Page 136 of Memories Like Fangs
“You are sostupid. You just don’t get it, do you, Byrdie-pie?”
“What are you fucking talking about, Lilah? What don’t I get?”
“I told you thatIhave no one to lose. But, you haveplenty.”
Lilah snapped her fingers.
At first, nothing happened. It was only her too-white, doll-like smile and the sound of her snap echoing in the space like an aftershock.
Then, the air was sucked out of the room.
And, the mating bond exploded.
It was like someone had thrown a bomb of pure electricity and fire straight at my soul. My chest burned and ached and stung and jolted. Every beat of my heart sent more pulses of agony through my whole body. I cried out, clutching my heart as if I could squeeze it and end this torment. Behind me, Quinn’s screams matched my own. Even within my head, my dragon’s roar was full of so much anguish and despair as she writhed in pain with us. The violence of it all sent me reeling and staggering backward. It was like someone was trying to tear our souls apart.
“Quinn!” I called out to her, hoping she was okay and that this feeling was wrong or something else entirely.
Suddenly, hands grabbed my arms, their strong grip tight enough to put pressure on my bones. They yanked me sideways with enough power to make it feel like my arms were being ripped from my shoulders. I cried out, struggling against them, but they held me in place. Glancing to either side of me, I saw itwas Cole and Cody. Initially, I thought maybe they were helping to protect me from some threat I hadn’t perceived yet.
Until I caught their faces.
Then, my entire body went cold.
Whereas once their eyes were a nice baby blue that reminded me of beachy skies or calming waters, now those same blue eyes swirled with so much power that it overflowed from them and trailed past their eyes like the tail end of a comet. It was a chaotic, burning red.
No, notjustany shade of red.
It wasbloodred.
“N-no,” I breathed, struggling against them. It seemed to make them tighten their grasp even more. “No, no, no,no. What thefuckis this? What’s going on? What’s gotten into you two?”
This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be really happening. I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to accept what I was seeing. This was Cole and Cody. They wouldn’t do this. Theycouldn’tdo this. Cody, always so full of jokes and flirty banter. Cole, a pure himbo who loved Simone more than the world and always supported Quinn like her finest lieutenant. They had almost died saving me earlier. They had taken fire so that Quinn could be right by my side, supporting me and taking care of me as I grieved seeing my aunt perish. They had entered the fray without a question. For me. For Quinn. These boys had fought their own fucking brother to the death for us. Yet, they stood against me now, their eyes hollow, their faces the most stern I had ever seen them, their whole demeanor too stiff and rigid. Their wounds were leaking blood more than they should, with drops falling loudly onto the floor.
This was wrong.
Too wrong.
“Coco! Cole! Cole, I know you can hear me! What are you doing? Let Byrd go!… Wait, not you, too! What’s going on?”Simone’s sobbing cries for Cole shifting to ones of confused shock called my attention her way. Past Cody and Cole stood Maisie. Her back was facing me, but I could see her hands outstretched before her. Her magic arced into a growing and brilliant vortex around Everett, Teddy, the Archive Guardians, Nat, and Simone. The neon violet was laced with crimson as it formed a dome around my family. I knew if she turned around, I would see her eyes were glowing with the same hues as her magic.
My stomach dropped to the first floor of the condo and maybe even further down. I felt sick. My dragon snapped her teeth in warning, her wings slashing against my ribs in a panic, but there was nothing we could do. I couldn’t summon my crystals and risk hurting Cole, Cody, and Maisie even more. I couldn’t break from Cole and Cody’s hold. I was helpless and stuck.
Having shifted back to his human form along with Teddy, Rhois, and Izzy, Everett punched Maisie’s barrier, only for the shield to bite back against him, zapping him with blood magic. He growled at the pain, but didn’t try again. Teddy and Izzy tried to use their combined magic against it with equally disappointing results. They were just as trapped as me.
Simone stepped forward, her water powers long having puddled onto the floor. Now, the only water that flowed from her was her tears streaming down her face. “Maisie! Cole! Cody! Wh-What’s wrong with you?”
“Their eyes…” Everett said grimly. “They look like Byrd’s did the night Lilah got into her head.”
Lilah laughed again. She stood up, bloody but upright. She pulled the last remaining one of my shards from her bicep and dropped it to the floor like it was merely a splinter. Her eyes danced as she looked at Everett with far too much glee. “Bingo bango, griffin boy! A gold star for observation.”
“No,” I whispered, my voice building in volume the more I continued until it became a roar. “No, no, no. You didn’t. Youdidn’t!”
Lilah shook her head like she was disappointed from dealing with a toddler. “Did youreallythink I came here without a backup plan, sweetheart? That I would just allow myself to be outnumbered by you and your little war heroes?” Her lips curled even more. “You know, hunter blood isn’t usually my preference, but strong, broken, traumatized hunter blood that spans generations is actually quite decadent and richer than I thought.”
“Cody! Cole! Let me go! You’re stronger than this! Youknowme! This isn’t you!” I fought harder against the boys. They didn’t move. They didn’t blink. Their grips were only steel and obedience. Not their own at all.
Lilah clicked her tongue. “Oh, ladybug. Always so sentimental. When are you going to see that your emotions are your problem? You can’t kill without guilt. Not unless someone betrays you or your family. Even then… You hesitate. Even then, ithauntsyou, doesn’t it?”
She took my face in her hand, her nails biting into my cheeks. “You don’t have what it takes to take a life. Cooper’s father deserved his fate. He killed your mother for glory and money. Material, temporary things in exchange for someone who meant so much to you. By all accounts, even those of his children, he was a dumbfuck. But, you carry the weight of his life on your conscious.”
