Descent (Kissed by Death) - Tara Fuller Page 0,47
mind. I needed some time before I would be ready for that again. Now that Mya knew how special Gwen was, I couldn’t leave her with no way to protect herself. The demons wouldn’t leave her alone forever.
Then there were Mya’s lips, beckoning, offering to take away everything inside that was making me feel. If I let her have this light in me, she could make me numb. She could tell me where Tyler was. I could get Gwen out of here, away from me. Back to the kind of place she deserved to be. All it would take was a kiss.
I bit back the sick feeling, blocked off the parts of my mind that swam with visions of Gwen, and gave in. Seeming to sense my defeat, Mya smiled as she leaned up and meshed her lips to mine. Her greedy fingers gripped my hair while her mouth opened up under mine. She tasted like death. Like darkness and pain. Nothing about the kiss felt like the one with Gwen. This wasn’t a kiss at all. It was a feeding. And she was taking full advantage. The light, achy feeling that made me feel alive slowly rose up my throat, burning, clinging, clawing to stay inside. Mya groaned and breathed deep, pulling it free and drinking it down.
I choked on the bright, golden hope Gwen had sparked in me. Deflating under Mya’s fingers as she scratched my chest, pulled my hair. As she took away everything good and right inside me. I felt sick. I felt wrong.
It was enough.
I tore away from her mouth and she sagged against the wall, eyes glowing with satisfaction. Licking her lips, she wiggled against the blade still at her belly.
“While I like a little pain with my pleasure, the blade is a bit intense,” she purred. “Want to give a girl some room?”
I took a deep breath, and the smell of sweat and blood and ash clanged around in my dark, empty insides. “My patience is running thin, Mya. Tell me where he is. Now.”
“One more little taste?” She pouted. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
I grabbed the hand sliding down my stomach. “Not a fucking chance. Talk.”
She frowned and narrowed her gaze on me. “Word was getting around that a Heaven-bound was here and things got a little crazy. They took him to the outer limits of the city to keep him hidden. He’s been passed around a lot, so no guarantees, but last time I heard, he was in the Meat District.”
The Meat District.
I closed my eyes, and my stomach rolled. I couldn’t take Gwen there. If Mya was telling the truth, we were likely to find Tyler in pieces, if we found him at all. I could have him reanimated, but I didn’t know what good it would do. After that kind of torture, souls came back wrong. He’d never be April’s Tyler again. After being tainted by this kind of darkness, he’d be like me. A stain in the middle of the pearly-white purity of Heaven. If I kept Gwen down here much longer, she’d end up the same.
I shoved away from Mya and holstered my blade. Her scent dug its claws into me and her taste burned my mouth. I hated it. Wiping the back of my wrist across my lips, I backed away while Mya’s eyes stalked me hungrily, wanting more.
“Thanks for the fix, sexy,” she purred, planting a cold kiss on my cheek and skipping away in search of her next victim. The empty feeling she’d left me with came crashing over me like a wave, pulling me down, down, down until I could barely catch my breath. I stumbled forward and caught myself on the wall, breathing hard.
“Damn it,” I whispered, blinking away the spots dancing across my vision. In that moment, I’d never felt more weak. More wrong. I wanted Gwen. I didn’t just want her. I needed her, and I hated that. I selfishly headed for the stairs, intent on finding my way back to her before I passed out. If we were going to venture into the Meat District tomorrow, I needed to regain my strength.
When I finally made it to the door, I shoved, but it wouldn’t budge. I peeked in the crack and saw the corner of the nightstand, haphazardly blocking my way in. Resting my forehead against the door, I chuffed out a laugh. It wouldn’t have been enough to stop anyone who wanted to get in, but it