Crash and Burn (1)

you're not letting me?

♚ ♛

IN ONE SWIFT MOVEMENT, Soren tore the boy up from the ground and thrust him forward. Into the park. He turned to face us frantically, but Soren raised his gun to level with his face.

Staring into the barrel of a gun, he choked back a small cry. Soren flashed forward again, shoving hard enough to send the boy sprawling into the dirt. Between his light sputtering and frantic cries, he scrambled back in the dirt, watching Soren approach. "I...lo siento, no sabía...I..."

"You're sorry," Soren muttered dryly, kneeling down to grasp his collar roughly. His blue jacket seemed to glow in the faint light, only serving as a reminder that he was with Seth. "Don't bother being sorry."

He slipped a hand into the boy's jacket lazily, ripping out a small knife. Flipping it open, he waved it in front of him. "You're fucking sorry. I should kill you with your own pathetic knife."

"Soren."

That familiar nausea crept up on me like a hurricane when Soren didn't respond to me. He flipped the blade closed and yanked the boy to his feet. "Was there anyone else with you?"

"No!" He sputtered in panic, stumbling as Soren spun him around and jabbed the gun into his back. With a harsh shoulder, they were both propelling forward along the dirt path. "No, it was just me. I won't tell anyone what happened... or...I..."

Soren scoffed with a cold amusement. I didn't know what to do. They were moving at a steady pace and I was scrambling to catch up, to stop him, to say something, to do anything. "You're not lying to me, are you? Because I find it hard to believe that he sent you alone."

"¡No, solo yo! I swear. It was only me."

"Soren!" I hissed as he ground his gun into the boy's back. "Soren, what the fuck?"

He didn't even glance at me. Rage bubbled up in my veins recklessly. Before I could stop myself, I was grabbing Soren's jacket and yanking him to a stop. "Soren!"

This time, he spared me a glance. In the dim light of the pathway, it was cold. Cold and angry and deadly.

A shiver ran down my spine, but I forced myself to ignore it. I wasn't afraid of Soren. "What are you doing?"

Soren simply snipped, "He's coming with us."

"To the universal?"

"Sí. If he wants to pick a fight with you, he's got to be willing to pick a fight with all of Bloodline, Lace."

My heart skidded to a violent stop with his words. Digging my heels into the dirt and clenching my nails into my fists, I halted immediately. "They... will they..."

Soren lolled his head over his shoulder to look at me briefly, kicking up dirt with each frustrated step. "He can try to fight back."

Fight back?

"Soren! There are going to be hundreds of people there!"

The statement echoed through the empty park as I raced to catch up with them. Wriggling in his tight grip, the boy was crying and pleading and yelling, but Soren didn't care. I floundered with my words as we shuffled deeper into the park, sickness swelling through me again. "You..."

Soren glanced at me carelessly.

"Soren, no!" I grabbed at his shoulder to still him. "You can't let them kill him, he's just a kid!"

"Actually, I can. He should've known better."

That was all he said before he brushed past me with the sobbing boy.