BEAUTIFUL MONSTER

90: Snakes

How attractive is this man

Dread threatened to engulf me. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping this was a nightmare I could wake up from. When I stared at him again, he was drinking a glass of whiskey, throwing it back as if it was going to be his last drink. I felt nauseous, queasy, like I was going to vomit even though I couldn't recall what I last ate and when. My chest tightened. "Please tell me you didn't," I implored, gazing at him, waiting for the facial expression to crack, him to say it was all a poor joke, something, anything other than this. He kept his eyes adverted and I recognised what it was that clung to him; shame. I groaned in despair, "No, no, no, no, no, no." My head fell in my hands and my knees felt weak.

My sister was in Maximal's possession, the creature who wanted to break the sphere and bring hell to earth. Earth be damned, all I cared for was Ellie. My thoughts were frantic, scurrying around, hysterically searching for the answer to all my problems.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"Sorry?!" A violent rage took over my senses. All I wanted to do right now was beat him to death with a metal pipe. Gut out his intestines. Stomp on his neck until it cracks. Drive him to suicide. "You handed my sister to the bastard who wants to kill her!" I launched myself at him, my hands fisted, trembling from hatred, and smacked straight into a smoky black wall.

His hand shot out and small snakes slithered on the floor towards me. My foot came crashing down one the head of one and went straight through like it was made out of air and yet I could still feel the physical weight of the snakes wrapping around my legs. "I don't want to hurt you–" he began.

"Get rid of them," I pulled my t-shirt away as I felt the slimy body of a snake crawl up my skin. I couldn't touch them but I felt them and they were curling around my ribs, tightening, compressing. I clawed at my throat but only met skin. "Take them off!"

"I am going to leave," he said and set down his glass on the mantelpiece. It was only now that he raised his cold gaze to me. "I did you a favour. I saved you. You know I never meant to hurt you–"

"But you did, Orion," I choked, feeling lightheaded. I was going to faint any second now and he'd make his escape. "You have and you'll continue to do so. All you ever do is ruin everything I have..." I couldn't continue. A snake had wrapped tightly around my neck and my breathing was weak. My gaze blackened for a second, he was in front of me and then darkened completely.

"You never appreciate..." he sounded angry and that was all I heard from him and then I lost consciousness.

*

I came around to Phoebe crouched next to me, eyeballing me like I was a freak. "You alive?" she asked. "Wait. Don't answer that. You need some water?"

I found myself on the floor. "Son of a bitch."

"Thanks. Stay dehydrated, bitch."

"Where is he?" I demanded indignantly, getting to my feet. "That cowardly pig..." I picked up a chair and threw it at a wall. It didn't break. I grabbed another and raised it above my head.

"I don't know about you but the floor isn't all that comfortable to sit on. We need those chairs."

I hurled it at the wall and it crashed on top of the first chair.

"What the hell do I know? Break everything in this damn house." Phoebe said. "Maybe I should join you."

"How about you leave already?" I spat hatefully. "What are you still doing here? No one wants you and no one likes you."

She appeared irritated. "I get it: Maximal used you as a punching bag – judging from the looks of you but that doesn't mean you can lash out at me. Hold your tongue."

The front door opened. Light and heavy footsteps headed our way. Darius stopped in the doorway and then strode across the room, he hugged me tightly but I didn't return his affection or his relief. "How did you escape–?"

"Ellie is gone." I said. "Did you know that?"

"What?" he halted, and for the very first time I saw the man become vulnerable: he was fearful.

Ajax who'd been leaning against the doorway tore from the room, heading up the stairs. Phoebe shook her head. "You didn't say anything about–"

I didn't pay her any attention. I felt mortified saying the next words and I couldn't help but feel some part of it was my fault. "Orion traded her for me. I'm ..." I tried to apologise but my tongue felt heavy and I couldn't continue.

Darius was still for a tense moment. Ajax slowly walked back down the stairs and shook his head when Darius looked at him for confirmation. "Where did he keep you?"

"Maximal? In the forest."

"I'll find Ellie."

"I'll come with you." Phoebe said. "I'm itching for a fight."

"I doubt he'll be there. Maximal isn't stupid. He'll have moved and that could be anywhere." I raised my concerns. "We always go in blind, barging in, guns blazing. It's never worked for us."

"Go to Cade and inform him on what's happened and then tell our friends. Put out a reward. Spread the news. Someone must know something." Darius instructed Ajax.

"There's something else: Hans is dead."

"Never mind him," Darius placed a hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eye. "Go to your mother. She's been begging to see you. Reassure her everything is fine. She believes you've been on a school trip for the past couple of days. Don't tell her about Ellie."

I thought about my mother. I missed her more than I could ever expressed. I didn't want her to think I didn't care for her especially since I wasn't there when she came out of her coma but I had more pressing issues. "I'm going to find Orion, and I'm going to kill him."

"Go to the hospital," he commanded. "We'll deal with Orion later." Orion was the prize everyone wanted, he was the trophy, the prey on the run. It was a greedy catch. Darius was trying to distract me with my mother so he could later get to Orion first but I wasn't going to let that happen: Orion would die by my hands, I'd make sure of it.

"Fine," I complied for the sake of avoiding an argument. Darius nodded in satisfaction and hurriedly left the house. Phoebe followed him.

Ajax waited until we were alone and then he walked up to me, and cupped my face so I faced him. "Are you alright? Did Maximal...?"

"No." I said hoarsely.

"It's time. You know what to do," he forced my hand open and I tried jerking myself away. He glowered, his hold strengthening, and he barked unsympathetically. "This will be for your sister. How else will you protect her?"

"I don't..." I begged quietly and then the fight left me. I felt depleted of energy, exhausted and wearied. "Alright."

He closed my fingers around it and said, "There." The warrior was pleased.

My hand felt heavy. I stared down at the blade of Leonidas and the shiny blade glinted back at me. There was no escaping now. An electrifying buzz shot through my body.

Ajax wiped the single tear from my cheek and said softly. "Are you ready to do this?"

I felt alive, every nerve tingled. Power surged through me. My spine collapsed and my legs folded under me.

"Woah. You good?" Ajax quickly steadied me back to my feet.

My hand squeezed the warm handle of the blade. I smiled depravedly and said playfully. "Good? I feel fucking great." I turned to the blade with a look of adoration. "I missed you, baby."

The blade thrummed back as if returning my affection.

"Now. Who shall we kill first?"

**