Alex was silent.
Another scream.
I winced and braced myself against the mantel, nearly prying it from its place on the wall.
Alex shook his head. "If it's this bad for you — imagine how bad it is for her. She's human, Ethan. She could die. Or is that what you want? To take it all back? Would you… let her die? Just because you're afraid of what happens if she lives?"
"Take it back!" I roared; my hand crumpled the wood and tossed it into the fire.
"Fear isn't welcome here," he mocked.
I punched him in the jaw.
He went flying across the room, slamming into the wall, before chuckling and regaining his balance. "That all you got?"
"Don't tempt me to end you."
"Like you could," he spat. "Now do your job, Ethan. Go to her."
A piercing scream had me catching my breath, holding my hand to my chest.
Alex looked heavenward and swore.
"Fine," I barked. "I'll hold her — again. But you know what you ask, if that much physical contact is made? I'll be lost to her."
Alex's smile fell from his face. "You've been lost to her from the minute Cassius uttered her name. Don't for one second think otherwise. Now go to her, before you give her to Cassius like before."
"Leave," I barked. "And never speak of that again."
Alex held up his hands and stomped out of the room.
While my heart decided to ram against my ribs so hard I had to fight to catch a breath again.
Slowly, I made my way up to her room. The screams were getting louder and louder, but the closer my body was the less the pain.
Finally, when I entered the room, it was to see Mason pacing a hole through the damn floor and pulling at his overly long hair.
"Leave us," I whispered in a hoarse voice.
Mason paused, tilted his head, and smirked, "Careful, humans do break."
"I can be gentle."
He barked out a laugh. "You drove your fist into a granite countertop when we ran out of wine last week."
I rolled my eyes and pointed to the door.
CHAPTER TEN
Genesis
COOL WATER TOUCHED MY LIPS. GREEDILY, I reached out, my hands coming into contact with the glass and something else warm. I drank as much as I could and then slowly opened my eyes.
Ethan.
My heart clenched in my chest. Was he back to make fun of me? Watch me suffer only to leave again? I recoiled, the pain started to subside enough that I didn't want to actually kill myself.
Apparently, I'd asked Mason to do just that a few times.