Ashes of Merciless Page 24

  “Nothing is going to stop me!”

  I shifted slightly to the side. Only one chance.

  “But first, I’m going to enjoy this. Soon, you’ll all be—”

  My hand flew upward and back. The knife sank into the Master’s neck up to the hilt.

  Before Cain and Carol even raised their guns, I pulled the bloody knife out and flung it at Carol. The blade whirled, slicing across Carol’s neck. It spun in a deadly arc toward Cain, and the knife struck the center of his forehead with a sickening thump.

  All three of them fell to the ground at the same time.

  At first, nobody even moved.

  I blinked wearily, not sure what to do next. I looked down at the blood on my hands just as the sun, hidden behind a cloud, shot a ray into my face. A rush ran through my ears, and the ground was suddenly very close.

  Someone caught me, and my blurry eyes found Gage.

  “It’s over,” I said quietly. “It’s really over.”

  Gage only nodded. Lacey, Viola, and Shane hovered nearby.

  I looked at the bodies on the ground. I pictured Scott in my mind. Instead of feeling a soaring satisfaction, I felt only a deep sadness that was tinged with pity. Tears dripped down my face.

  “It’s ok,” Gage murmured. “It’s all right. You never have to do anything like this ever again. We’re free, Ashley. We’re all finally free.”

  Not knowing what to say, I looked to the others. Shane’s relief was evident on his face. Viola’s eyes remained worried, her gaze focused on my leg. But Lacey was the one who smiled at me, although the smile was wavering and hesitant.

  “I’m sorry I only took Aden,” I told them. “I’ve screwed up so much in my life. I know that.”

  “Ashley . . . ,” Lacey started, but I shook my head at her.

  “But you all know why I did it, right? You all understand? I love you. I didn’t want the rest of my family to get hurt.” My head bowed. “But Aden is still . . .”

  “We’ll set up a memorial for him right next to Ruth’s, ok? I’m sorry we couldn’t get him out,” Gage said, his voice sincere.

  Viola leaned down and stroked my hair away from my face. “Your father would be proud of you,” she whispered.

  The tears came faster. “But I never stopped to really think about this, did I? Was this what he would have wanted? What my mother would have wanted? I told myself it was, but wasn’t this just what I wanted?”

  Shane crouched down to my level. “A lot of people are safe because of what has happened here today. Try to think about it like that, because it’s the truth, Ashley. As for the type of people that Merciless originally targeted, we’re just going to have to trust the law to take care of them. It’s not a perfect system; no one knows that better than us, but Merciless was far from perfect as well.”

  “And maybe you can forgive yourself now,” Gage said into my ear as he picked me up and held me close. He looked to the others. “Let’s head back.”

  “Petals.”

  I started at the voice in my head. Not Ash’s voice . . .

  Aden’s voice.

  I shifted in Gage’s arms as he walked toward the woods. I stared at the strange glowing flower under the heat lamp, missed by the others in the chaos.

  “Gage, wait.”

  He looked down at me as Viola put her hand on my arm.

  “Ashley, honey, we need to get you to a hospital,” she said firmly.

  I pointed to the flower. “It’s the antidote.”

  Everyone turned around, and Gage sucked in a breath. We went to the wooden box where the flower shined with an eerie inner light. The flower had five small, light green petals with blue veins. The stem was an even brighter green; it was the same exact shade of green as the poison.

  “But what is it doing here?” Lacey asked in a confused voice.

  Shane bent down and studied the plant. “Maybe he moved it here for easier access to it or something.”

  Lacey leaned down and sniffed it, then pulled back abruptly. “It smells like smoke.”

  Gage hesitated. “This could be the last Flameblood flower in existence. We’ll take it with us, but what part is the antidote?”

  “It’s the petals.”

  Gage shook his head. “I need to do some more research, although I never could find anything on the antidote until Aden came along.”

  I slid down from his arms. “It’s the petals.”

  His hand caught my elbow. “You can’t know that.”

  “Aden told me.” I held Gage’s gaze. “I trust Aden.”

  “Aden might not have known for sure—”

  “This is the least I can do for Aden,” I interrupted. “Trusting him. It meant a lot to him to have someone to connect to, however briefly.”

  Gage kept his hand on me as I grasped a petal. I tugged, surprised that it was so attached to the center of the flower. I pulled harder, and the petal was released.

  “It’s ok,” I told them tiredly, and my eyes lingered on Gage’s face. “Please. I know I have everything to lose now, so I’m not doing this lightly.”

  I brought the petal to my mouth and let it fall on my tongue. It was cold, and it tasted like snow. As soon as I swallowed, I moaned, and everyone rushed forward. Gage’s hand on my arm tightened, but I shook my head at them.

  I felt good despite the fact that I was barely on my feet from trauma and blood loss. Closing my eyes in bliss, I pictured my blood cooling, my life prolonging. I could feel my heart returning to a more normal rhythm. My hands stopped shaking almost completely.

  I kissed Gage’s cheek and allowed him to lift me up in his arms again. He eyed me carefully, and he put his forehead against mine.

  “Your skin feels cooler,” he said, his voice filled with amazement. “Lacey and Shane, will you grab the flower and the heat lamp?”

  “Sure!” Lacey said happily as Shane went to unplug the lamp from the extension cord.

  “I feel better,” I said, resting my head against Gage’s chest. “I don’t think there will be as many relapses now,” I reassured him as we started walking again toward the woods.

  “But how much time will you have?” Gage murmured softly. I heard in his voice how much it hurt him to say that aloud. “There are only four petals left.”

  I looked up at him. “That doesn’t matter.” I froze at the realization of my words.

  Gage returned my gaze, the question in his eyes. I listened to the steady beating of his heart, the crunching of footsteps around me, the wind blowing through the approaching trees.

  I smiled at him. “What matters is what I do with that time, and who I spend it with.”

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to my husband for designing the cover and for all the encouragement and support.

  About The Author

  Odette Michael

  Odette Michael loves to read and bake. She would get a lot more writing done if video games didn't exist. She lives with her husband in the United States.

  Books By This Author

  Rapid Pulse (Violet Memory Book 1)

  Eighteen-year-old Kara Deuel has finally adjusted to a life without her parents, ready to balance both college and a job while taking care of her sick grandmother.

  Until fate attacks her in the dark of night, stealing her blood and whisking her away to a mansion of vampires.

  Held against her will by Gabriel Arundel, Kara vows to kill him before she escapes. But what she does not anticipate is the growing bond between them that blurs love and hatred.

  Meanwhile, a shadow from the darkest part of Gabriel's past holds the threat of death over Kara the closer they become. . . .

  Forever Stained Red (Violet Memory Book 2)

  Ashes Of Merciless

 

 

 
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