The Usurper's Throne

53

I nodded and pulled the gun from his holster. Whatever I was going to do, I needed to do it fast. Elijah's wound wasn't fatal, but it needed to be taken care of. Elijah took a few steps back.

I turned back to Damien and moved the pistol into my other hand. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, admittedly. A large part of me wanted to shoot him and be done with this. I couldn't live my life concerned that Damien would hunt me again. A deeper, more animalistic part of me wanted him to pay for what he had done.

This was the second time I had Damien's life in my hands. This time, he knew it.

"Dove. Join me. We can build a kingdom. A perfect kingdom. Together," he said. "I'm offering you freedom and power. Power over life and death! Control! Isn't that what you want?" I shook my head slowly. He slammed his hand down on the floor. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Shoot them! Get me out of here!"

I didn't move but lifted to gun and aimed it at Damien. Could I?

Should I?

"Damien, I don't think you ever really knew who I was. Or what I wanted," I said slowly. Tears etched lines down my face. I trained the gun on Damien's chest. My finger shivered over the trigger.

Damien was shaking. His beautiful green eyes carried nothing but hatred now.

"What are you waiting for?!" he screeched. "Kill me, wretch!"

I stared into his deep, beautiful eyes. Eyes that had rescued me countless times. Eyes that had gotten me a pear smoothie when I couldn't eat. Eyes that were furious at my living conditions. Eyes that I thought loved me for the first time in a very long time.

Eyes that had corrupted everything I thought was good.

The gun shook in my hand.

Finally, I snapped.

My hand dropped.

Damien almost collapsed in relief.

"You never knew me, Damien," I realized.

He was wrong. I don't want that power. Over life. Over death. I can't build a perfect kingdom. I didn't even know what that looks like. It wasn't my job to save the world.

Suddenly, the weight of it all hit me. I didn't have to save the world. I didn't need to fix other people's mistakes. That wasn't my job. I didn't have to prove I was worthy by setting the world on its axis. I wasn't God.

"We are gods!" Damien screamed.

"No, Damien," I said, whirling on him in newfound determination. "We are humans." I didn't have to save the world. I wasn't responsible for others' misfortunes. My job wasn't to make a perfect world; I just had to do what was right in my little lane of it.

A profound weight lifted off my shoulders.

I turned back to Elijah and took a deep breath. The light elemental was appraising me with new eyes. His wizened eyes were hard to read, but I almost saw a glimpse of approval. "I'm going to give this back to you," I said, sliding the gun back in Elijah's holster.

He gave me a small smile.

"Would you have let me shoot him?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I wasn't lying. I trust you, Nao. I knew you would make the right choice."

"You made the wrong choice, witch!" Damien screamed from the far side of the room.

Suddenly, the room was full of a bright light arcing toward us. I felt Elijah grab my arm and whirl me behind him blocking the light with his body. A wall of darkness covered me in coolness.

The light elemental cast a bright light and then there was silence.

I blinked, shocked and trying to get rid of the dark spot in my eyes.

"Naomi? Naomi, are you okay?" I blinked furiously, trying to get my eyesight back to normal.

"Yes, are you?" I asked frantically, reaching out and finding him on one piece. Finally, my eyesight returned, and I saw him standing there, staring at me with the same intensity.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. The ray went straight into the dark realm."

He protected me. Just like he said he would. I took a shaky breath. Finally, I turned and saw the light elemental staring at a burn mark on the ground where Damien once was. I stared in shock.

"Where...where did he go?" I asked.

The light elemental looked at me. "He was opening a portal into the light realm. It would have burned all three of you into a crisp. So, I sent him there first."

Elijah nodded at him once and took a deep breath. "So he's—"

"Gone," the light elemental said. "Forever."

"Are you okay?" I asked the elemental. The light elemental nodded.

Elijah pulled me close against him again. "You sure you're okay?' he asked, examining me from an arm's length.

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm okay. I'm okay. You're the one with the gaping wound." I wiped tears from my eyes. "Gosh," I joked. "I just can't take you anywhere."

"I'm so sorry," Elijah said in a rush. "We knew Daniel was a mole, but that plan was put together at the last second when Roy brought you." He grabbed my face with one hand. His eyes noted the red splotch where Damien had hit me. "I didn't want to risk you. Once you showed up, it was our only chance. I'm sorry. It wasn't supposed to go this far. I'm sorry, Naomi. I'm so sorry." His eyes were still alight with fear. "Did he touch you?" he asked, using his one hand to pull the blanket more securely around me.

"He didn't make it that far. He hit me, but I'm okay." His eyes lit with anger again but softened when I grabbed his face in my hands. I gently kissed his nose as tears trickled down my face. "I'm okay," I said. "I trust you."

I stared at the mark on the ground. Gone. Damien was gone. The man who had ruined my life. Who had tortured me within an inch of my life out of 'love.' The one who had haunted my dreams. He was gone, just like that.

I moved Elijah's arm over my shoulder so I could help him walk. He smiled. "I'm not that hurt, but I am not going to say no to the physical contact." I smiled softly up at him. "Naomi, let's go home."

I looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah."

I glanced back at where my enemy once stood.

"Let's go home."

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