Page 26 of A Heart Of Bitter Poison
“Change the blood bags.”
The pain is crushing. Desperate. I would do anything. Giveanything. My life. My soul. I beg for them to stop. Mr. Hassan sees it in my eyes.
“We have to finish what we started,azizati,” he says. I dissolve into tears when the needle presses into my throat. So much worse than the silver. Like the metal doesn’t want to let me go.
The suction struggles. Something clogs the nozzle. A piece of my throat. It’s burning apart. I can’t keep up. I can’t.I can’t.
When you think you can’t, you keep fighting.
“Why is it not working?”
“Change the bags again. We have to keep going.”
“But she’ll die.”
“We have to keep going.”
I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t.
I want them to stop. Just stop.Stop.
I wish there was something good. I wish there was comfort. There is only pain. There can’t be more. But there is.
A crash sounds from another room. Something breaking apart. Wood shattering.
The world goes still. Eryx lets go of my ankles and darts to the entrance of the bedroom.
The angel comes face-to-face with a furious demon.
Smoke billows across the floor. A light brightens. It comes from Eryx, his skin glowing. His wings unfurl. He blocks the Reaper from entering the room.
My eyes lock with Ashen’s over his shoulder.
An angel of light, an angel of death. It must be time for my soul to go. Someone heard my offer. They’ve come to collect.
“You’re killing her,” Ashen seethes. I think there’s desperation in his voice. And rage. He’ll burn the world. Maybe. I remember thinking that once before.
Ashen’s blade erupts with flame. I try to yell for Eryx to get out of the way. A garbled spurt of liquid sputters from my throat.
Ediye’s spell starts to change but Mr. Hassan pulls her back. “Keep her alive,” he says. He turns toward the door. “Anunnaki, let him pass.”
I can feel Cole tense beside me. I know he wants to go to Eryx. “But-”
“This ismyhouse,” Mr. Hassan booms. “Let the Reaper pass.”
Eryx looks over his shoulder at the old man. He gives a solemn nod. He withdraws his wings enough for Ashen to get by without being cut.
“Come between us again and I will rip your wings off and feed them to my jackal,anunnaki,” Ashen growls. He knocks his shoulder into the angel as he strides into the room.
The Reaper stops beside me. He takes only a moment to survey the macabre scene. He glares down at my throat, then at Ediye. He turns his fury to the needle in Mr. Hassan’s hand. His gaze darts to the feeding tube and the bag of blood hanging from the IV stand. He looks back to Mr. Hassan with a question in the black flame of his eyes.
“Second drawer from the left,” Mr. Hassan says, nodding to a dresser. I think I hear approval in his voice. Maybe even the hint of a smile.
Ashen’s eyes narrow in determination and he turns to the drawer. He rifles through the contents until he finds whatever he’s looking for.
“What are you doing?” Cole asks.
“She needs my blood.”
