"They killed your kind because they were worried they'd be seen as the monsters they are. Your kind wasn't rabid or savage; they were lost in the power that guided them to eliminate the true threats in the world—the blackened hearts who offered no good. You're not the monster, Alyssa. Never were. Never will be. How many more lies have we been told?"
He looks as broken as I felt when I started seeing the truth about our world. He's wrong. I don't see it in black and white anymore. Maybe there are some things I struggle with. Killing is wrong—at least, it should be. I don't know. This is all so fucked up.
"I'm—this is so confusing," I groan.
"You can hate yourself for what you are, or you can accept it. Think about those women and children you've saved. That woman who sat across from me cried and nearly fell apart as she recounted the events from the night she saw you. She didn't want to tell me what you looked like—even lied about it. She wanted you to go free because you saved her from a life of terror. She couldn't move, so she was stuck in the town with the man who could take her without permission any time he wanted. I had to use my magic on her to get the truth.
"Those children? They were all dehydrated to the point the youngest needed hospitalization before her kidneys shut down. You can hate the monster, but I promise you they don't. It's hard. The entire world is hard. But the ones you saved love the creature that rescued them from the real monsters out there."
He vanishes from sight, possibly tired of trying to convince me I'm not as bad as those people were. I keep thinking about what he said. I'm not human. I have to stop thinking like a human. If it'll save Kane, then it's worth it.
I strain, trying to rip up that arbitrary line that separates right from wrong. Not a damn thing. I look constipated more than I look successful. It'd be nice if Freya had left me a damn how-to guide.
I stand up, tired of straining, worried I might force a brain aneurism, and I head to the bedroom where I'll stare at the ceiling instead of sleep. Kane needs me, and I'm completely powerless to save him. If it was me in there, he would have already saved me.
As I pull the necklace over my head to put it away, a washing sense of something dark and hungry stirs within me, and a twisted grin spreads over my face. It's. About. Time.
Chapter 19
A Little Bit Bad
The ground shakes and quivers beneath me as I make my way toward the hidden prison the humans can't see. They shouldn't have fucked with my night stalker. They shouldn't have fucked with me.
The wind violently slaps anything that dares to stand up to it, and the weaker things fly through the air, giving up their endeavor to cling to the ground. Screeches ride through the air, letting me know the first wave of attacks are coming in the form of banshees. Foolish.
Their white hair whips in my winds as they appear and disappear, seeming to fly toward me, releasing their screams of death that would kill most.
I let out a powerful screech of my own, tasting the strength that could pierce the ears of the dead, and I watch as the white-haired women clap to the ground or run in retreat. The howls of wind set the music for the hell I plan to unleash. Only a fool would touch him. They'd better hope he's still alive.
Flashes of impossibly fast moving beings leave shadows around me as they hide in with the darkness, surrounding me, thinking they're taunting me. I taste the planes to the worlds of the souls opening, meaning these bitches hiding in the shadows of the darkness are valkyries.
"You can steal my soul," I murmur to the darkness, laughing in amusement when they refuse to answer. "If you can get close enough," I add, hearing their teeth grind when they feel I'm not giving them the respect they deserve.
Flashes of shadows dive after me in unison, but they collide when I vaporize, leaving nothing for them to pounce on. I look on, staying in a plane that offers a looking glass to the world below.
Then I descend, lashing out with orbs, webs, and fire. Screams erupt as they're struck with the powerful blasts of power, engulfed by the flames, and encased by the webs. Dodging their every attack, I repeat the cycle, losing my patience as their numbers pile up.
Two rush me from the sides, and I finally show them who the fuck they're dealing with, letting my eyes fall to their true color as I grasp them both by the necks. They don't gasp for air—they gasp because they just realized they never stood a chance.
"Freya," one whispers, making me smile in eerie delight.