Page 47 of The Heir
"It hurts," Melnyk whimpers.
"I know it does." Helena soothes him. "I know. We're getting you out, okay? Just hang on. Just a little bit longer."
I dare to peek at Melnyk, cringing as he winces in pain with every step. "I'm so sorry, Melnyk. I'm so sorry."
Plumes of dust and grime billow in the air as we stumble toward the exit. At least, I hope it's the exit. Nihil seems very confident, and I'm more than willing to trust him completely. As we round another corner, Helena lets out a yelp.
"There! Those doors—I recognize them!" She releases Melnyk's ankle, excitedly pointing. He grunts in pain as his balance shifts, and she whirls back around. "Oh, god, I'm so sorry—we're so close. I promise."
True to her word, two double doors stand at the end of this godforsaken hallway. We shuffle around, pointing Melnyk backwards, so Nihil and I can back into the doors. The metal push handle digs into my back, but Idon't care. We're so fucking close. We're almost free. I almost drop the man when the hinges creak open, and the smell of fresh rain permeates the air.
Outside. We're outside. Storm clouds swirl overhead, but Melnyk cracks a tiny smile. "My god. I'm out."
"We're out!" Melody shrieks. "We're fucking out!"
"Over there!" Nihil interrupts. "That tree. Hurry!"
Goosebumps erupt over my skin as we scurry to the base of a massive, looming tree. Its leaves rustle, and its branches sway as the breeze picks up. Helena looks to the sky with a scowl immediately after we gently lay Melnyk down.
"I don't like that." She points to a cloud formation. "That looks… heavy."
Nihil follows her gaze and frowns. "That's true, but I'd rather brave a monsoon than go back into that fucking prison."
"Monsoon?" Melody pipes up. "What is that, like a tornado?"
"No, it's—"
Bang!
Nihil's voice cuts off. I stare at him in horror, watching a deep red stain bloom from his chest. He grabs at his clothes, panicking—I dive on top of Melody.
"No!" Helena screams. "No! You can't!"
"I can." Hannah emerges from behind a cluster of shrubs.
She holds a pistol aloft, smiling at Melody. Without breaking her stare, she points the gun at Nihil and fires again. I hear his body drop to the ground with a sickeningthud. His last breath rattles and gurgles. Melody buries her head in my chest and clutches my shoulders.
"You fucking monster!" Helena shouts. "Why? Why would you do this?"
"Ella can't. So, I did. Why don't you ask your little bestie, huh? She killed Forge," Hannah says casually.
My heart stops. Melody stiffens beneath me.
"What?"
Melody
My heart pounds against my ribs, and my blood runs cold. The floaty feeling from whatever Ella injected me with falls away, and every muscle in my body seizes. I can feel Dante shivering against me. I can practically hear the gears turning in his head. Bracing myself for the inevitable, my mind races—what can I say? She's not lying. I killed Forge. I hate myself for it, but Ikilled Forge.
Dante will never forgive me.
I wanted to tell him, really—but I wanted to tell him onmyterms. Onmytime. But fucking Hannah did it for me, I guess.
"What do you mean? You're—what? What do you mean? Melody, why is she saying that?" Helena's voice ratchets up a few octaves. I squint my eyes shut, willing the world to fall away. "Melody, answer me—what happened? What did you do?"
"Is it true, love?" Dante whispers in my ear. "You can tell me. I love you. I'll always love you."
Lies. He's lying. He supported me before. Hell, headoredme before. But that's not the same. I killed one of his men. He's turned me on people for less. Much less. There's no way he'll forgive me.
