Goddess of Pain - Katie May Page 0,92

don’t talk,” Rebecca adds in a gravelly whisper. “You’ll be okay.”

And something inside of me…snaps. All I can see is my brother’s too pale face as the life bleeds from his body. All I can hear are Rebecca’s desperate screeches, her grieving cries fueling the fire of my own pain.

Athena’s face fills my vision as she advances on me, that damn stone cupped in her hand. With a mirthful laugh, she slams it against my forehead. Like before, I can no longer feel my power percolating inside of me. But that’s okay. I don’t need it for what I have planned.

“You. Killed. Him.” I don’t even recognize my voice. It’s animalistic and primitive. Unhinged. Crazed.

My hand tightens around the hilt of the simple kitchen knife I stole earlier.

Body shaking, I lift the blade and slam it into her chest. And then, I twist. I twist until the light drains from her eyes, until her body goes slack and her mouth pops open. I twist until I know for sure that the Goddess of Virtue is dead.

“Emily!” Rebecca screams. “What’s happening?”

But I can’t open my mouth to speak, to answer. All I can feel is a numbing sensation resonating from where the gemstone is still pressed to my forehead. I thought that when Athena died, it would collapse to the ground like it did the first time she attempted such a thing.

But it doesn’t. Instead, it remains melded to my skin, slowly sucking away the most fundamental piece of me.

My body jerks once before it collapses to the ground.

Chapter 29

I’m dimly aware of people screaming my name. Crying. Shouting.

No, not people.

Men.

My men.

Their voices float to me as if I’m miles underwater. From where I float, steadily sinking to the bottom of the ocean, I can see the radiant sun illuminating the surface of the water. Faces peer back at me, nearly indistinct and rippled with each passing wave.

“Emily, please!” That’s Sin’s voice, choked and anguished and physically ripped from his throat.

“Baby, please.” Helio. I’d recognize that smoky timbre anywhere, curling around me like a delicious, warm blanket. I feel safe. Safe and comforted. And I know that I can drift away now, give myself over to the sleep that threatens to consume me, because my men are with me.

“Do something!” That’s Desmond, but I’ve never heard him sound like this. Normally, he’s larger than life and jovial. He always speaks as if he’s telling some sort of stupid joke. But now, his voice is laced with pain and anger. Heartache. It causes my own heart to break into thousands of intricate pieces, impossible for me to tape back together again.

“You fucking asshole!” Tate. Of course. Fucking Tate. He always has to yell, doesn’t he? “Why isn’t she waking up? Do something, Avery! You fucker!” Suddenly, his voice is directly beside my face, his warm breath feathering across my cheek and ear. “You stupid, stupid girl. If you don’t wake up, I will fucking murder you. You hear me, Em? I fucking love you, you idiot, so you can’t leave me. If you leave me, I’ll be so fucking pissed.”

“It’s not working!” Now, that voice is easy to recognize. Avery. My best friend. It pains me to know that some of the memories we have together aren’t real, but it doesn’t change the fact that we grew closer during our time on Earth. He’s quickly become a staple in my life, and my love for him continues to grow and flourish into something even more ethereal and beautiful. “The stone…it’s taking away her pain. It’s taking away pieces of her fucking soul!”

Taking away my pain? That must be why it feels as if I’m floating. Waves are lapping at my skin, but it’s a peaceful sensation. I welcome it like one would embrace a long-lost friend. This ocean…it doesn’t scare me. I know that sooner or later, a particularly strong current will drag me away, but I also know that I won’t feel any pain. It’ll be as easy as breathing, as falling asleep. All I need to do is close my eyes…

“I can’t get the damn stone off of her!” Sin screams, and I feel a pressure on my forehead.

“Rebecca, help us!” Desmond cries in agony.

“I read a book once…” My best friend’s voice is quiet, tentative, broken. Unease prickles my skin, and I suddenly have the distinct sense that I need to remember something, something important. But I know the memory will only bring me pain, and my body and