The Opelux and Other Monsters || Book One

CHAPTER 63 - ORION

Even as he fell to his knees, his eyes—wide with shock and pain—found mine and held them.

"Please Orion," he said to my mind. "Do nothing until the exchange is complete."

The twisting was weaker this time. And I knew it wasn't meant to be a command. Because the moment his heart stopped beating, the binding would break, and his commands would dissolve. And he didn't want his sacrifice to go to waste.

"Please," he pleaded, one last time, before he fell sideways, his face slackening.

"NO!" I tried harder to rise, but neither the command nor the Carnac's foot would allow it.

Cort sank into a slow, hesitant crouch beside him.

"Don't touch him!" I screamed.

He cut me a glance with that psychotic grin and showed me two, blood covered, claw tipped fingers. "I have to be sure." And he grasped Tritteon's beautiful curls, lifted his head just enough, and drew his claws swiftly across Tritteon's throat.

The binding broke. I knew it did because the world fell still, something vital, like a soul, leaving my body. Only it wasn't mine.

Air shuddered out of me, but my chest was too tight to draw it back in. Had it been this quiet and empty inside me all this time? Or was I only noticing it now?

"I'm going to kill you," I wanted to scream. But I couldn't breathe.

Cort looked back. "Bring me Dugana."

Past him, Gauwin, Vialla, and Aeryn had fallen to their knees, their heads down. Vialla shook with sobs. Pharro had his face turned away, his eyes shut tight. But Desraeon—Desraeon was staring, his eyes wide with horror, his head subtly shaking no over and over again.

I don't know how long it took, my entire body going numb against the icy stone, but I felt him before I heard his boots scraping across the ground as the Carnac dragged him forward. My Nourr hadn't tugged toward Tritteon because his command had been to do nothing. But it about exploded out of me on its own as Rilyin came into range. I couldn't see him, but I could feel him, feel the poison burning through him, the Carnac tail buried in the back of his neck that kept his Protection from kicking in. He was dead. But the Protection that I had helped recreate confirmed he could be brought back immediately.

The Carnac to my right parted and Rilyin's blood-soaked, limp form was dragged toward Cort.

"My brother," Cort said firmly, indicating for them to bring him forward with a few flicks of his blood covered fingers.

But I didn't watch the exchange. I couldn't pull my eyes from Tritteon's lifeless, gold ones. Even without the compulsion, my Nourr felt no draw. Had I felt anything when Desraeon had pulled us from the lake and Tritteon hadn't had a pulse?

"No," Lexicon said gently. "Not until you followed Desraeon's directions."

I closed my eyes. Would it work again? The binding had broken with his death. Could I bring him back without reactivating it? Colleena had said if I hadn't continued holding onto him during the Asoiri shower, he wouldn't have made it because he'd already used up what I'd given him. Would five seconds be enough?

The pressure disappeared from my back.

"Ready to go?" Daniel asked, standing above me.

Behind him, Aeryn was carrying Rilyin up the ramp, Pharro, Vialla, and Gauwin following. But Desraeon hadn't moved.

"Give me Nazonna's body," he growled. "Dugana should be allowed to give him a proper burial."

"Not a chance," Cort said, not smiling for once. He reached behind him to a triangular pouch attached to his belt and pulled out a triangular blade without a handle—a Xepa. "I won't have you trying to bring him back." He straightened, lifted his shirt, and pressed the tip of the blade to the one-inch scar to the right of his bellybutton, identical to mine. His back arched a bit, like he'd been sitting for a long time and needed a good stretch. And then he pulled it out, a single bead of blood oozing from the fresh incision, and slid it back into the pouch. With a flourish, Destere burst to life in his hand. "But don't you worry. I wasn't planning to leave him here to rot." And he lowered the hand toward Tritteon.