Page 50 of The Arbiter

I hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears and the muffled shouts of the guards to surrender. I feel the blisters upon my hands from holding onto the blessed silver bars with all my might, and a stabbing cold slithering across my bones. I smell Monroe’s blood as if it’s right beneath my nose, and the putrid taste of satisfied emotions filtering from the humans dances across my tongue.

However, I see nothing but red.

I thought I knew what true hate felt like. I was wrong. It had been nothing compared to what I’m feeling now.

Something inside me seems to be tugging, telling me to calm down, but I ignore it. I know what it is. It’s Larkan. I always know when he’s near and can tell he’s sending out those vibes to stop me. I won’t though. Not until everyone has paid and this building is but rubble on the ground.

The bars begin to heat and vibrate violently against my now bleeding palms, and even the building itself seems to be shaking. The human guards all gaze around them in confusion while still holding their weapons in my direction, but the Lupin keep their gazes fastened to me. They know what they’re witnessing. They know that they have just crossed the wrong fucking Damned.

I feel my power pulsing steadily around me. Slower at first, then faster and faster as the Lupin begin to slowly back away. The humans watch them then start backing up as well.

“Get the Strige out of here! Now!” a Lupin guard yells at the ones surrounding his body.

I bellow out a vicious snarl as black fire erupts around me, then with all my strength, I pry the bars open enough to step through. At the same moment, the door leading from the stairwell bursts open in an explosion.

I don’t have to turn around to see it’s Larkan, other Rites following close behind.

“Stop! Nocturna, you have to stop! This isn’t the way to go!” he shouts.

I ignore him and step through the bars; my eyes only see the men standing over Monroe.

“Nocturna!” Larkan shouts. “Harvey! Open this fucking cage!”

I stalk toward the men as they draw back. Just as I’m about to reach them, Larkan’s arms encircle me.

“Stop, Nocturna! You can’t do this!”

I growl, my breath heaving with anger. “Yes, I can! None of them deserve absolution! They deserve Damnation!” I try to shrug his arms from me, but he holds tighter.

“No. They have done something unforgivable, but they are still human!” He puts his lips to my ear and whispers, “We don’t punish humans no matter how much they have sinned, love. You don’t decide their fate. Only the Creator does. Monroe needs you right now, so you have to get under control.”

Too late,I think to myself. I’ve already killed more than I can count.

I look down at my motionless Strige lover, then at the cowering humans who are surrendering their weapons to the Rites that pass by us, and finally, the Lupin who are shifting back to their human forms. I still only feel malice for them, but Larkan’s words also make me see reason. He’s right. As badly as I want them all to burn, I am only made to punish or absolve the Divine and the Damned. I can’t change what I’ve done to all the ones I’ve already killed, but I can stop myself from killing more. The Lupin I’m within my right to handle, but the humans are for the Creator to punish. Monroe should come first, though I don’t know what I can do for him.

I take deep breaths in and out, trying to calm the raging war inside of me, and Larkan’s hold on me grows more tender. My breathing finally starts to slow, and my rage levels out to a simmer. I’m not ready to let go of all of it yet, but I need to be rational if I’m to help Monroe.

Larkan kisses my temple then releases me. We both walk over and kneel beside Monroe. I place my hands on his chest and can feel it slowly rising and falling.

“He’s still alive! How do I help him?” I ask Larkan.

He looks at me like he’s confused. “What do you mean? You’re half Rite, remember? You can heal him.”

I stare at him with disbelief, completely blown away that he thinks this is an ability I have. “What? How? I’ve never done that before. You do it like you healed me!”

He grabs my hands and places them over the wounds in his chest. “You have to will it to happen. Use your love for him to guide the power. Every Rite can heal humans and other Divine. Since you are half Divine, I was able to heal you. I can’t heal the Damned. You’re both, so you have to heal him.”

He places his hands over mine and presses them harder into Monroe’s chest. Monroe groans and coughs, small amounts of blood spurting up from his mouth as he does.

“You have to do it fast, Nocturna! The silver and blessed water is poisoning him from the inside!” Larkan shouts at me.

Tears fall down my face as I stare at Monroe. I can’t let him die. Ihaveto do this!

I close my eyes and envision the bullets pushing themselves out of his body and the wounds closing up. I visualize my hands burning that same brilliant, white light Larkan’s had that first day I met him. I will my energy into Monroe, forcing every ounce of hope and love I have into it.

“That’s it! Keep going!” Larkan prods excitedly and pulls his hands away from mine, allowing me to finish.

After a few more seconds, I feel Monroe’s chest jolt upward, and a large gasp of air comes from him. My eyes snap open in time to see his gazing up at me wide-eyed in shock. He coughs heavily, his hand clasping over mine to hold it there.

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