Page 85 of Anathema Codex

"Shit!" A searing pain flashes on my thigh as I stumble back and hit the floor hard. The second I try to push myself away from him, I realize my right leg fuckinghurts, but I barely get a peek at the blood soaking my jeans before he's off the bed and coming for me with the knife in his hand.

"I'm gonna fucking kill you for what you did to Wills." Aftyn's eyes are still empty, and all I can do is laugh as I lunge for my backpack and yank it off the chair. He swipes at me with the knife, but I manage to kick his arm away with my good leg. The movement still sends a burning shot of pain up my other one, but it’s worth it to avoid another slash. "Why the fuck are you laughing?" he screams, and I grab the first handle I wrap my fingers around and pull it out of my bag.

Pointing the knife toward him, I force myself to my feet, stumbling back into the wall by the door when my leg doesn't want to hold me up. Giggling a little, I can tell he’s trying to figure out a way past my knife, but I know how to distract him. "How does it feel, Aftyn?"

"How does what feel!" he shouts, and I can't help but laugh again as I try to stabilize myself.

"Dropping your mask. Don't you like it? How freeing it is?" I ask, smiling at him when his brow furrows, fist still white-knuckle tight around the knife’s handle. "It's so much better when you stop pretending to be someone you aren't. Willa isn't here anymore. You don't have to keep—"

"Don't say her fucking name!" he roars, moving toward me again, but I wave my knife back and forth, and he stops in his tracks.

"Tut tut, Aftyn. I've gutted a lot more people than you have, but I really don't want to kill you until Lakyn is done with you."

"Fucking try it. I'll cut you open just like you did to Willa, except I won't cut your goddamn throat," he threatens, moving a half-step closer as if it's going to drive his next point home. "You're going to feel every single second of that pain, bitch. Every fucking bit of it."

"Maybe," I admit, because anything is possible, but I honestly don't think he has the balls for it. Tilting my chin toward the dead girl currently drenching the bed in her blood, I lower my knife a fraction. "But look at what you were able to do when you dropped the mask, Aftyn.Thatis the most honest I've ever seen you be." Smiling, I take a deep breath, remembering the beauty of his strikes. "It was… pure. Raw. Unrestrained. Didn't it feel good to let that part of you out to play?"

His eyes flicker to the floor, knife still pointed at me, but eventually he risks a glance at her and there's not a hint of shame or disgust on his face. If anything, I see a flicker of pride.

"That's all Lakyn is trying to do for you, Aftyn. He wants you to become who you were always meant to be. He's trying to give you the opportunity to do it, and you have no idea how lucky you are to have someone who accepts you for who you are."

"Lucky?" Aftyn repeats quietly, turning back toward me. "You think I'mlucky? You fucking cunt. You don't know anything about me. You don't know anything about Willa! If you hadn't blindsided her, she would’ve taken you down easily, but you didn't even give her a chance because you knew you'd lose."

Another giggle bubbles up, and I'm grateful for the rush of adrenaline that's turned the burning ache in my leg from an eight down to a three. Pushing out my lower lip, I give my best little girl pout, baiting him. "Wanna hurt me, Aftyn?"

He opens his mouth to say something else, but the click of the bathroom door opening draws both of our attention to Lakyn as he pauses at the door and then starts to laugh.

"God damn… looks like I missed some fun." He's beautiful as he strides across the room with a towel around his waist, glancing down at the corpse on the bed before he passes right between Aftyn and me and drops into the chair at the table to grab his smokes. Flicking the lighter, he pops a cigarette between his teeth and lights it, his eyes skimming over my leg before turning back to Aftyn and letting out a few smoke rings. "So, kid, you finally decide to drop some balls, get your dick wet in some pussy, and handle the party favor… but you fuck it up when you go after Red?" Lakyn chuckles, jerking a thumb toward me. "This little psycho just too much for you?"

"I'll kill her right now if you want me to," Aftyn snaps and all I can do is giggle. I've still got the knife in my hand and if Lakyn gives the word, I'll be more than happy to show him what's undermymask. Even as vicious as Aftyn was with the priestess, it's a lot different when the victim can fight back. He's grinding his teeth as he glares at me, his face flushing red, and then he shouts, "Stop fucking laughing!"

"That's enough!" A loudpopmakes me jump when Lakyn slams his hand on the table. Rubbing at his forehead, he takes a deep breath before he points between the two of us with the cigarette in his hand. "I'm not going to listen to you two arguing or shouting anymore. I'm tired, and I already told you I wanted the bed tidy by the time I came out. So, keep your mouth shut and get to work, kid."

"I'm not your boyfriend, I don't jump when you say jump, Pops." Aftyn turns his glare on Lakyn, but the man just smirks.

Taking a long drag of smoke, he lets it out in a slow stream as his eyes trail Aftyn from top to bottom. He's still naked and covered in the priestess’s blood, but Lakyn doesn't seem fazed at all as he holds his palm out toward me. "Give me the knife, Red."

I flip the short knife around and lay the handle on his open hand. It’s a risk. I know Lakyn could kill me if he wanted to, but I don't think he wants to yet. Right now, Aftyn is the one pissing him off. Lakyn takes another drag on his cigarette before setting it in the ashtray and looking over the knife.

"You think I'm scared of you, old man? I'm not your bitch and I'm not going to—" Aftyn’s words are cut off when Lakyn bursts out of the chair, moving so quick that I'm not completely sure how he got his hand around the back of Aftyn's neck, but I can tell by the wide-eyed look in Aftyn's eyes that the knife is somewhere he definitely doesn't want it.

"Pretty sure I told you to shut your mouth, didn't I?" Lakyn asks, flashing a grin as he shifts to the side, and I can see him tapping the flat of the blade against the underside of Aftyn's dick when he glances at me. "And, Red, didn't I tell him that he'd need to be faster than me if he wanted to make a move?"

"You did," I reply, unable to bite back the smile that spreads over my lips as Aftyn tries to look tough even though the panic is written all over his wide-eyes and tense body language.

"See? I even warned you, kid, but it looks like you're still not ready to challenge me." Lakyn's arm moves a bit and Aftyn lifts onto his toes, and I can't help but hold my breath at the possibilities. "Time to make a choice. Sure you wanna fight me, kid?"

Keeping his jaw clenched tight, Aftyn drops the knife to the floor, staring at the wall as he lifts his hands. Chuckling, Lakyn moves the blade away and smacks Aftyn upside the head hard enough to send him stumbling forward.

"That's what I thought. Clean up the fucking mess you made and put that bitch in the bathroom." Dropping back into the chair, Lakyn sets my knife next to him on the table and picks up his cigarette to pull in another lungful of smoke. "Don't even think about it, kid, or this time I'll cut your balls off so you don't try to use them again."

Was Aftyn actually looking at the knife on the ground? Idiot.

I have no idea how Aftyn has survived as long as he has with such poor instincts. Lakyn gave him a pass, but the second he stepped away Aftyn was eyeing the fucking blade like he stood a single chance.

Please let me kill him, Lakyn. I promise I'll make you proud.

"Better get a move on, kid. Time's ticking away." Lakyn grins, lounging back in the chair as Aftyn finally turns away from him.

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