My chest glows as I look at the calm waters, feeling Love call to me, soothe me. I nearly jump out of my skin when there is a splash above me. A small, half-aborted noise rips through me. My clutch tumbles into the sea, but I don’t think as I rush to the stairs that lead on to the main deck.
Orthia stands on the side, drenched while a man lies face down in the pool.
“Jesus Christ,” I hiss, stepping closer.
“This deck is clear. Five guards, no guns, but they have tasers.”
As she says it, I see the small holes and wires in her shirt. Blood drips down the side of her face. Tentacles slip in and out of existence as she wipes a hand over her face. She sheathes one dagger into the holster then looks me over.
“Seasick?”
“No, I’m good. I want this done. It’s creepy here in the dark.”
She nods but doesn’t say anything else. As I pull the knife from my thigh holster, Orthia pulls the last of the taser wires from her chest. She nods to the stairs that lead up to the owner’s deck and I follow behind her. I don’t like it here, even when I didn’t think Miles was capable of physical violence. The design is cold, pristine even, but without the touches of life around the ship, it’s haunting simply by nature.
Trying to control my other reactions, the ones that are trying to fire up my instinctual response to run, is not helping me. I need that energy to focus on stabbing Miles, on harnessing the power Love has given me. A scuffle startles me and I’m blinded when lights flash on.
Miles sits on that white leather couch, watching the reflection of the TV as Orthia grapples with a massive man. Two wires are attached to her stomach, her body shaking and fighting the electric current. Tentacles squirm around her bare skin, curling in on themselves rather than strike the man. She brings her knee up into his face, but he dodges her.
“Focus, Delphini,” she grunts, as the man lunges for her again.
I shouldn’t be torn on what to do, but I am. She is more than capable of taking out the attacker. It’s only when I see Miles stand to leave that my body finally kicks itself into gear. I adjust my hold on my dagger and follow him down the hall towards the primary suite.
Attack, thrust, lunge.
Adrenaline douses my blood with fire, and my limbs begin to tingle as I push the door up and see him standing next to the Jacuzzi. He doesn’t look back at me, doesn’t have an ounce of fear on his features when he finally turns to look at me. The light from the water glows across his pale features, making him look like a ghost already.
“Phi-phi, I must say I am impressed.”
He grins when he looks at me. The fucker grins at me and I want to rip his teeth from his mouth. I step up onto the platform carefully until there is nothing to get in the way, not even a railing to keep us from falling off the edge. My stomach drops into my knees.
“Breathe, sweet one.”
“You survived, but I guess Audrey wasn’t the best at knots. Just wish I’d fucked her that night before she died.” He turns his back on me as he walks towards the bow of the yacht.
“You were there?” I ask.
“No, no, but she had been staying at the apartment. She saw your message and thought changing the codes would be enough. She insisted you weren’t capable of getting physical.” A crash behind us interrupts him. Neither of us look back to see who has walked onto the deck. “But you’ve found someone who’s happy to do the dirty work, I see.”
“I killed Audrey,” I proclaim, stepping forward and pointing my dagger at him. “And I killed those two fucks, and now I’m going to kill you.”
“Are you?” He asks, twirling around to face me in the dark. “I’m not sure you could even get near me without throwing up.”
“You motherfucker.”
I see pink. Love’s mark explodes with colour as I lunge for him. Miles catches my wrist, but we fall onto the deck in a struggle. The dagger clatters to the edge of the ship, but I can’t worry about it. With both my wrists restrained I have no choice; I slam my forehead into his nose. The shock loosens his grip. He barely has a chance to grunt before I am rolling off him and towards the knife. I scoop it up and dart towards the bow. He takes a step back towards the light and I see it.
He pulls a gun on me.
“Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.”
“Nice try,” Orthia hisses, kicking him in the back on his knee.
Miles falls to the ground and she grabs his arm that holds the gun. In one swift motion, she breaks it and the weapon hits the deck. Miles wails into the night. My chest heaves as I step forward, knife poised to strike.
My body vibrates with power. The glow from me, from Orthia, illuminates the whole deck. Sweat dots Miles’ face, his nose drips blood and his tears flow from his eyes. He’s pathetic. With every step I take towards him, the rage inside of me grows. I am going to destroy him, and Love shall feast on him. He will never know peace for what he did to me. He ruined me and I am going to ruin his afterlife in turn.
Orthia grabs his hair to keep him from slumping forward, yanking his head back until he is forced to look at her blood-stained face. His broken arm falls to his side as she grabs his face with her other hand. She makes me look at me.
