Page 80 of Light As A Feather
“Yeah. Goddamn, I feel like I was hit over the head with a cement block or some shit.” There’s an uncoordinated struggle as he pulls himself to his feet in the tight space.
When he opens it, there’s blood along his hairline, but it’s mostly dried. Likely nothing serious, but still.
“Where the hell did that little shit go?” Without waiting for a response, I run to the living room where I left Sol. It’s empty. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”
“What’s wrong?” Hale asks when she reaches my side. “Wait, where’d Sol go?”
“My money is on Jayden—I mean Ivan. He must have taken her or something.” It’s a struggle to keep my voice even as a million horrific possibilities run through my head.
“Let’s split up. You and Zoey take downstairs; Ozzie and I will take upstairs,” Hale instructs.
Signaling to Zoey, we communicate silently, moving forward carefully. If he’s in Jayden’s body, he’s limited to basic human senses. He shouldn’t be able to see us coming, which at least evens the playing field.
We clear the kitchen first, then the workroom, followed by the guest bedroom. There’s a dead woman sitting at the vanity, staring at her reflection—something to deal with later—but no sign of them.
Shooting off a text, I check in with Mendez.
Hawthorne:
Okay?
Ozzie:
All good.
No sign of them, though.
There’s not enough time for the full panic of that statement to hit me before the distinct yelp of Solaneen’s pain beckons me to the kitchen.
I stagger to a halt when I enter, finding Sol on her knees and Jayden behind her, with his hand tangled tightly in her hair and a knife pointed at his own throat. When his eyes roll up from the floor to meet mine, there’s no sign of my best friend. The whites of his gaze match how hollow he is. Just a void, a vessel. Bile rises in my throat.
“You have five seconds to vacate his body.” I aim for control, while my world is fracturing beneath my feet.
A mocking,wronglaugh escapes him. “Or what?”
“Five,” Hawthorne begins to count down.
“Don’t do this.” I plead with Ivan from the floor despite how the room swims around me. “It’s me you want. Let them go.” Each word is bitter and acrid like the liquid that somehow still lingers on my taste buds.
Jayden’s fist tightens in my hair, making me realize that I’m leaning forward now, as if being subconsciously pulled toward Hawthorne. Despite my intentions, I can’t seem to help myself; my mind and body are at odds.
I’m both relieved and heartbroken that Thorne’s here to see this. I wanted to spare him the brutal end. It’s why I went looking for Jayden…Ivan…I’d hoped he’d be willing to take my forfeit as an offering. But hewantsHawthorne to suffer. It was never going to be enough to satisfy him at this point. Ever since he brought me here, it was always going to be this way.
We should have known better than to rub our happiness in his face.Ishould have known better.
“You had your chance to do this the right way, and you ran. I had to take matters into my own hands. Now we’re doing things the hard way.” Ivan pulls my head back, so I’m forced to look up into the white voids that have replaced Jayden’s eyes. All I canthink about is how hard the reverberation of his voice pounds inside my aching skull. “You knew how this was going to go. Don’t play innocent now. Who are you even pretending for?”
“Four.” The word snaps like a rubber band as Hawthorne’s patience wears thin.
Nobody moves, but Ivan ignores him.
“Hopefully, it’s not for their sake. None of them are here for you.” Jayden’s lips are against my ear as Ivan whispers poison into it. “Look at the way they all beg for his safety, the way they plead with their eyes for his release. He’s treasured. But you? For you, there’s only him. Do you think he’ll choose your life over his best friend? The one who’s always been there for him. The person who neverabandonedhim?” The glaring overhead light glints off the knife as he adjusts his hold on it, getting a better grip. My heartbeat doubles as I’m pulled to my feet. “Should we find out?”
“Three.” Hawthorne takes a step into the kitchen.
Jayden’s hand moves from my hair to my throat, the weight of it just shy of crushing. Holding and claiming and threatening, but not suffocating, not yet. I wonder if he can feel how much I’m sweating beneath the cloying fabric as my body shuts down. “You take me for granted, Solaneen, the one who entered into a true commitment with you.I’mthe one who’s been by your side,I’mthe one who’s your forever.” A metallictinkechoes in my eardrums, making me flinch as Jayden’s bracelets brush the metal as he brings the knife to the front of his throat.
“Two.” Another step forward, another warning.
