Descent (Kissed by Death) - Tara Fuller Page 0,57

to bring her here. She’d only been in existence for seventeen years. Angel or not, she was a freaking kid. She didn’t deserve to be scarred by this place, haunted for an eternity. The rest of us had earned it. But Gwen…she went to battle in the war-torn lands that death left behind. While I reaped the dead, she did the impossible. She sewed together the broken, sad souls of the living.

We barreled forward a few more blocks, taking advantage of the distraction Gwen had unintentionally caused. The line of chained souls had started to fight back, creating broken chinks where the demons had ripped them free from the line. We slipped through an opening undetected and headed for the outskirts of the city.

Scout nudged my arm with the handle of his blade and nodded toward a string of abandoned rail cars. Black vines weaved a slippery barrier over the broken railroad tracks, coming to life under our boots like serpents, reaching and coiling in an attempt to drag us down into their grip. I pulled my boot free and stopped at a rust-colored rail car, holding up two fingers to motion Scout to go first. He jumped in ahead of me, disappearing into the darkness inside to do a sweep. A minute later he poked his head out.

“All clear,” he said.

I nodded and hoisted Gwen up. Scout reached down to meet me and pulled her into the car. Inside, ash coated the floor of the rail car and a mass of blooderflies clung to the ceiling. I sank down in front of Gwen, and Scout stood over us, rubbing the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable.

“Is she going to be okay?”

Gwen blinked back at me with empty eyes. I wiped my thumb over her cheek to rub away the blood. “She feels it. Their pain. The loneliness. The torture. All of it.”

Scout’s eyes grew wide. “And she’s made it this far?”

“She’s stubborn.”

Gwen blinked at me and her brows pulled together. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here.”

I exhaled and managed a weak smile for her. “I didn’t think you were. It took you a while to come back from that one.”

She looked down at her trembling hands and gasped. “Is that…is that her blood?”

“She’s already dead,” I said. “They’ll have her reanimated to start it all over again by the end of the day. What happened…it wasn’t your fault. It’s just the way things work here.”

She pulled in a deep, ragged breath and frantically began to try to wipe it off on her pants, rubbing until her skin looked angry and raw. A sob ripped free of her throat, and her shoulders hunched as she collapsed in on herself.

“I did this,” she choked out. “I did it. I did—”

“Hey…” I grabbed her hands and held them against my chest. She tried to jerk away from me, but I held on, not wanting her to hurt herself. She was strong. In more ways than she realized. Strong in a way I’d never be.

“I want it off,” she said. “I need it off! Please. I feel sick. I just want it off!”

I looked behind me, searching, and Scout tossed me my pack. He raked his fingers through his curls, eyes softening as he looked Gwen over. “I…uh…I’m going to go take a look around. See if I can find a quieter route. I’ll give you guys some time.”

I unzipped my pack and nodded, conveying my thanks for the privacy with a silent look. He hopped out of the car, and I was alone with Gwen. Not the safest place for me to be. Outside these walls may have held countless dangers for most…but for me the biggest threat was sitting across from me with wide, innocent eyes. I was in too deep with this girl already. Deep enough I didn’t think I’d ever find my way back out. This thing between Gwen and me, this insurmountable, necessary, consuming thing…it felt inevitable.

I looked down at this beautiful creature who had managed to turn my soul inside out in a matter of days. She shook so hard her bones rattled like wind chimes. I pulled my shirt off and soaked a corner of it with water, then began to wipe the blood from her face. Once I was done there, I started on her hands, cleaning away the death cloaking her glowing skin. I could feel her gaze on me, questioning. I focused on eliminating the last drops of blood from her