Hourglass (Book 1- Tractatori Series) | Wattys2016

::Chapter Twenty-One::

Cole's heart stopped. 

She knew what was going to happen next, and she desperately tried to build a defense around her heart. It was useless-- a battle she was bound to lose. Pain, raw and tender, exploded in her chest. It spread throughout her like the shock of an atomic bomb. 

Cole was faintly aware that Hunter was still talking, but the pain clogged her ears. A metallic tang rose up her throat until it settled on her tongue. 

Betrayal.

Part of her was disappointed. She knew something like this was going to happen, and yet she still let herself care about him. 

His hand touched her arm, not an unwelcome gesture, until the pain flooded back in. She jerked her arm away, fury burning in her. It sharpened her senses. Her ears unclogged and her vision focused until everything was sharp. Too sharp. Sharpness could hurt her. She didn't want to hurt anymore. 

Angry tears threatened to burn a path down her face, but she wouldn't cry in front of him. She wouldn't. 

A hand grabbed her arm. Cole was standing up and halfway to the door. When did she do that? Doesn't matter, though. She wanted away anyway. 

"Cole, please. Let me explain."

Her eyes landed on his. All the softness in his face appeared distorted through her gaze of fury. His face became a plane of harsh lines and angles. Sharp angles. Too dangerous. 

Thinking he must've had her attention, he continued. "I didn't want to hurt you..."

At the word hurt, the flames inside her burned hotter. She wanted him to hurt as much as she was now. 

She stared at his face until she was sure he would melt into molten lava. She pictured flames engulfing him, greedy licks of flame searching for the spot that would hurt the most. She imagined white hot barbs stabbing his heart. 

A scream pulled her out of her thoughts. Her body jerked awake as a thump hit the floor. 

Hunter was on his knees, hands clutching his head and pained noises escaping his mouth. His body writhed as if he really was engulfed in flames... 

Reality set in. She was hurting him. Cole dropped beside Hunter who was now flat against the floor. 

"I'm sorry! What do I do?!" Her hands fluttered uselessly over him. "How do I make it stop?" 

Tears pushed against her eyelids. Her emotions were haywire. She felt like the frayed edges of a worn blanket, like she was going to fall apart with the slightest tug. Her head weighed a million pounds with the new knowledge of what she was and what she was doing. Her heart was even heavier. 

She placed her new hands on his chest. They were more delicate than her last hands. Her fingers now tapered delicately, and her nails were smooth and oval. Where was her old hands with the bitten nails and the freckles on her knuckle?

Closing her eyes, she imagined the pain leaving Hunter like poison being drawn out of a wound. She pictured the flames receding until they disappeared and a thick, soothing balm to cover his skin. She visualized him whole and healthy and pain-free. 

Hunter grunted and she fell backwards, the heaviness on her suddenly feeling heavier. Sweat beaded on her brow and her breaths came in short pants. 

Hunter pushed himself up looking cautious. His skin was pale and his face a mask of wary. He looked at her before his eyes darted away. 

Her chest hurt even more. 

Despite the tiredness that hung on her shoulders like a wet woolen blanket, she stood up. 

"I'm sorry," she whispered, so faint that she thought he didn't hear her. Unable to take anymore, she left with the door wide open behind her. 

:||:

It had been hours since Cole left. Hunter stood in the bathroom, staring at his face in the mirror. He felt awful. Between his confession and Cole's power on him...

Her power was nothing like he felt before. It's possible to manipulate a normal human into thinking they were feeling pain, but doing so on another Tractatori was unheard of. A shiver of fear traveled down his spine just thinking about earlier. He could still feel the flames devouring his flesh.

This new Cole scared him. 

The light above the mirror-- the only light on in the house-- flickered, and a shrill noise rose from the darkness outside the bathroom. His phone. 

It was a simple phone; silver with prepaid minutes, and as stoic as everything else he owned. He flipped it open and held it to his ear. 

"Yes?"

A deep voice escaped the phone. "Did you find her?" 

Hunter braced his weight against the counter. "About that..." 

"Don't tell me you messed up." The tone was pleasant enough, but the underlying threat was still there. 

"I've got it covered. Trust me." Hunter glanced down at his skin, expecting to see flames dancing on him. "You were right, sir."

"Oh?"

"She's definitely something else. Powerful." 

Somewhere in the house, the ticking of the clock grew louder. "I expected as much," the man on the other end of the phone said. "And I expect to have her here in a month."

Hunter paused, his heart heavy in his chest. "Understood."

So I think this is the end of this novel... I know. I'm shocked, too. If you want me to hurry up and start the next book, please vote and leave comments below! Thank you for sticking with me!

-Sophia <3