracle Cori survived this day, she would become a liability to him. The mate bond would forever tether them together, whether they liked it or not. He would always feel an obligation toward her, and the last thing she wanted was to cause more pain in his life. Bartol had already suffered more than any man should. It was up to her to end this now and maybe, just maybe, he’d find a way to move on and live again without being bound to a mortal woman with an unforgivable past.
Not that Cori wanted to die. Not really.
There were so many things left in this world that she hadn’t experienced. Now that she was in her darkest hour, she realized she did want to fall in love again someday and possibly try to have more children. She wanted to leave a legacy that would survive after her death. As it stood now, she’d be forgotten in a matter of years. All of her wonderful friends who’d come to rescue her today would move on, and she’d become a distant memory in their minds. Maybe they’d lay flowers on her grave for the first couple of years, but she wasn’t important—not like them. They were the ones with the power to make this world a better place. A woman like her, who’d tried to kill a man in cold blood, didn’t deserve to be a part of that. Better that she stop this before anyone else got hurt.
Tears rolled down her swollen cheeks as she met each of her friend’s gazes in a solemn goodbye. Melena flinched, Derrick growled, Tormod’s eyes flashed, Lucas shook his head, and Bartol…well, he trembled with impotent rage.
Every part of her hurt from Griff’s repeated beatings the past couple of days. He’d brought her to the brink of unimaginable pain over and over without actually killing her. Cori was fairly certain her cheekbone was cracked, and her left arm broken. She likely had internal injuries as well if the agony in her abdomen was any indication. If Griff hadn’t been holding her upright, she couldn’t have stood on her own two feet. Every breath hurt because he’d intentionally left her latest injuries untended.
“It’s okay,” she said in a choked voice, knowing her time was close. “Just let me go.”
Bartol took a step closer, fists clenched at his sides. “Youdo notneed to die, Cori. You are better than this.”
“I’m no hero like the rest of you.” She swallowed and forced herself to say the next words that would help them to let her go. “I’m a criminal who should have been punished a long time ago.”
“That’s not true!” Melena shouted. “You’ve helped us and saved people!”
Cori gave the sensor a weak smile. “It’s not enough to pay back what I did.”
Griff whispered in her ear, “That’s it, babe. Let them see the scum you really are. For once, you’re finally seeing the truth about yourself.”
Bitterness cloyed at her throat. The part of her that had changed over these past few years screamed that Griff was wrong, and she was worth something. She ignored that voice. This was the time for her to pay, so she could finally be at peace or at least no longer be a blight on this world. The darkness within her had built with every day she concealed the murder she’d committed, and it didn’t matter that she now knew her victim had survived. She couldn’t live with it anymore. Griff had brought all the guilt back to the surface and drilled it home.
“Mel, if I wasn’t your friend, you’d know I need to be punished,” Cori said, meeting the sensor’s gaze. “You’ve always fought for justice and doing the right thing, which is why I’ve always admired you. I don’t want to ever bring you down to my level.”
Melena gave her a pleading look. “We can work this out. You’re not as bad as you think.”
“Yes, I am.” Cori turned her gaze to Bartol. “And we both know you will be better off without me.”
He shook his head. “No, you are the one who has been changing me for the better. I still need you.”
She wished that was true, but at best she’d sped up his healing process. He could handle his problems from here on out without her if he just kept trying. “Promise me you’ll learn to live again,” Cori pleaded. “Let me die knowing that you’ll find happiness and love and all the things you deserve.”
“Why should I if you’re giving up?” Bartol asked, frustrated.
He didn’t understand this wasn’t only about her, but also about ensuring she wouldn’t be a liability to him or anyone else any longer. “Because you’re strong enough to do it, and I believe in you.”
Bartol glanced at the eastern sky where it was beginning to lighten, then turned his attention back to Cori. “Fight him! If ever there has been a human woman in the world who could defeat those stronger than her, it is you. Don’t let this be the end.”
“I can’t,” she said, voice breaking.
Melena’s face turned red. “Dammit, Cori. This isn’t you!”
“The sun’s comin’,” Derrick warned.
Griff pulled Cori around so that they faced the eastern sky. “I let you get your last words, but now it’s all you and me, babe.”
She could no longer see her friends, but she caught the sounds of scuffles and shouts. Someone was trying to cross the minefield to save her. Why did they think she was worth the trouble when she was nothing more than a criminal? Her greatest achievement was her beautiful daughter, but she’d ruined that as well by letting Griff near her. This was what Cori deserved. Going out with the man she’d tried to kill seemed rather fitting, and she would accept it.
The sky lightened further, and Griff’s exposed skin began to sizzle. She’d wondered if it took direct sunlight or if the early rays would be enough. His arms burst into flames first, singing her jacket. Cori stared in horror at the tiny flames that would soon reach her skin. For as much as she was ready to die, letting herself burn to death wasn’t exactly easy.
Griff’s legs lit up next, and he jerked behind her. “Now you’ll forever be mine.”
