Of Fangs & Fins ✔

36. truth hurts

SR: Extreme More than Words

Thirty Six.

Eryn.

Living forever... it was a concept that didn't really dawn upon me much. In my last moment of humanity... all I wanted to do was live. I'd take any deal, anything to continue life. I guess it really is true when they say 'be careful what you wish for.'

If I really cared about Marina, I would stay away from her. Keep her from getting hurt by me. I was playing with the devil, touching her and throwing myself over the brink. Those syringes may work now, but they weren't going to last forever.

Now that Hades was here, she was going to stop at nothing to remind me of that. Sybil always wanted us to get along, bloody Hell she made it impossible to like her. Sybil begged to differ.

For a long time, I thought of Sybil as an angel, as the one who provided a second chance. In some moments, 'the devil was once an angel.'

Now the true demon of the underworld was here—no pun intended.

Hades...

Immortality was something I never thought I could ever attain. It was unspeakable, unorthodox, and forbidden. It wasn't natural, it didn't follow the cycle of life. Hades grew up knowing she'd be around forever. For her, this was a concept that never bothered her.

She was still aging when I first saw her, but now, upon seeing her for the first time in a while, I probably wouldn't see a wrinkle any time soon.

Watching as the centuries go past, adapting to the world around me each and every time, constantly evolving into another version of me, it felt as if I lived a thousand lives.

"What do you think the world's going to be like in twenty years?" I asked Hadlee. It was one of our nightly hunts, checking the perimeter, finding any sources.

Hadlee was dressed in her typical frilly dresses, one of which I'd never seen before. I suppose being a pureblood had its perks. She narrowed her eyes at me.

"Why the Hell should I think about things like that now? It's been three days since I fed, how about we focus on the present rather than the future."

She had her arm through mine, stiffly walking alongside me. Walking outside in this hour, a few kinds of people were out. The kind that wasn't so good.

"If we act like a couple, the chances of us getting robbed are much higher. They try to hurt me to force you—"

"I know how a bloody mugging works, Hadlee," I snapped, narrowing my eyes down at her. If she only wanted to focus on feeding, I could do just that.

Her gaze settled on me, her glowing eyes turning into diamonds. She didn't say a word, instead, she flickered her stare elsewhere. Her grip on my arm tightened, enough to hurt.

"Don't fuck this up and lose yourself."

I jerked my shoulder uncomfortably.

Frowning, I said, "I think that we should look like a loving couple, not a hateful one." I yanked Hadlee closer to me, sliding my arm around her petticoat.

"Look!" Hadlee whisper yelled, jerking her chin to the man in front of us. His heartbeat was elevated and his eyes were on us, watching us intensely. "He's looking ravenous."

"Well look at that, an unsuspecting human," I muttered, "I don't understand why we can't head toward the woods, I'm sure there's wildlife worth feeding on."