Between Heaven and Hell (PA #2)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Romeo (Lust)

After the final redcap meets his maker, I wipe the blood coating my knuckles onto my pants. The black leather was a solid choice; I won't have to worry about any stains. Being shirtless, however, was a stupid move on my part. Now, I'll have to complete the rest of this final with sticky blood drying into a crust on my skin.

The things I do to get Willow's attention...

Retrieving my bow from where I left it, I look for my favorite girl. She was a total badass with the redcaps, killing several before they could reach us. The knives were an extension of her body, each one going through our enemies' eyes with hardly any effort.

The surrounding area is littered with corpses and Sariah stands over one several feet away. I frown. Willow's missing and so is Galileo.

Did he take her? He's been attached to her hip all damn day, hoarding her all for himself. I wouldn't put it past him to just up and leave me and Sariah so that he can have some alone time with Willow. I don't exactly blame him for the impulse, either.

It's entertaining, watching the two of them together. I was irked by it at first, but their interactions are so damn fascinating. The push-and-pull, will-they-won't-they—I'm invested in the drama now. It doesn't hurt that Galileo gets so vexed by Willow and his attraction to her. Any day that Galileo Michaelson is a flustered mess is a good day in my book.

I also feel safe in the knowledge that there's no chance of an actual relationship occurring between the two of them. Even if he wants one, Galileo's too dedicated to his father's anti-human causes to go against the man and date one. And Willow is...complicated. She's unlikely to pursue something with someone who's such a fucking asshole. She could eventually forgive him for the way he treats her, but his douchiness toward the general population won't endear him to her.

"Did you see where Willow went?" I call out to Sariah.

Her lips twitch. "You mean the human?"

I don't like the look on her face.

With growing anxiety, I say, "Yeah. Willow, the human, prettiest girl in all the realms. Do you know where she went?"

She poorly hides a grin. "There was something off with her; she went further into the woods while we were all fighting."

"And you didn't say anything? Or try to stop her?" I press.

She lifts her shoulders in a careless shrug. "It wasn't my business."

Fucking bag of saggy tits.

"Which way? If you lie, I'll kill you."

She points to my right, so I move to the left, not trusting her in the slightest.

"I'll deal with you later," I warn her, already sprinting away.

Brambles and leaves stick to my hair at my fast pace. Branches cause stings of pain as they scrape against my exposed skin, but I only run faster.

In my haste, I trip over a fallen log. A warm, wet, fallen log. There are several scattered around me, my face only inches from the nearest one.

I don't know what it is, honestly. I hesitantly reach for the closest one and skim my fingers over the surface. The wetness is blood, and the logs aren't logs at all. They're body parts. Warm with a recent death.

My heart drops to my stomach. The world shifts to grey, all of the color leaching out of everything.

Not Willow.

Please, God, Satan, whoever, not Willow.

I carefully sift through the remains with hands that feel nothing, my skull pounding with an acute sense of fear.