Page 43 of The Heir
Hannah's eyebrows shoot to her hairline. "You're really gonna do this?"
"No." Ella snaps her head toward me. "She is."
Well, if that isn't ominous as fuck. But Ella's playing a dangerous game, letting me out. I don't need a knife. I don't need a weapon. Iama weapon. And she's loading more bullets in my chamber with every slimy word. If she really thinks I'll just rip apart whatever man they throw in front of me—after what happened with Forge? Nah. No way. I might be a crazy bitch, but I can keep a hold of myself. I can pretend to play her game.
She doesn't know what the fuck she's messing with.
I glare at her as she cautiously approaches, pulling a pair of handcuffs from her pocket. Before I can react,she snatches my arm and shoves me against the wall, twisting my wrist behind my back. I feel the cold metal immobilizing my arms, and I suck in a breath.
"What are you doing, Ella?" I whisper.
"You'll see, Melly-bean. Just be a good girl and put on a show for the Nephilim, hmm?"
Oh, Ireallydon't like that. I scowl and glare, baring my teeth like an animal as she frog-marches me out of the cell. The Nephilim gives me another bored once-over. Ella's grip tightens around my arm. This guy makes her nervous, which feels… dangerous. She's a horrendous bitch in the best of times, but when she's mad… yikes.
My pulse spikes as the three of us walk down a dingy hallway. Ella briefly releases her grip when we reach a metal door, and I stumble back, hip-checking the pale man. He scoffs and steps back, brushing at his white suit. A malicious giggle bubbles out of me when I see the smudge I left on his side.
"My deepest apologies, Nephilim." Ella inclines her head slightly. "Please, follow me. I'll show you to your seat."
She shoves open the metal door with acreak,and all the air leaves my lungs. We're outside. I'm outside. I can see the sky—I laugh and shuffle on my feet, looking up at the cloudy night sky above. Thunder rumbles in the distance, and I can smell the rain coming. Agentle breeze picks up and rustles in the leaves. God, the leaves! Lush, tropical plants grow wild in (what I'm assuming is) the prison yard.
I kick off my shoes, just to feel the earth beneath my feet. Soft, damp dirt squishes between my toes. I feel a few small pebbles, too, and I don't care. They don't hurt. This is real. I'm outside. I'm fuckingoutside. Dropping to my knees, I feel a hot tear trail down my cheek. I'm real. I exist. I exist in the world, and the frogs croaking sounds more heavenly than any music I've ever heard. A thick ball of emotion sticks in my throat.
Ella leans down, and her heavy veil of red hair obscures her face. She whispers something to me, but I can't tell what she said. I don't care. She's probably mocking me. All I care about is the scent of mud and the soft blades of grass beneath my knees.
A sharp sting to my bicep interrupts my joyous reverie. I hiss and glare at Ella, who pockets what looks like a syringe. She smirks, then looks back over to the Nephilim.
"In a few moments, Hannah will bring out Melody's little toy. I think you'll enjoy what you see."
The pale man flattens his lips and gives her a terse nod. He strolls over to a concrete bench, brushing away dirt and fallen leaves before daintily lowering himself to sit. I watch him warily, not entirely sure what's supposed to happen. Anxiety spikes, and my heart rateincreases to match. I can feel my blood rush through my veins. I canhearmy pulse.
I have to get out. I have to run. Staggering to my feet, I fall forward again—these fucking handcuffs! I wriggle my legs through the gap in my arms, writhing on the ground. If I can just get my hands in front of me, I can run. I can fight.
"Ah, ah!" Ella snaps. "None of that!"
"What the fuck do you want from me?" I shriek, still rolling around, trying to work my arms under my legs. "What do you want?"
"Patience, Melly-bean. Just a few more minutes. Then you can play, okay?"
Play?Play?What the fuck is she talking about? My breaths come hard and fast as I try to work my arms around. A twinge of pain sparks in my shoulder, but I don't care. I have to get out. I have to fucking get out. I can't take this. I can't takeher. My panicked grunting echoes in my ears, and the ground seems to… melt?
What?
Every ache and pain in my body dissipates. I roll my shoulder, expecting another stab, but… it feels fine? Everything feels fine. In fact, I've never felt better. I feel fuckinginvincible. With apop, my arms fly out from under me, and I can sit up. The cuffs are still binding my wrists, but it doesn't seem to matter.
Throwing my head back, I stare up at the night sky. The pinprick stars glimmer, as if they're talking to me. Theyaretalking to me.You're amazing, Melody! You can do this! You can do anything!
"I can do anything," I mumble. Bringing my gaze back down to earth, the trees breathe. They inhale and exhale at a calming rate. I watch the leaves flutter in the breeze, coaxing me to dance with them. Before I know it, I'm on my feet. I'm swaying with the trees. They laugh with me—the world laughs with me. God, if only Dante were here. I want to dance with him. I want to make love with him.
You'll see him soon, the trees whisper. I will? Tearing my gaze from the swaying trees, I break out in a massive smile. Hannah leads a cuffed Dante into the yard. God, my heart swells in my chest. His hair has grown out, and his beard is delightfully scruffy. I can practically feel the coarse stubble under my palms.
Bounding over to him, I call his name—but my voice sounds strange. It sounds distorted and far away. Come to think of it, everything sounds distant. It's almost like I'm listening to a speaker with a half-second delay, with the volume turned way down. When I'm a few feet away, I stumble on a rock and go crashing to the ground.
"Melody!" Dante yells. I giggle. He sounds weird, too.
"I'm okay. Aren't you? Isn't everything?" I roll over to my back and laugh with the twinkling stars.
"What the fuck did you do to her?" Dante snarls. Ella laughs, and I cackle.
