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The night Atlas was killed. “That wasn’t me. The Halo Knights were dead by the time I arrived with the other Spell Walkers. We saved the century phoenix.”
“Where is she?”
“Dead now. You have the Blood Casters to blame for that.”
The elevator dings. The silver plate indicates that someone is coming from the sixtieth floor.
The Halo stands. “Is that them?” she asks.
“I don’t know, I’m not psychic—well, long story.” I’m beginning to feel delirious. “It could be Blood Casters or security since your pet blew apart a wall.”
“Roxana isn’t my pet.”
I’m slipping into sleep, I can’t get into the politics of her phoenix right now. “Get me out of here. When I wake up I will tell you everything about my powers and connect you with Emil Rey, who would’ve been there when your parents were murdered.”
“Why would I trust you?”
“I want the Blood Casters dead too . . .”
The Halo Knight looks back and forth between the elevator and Roxana before she drags me by my legs to the balcony. The phoenix sinks onto its belly as the Halo rests me onto Roxana’s feathered head that smells like rainwater. Spellwork rings through the penthouse, quickly drowned out by the heavy flapping of wings and thunder and rain as we fly away from danger. Then nothing as I fall asleep above the city.
Twenty-Three
Silver and Sapphire
BRIGHTON
I’m so hot that I’m pulled out of a dream where Prudencia telekinetically carries me into the sky and kisses me with the moon behind her.
Prudencia’s head is nestled against my left shoulder as my scaly arm is burning up like it’s trapped inside a fireplace. The heat spreads across my body, and as much as I don’t want to let her go, I slide out from under Prudencia. I step over the used condom and put on my boxers so I can get some ice-cold water to go with the medicine I need badly to cool down my temperature. I fall to my knees and I don’t realize I’m screaming until Prudencia snaps out of bed in nothing but the bra and underwear she put back on after we had sex.
“Brighton, what’s wrong?” Prudencia asks and her touch burns me even more.
I flinch. “It’s hot, I’m so hot—AHHH!”
There must be some inferno around my heart. The poison is eating me alive.
Emil runs into the room with groggy eyes.
I hold my shaking arm and it hurts to breathe so much that I almost don’t want to. “Emil, this is it, bro; I’m dying.” I scream again as I punch down on the floor with my left fist to try and fight through the pain. It’s a losing battle. I grind my teeth so hard they might crack and go down my throat and choke me to death before this poison can finish its dirty work.
“You’re going to be okay,” Prudencia lies with tears flowing down her cheeks.
Wesley, Ruth, and Iris are gathered outside the doorway as Esther cries down the hall.
Emil hugs me. “I love you, Bright.”
The heat spikes to a whole new level and I shove Emil because I sense something explosive within me. My scaly arm glows like burni
ng coal and I wish someone would press a wand to my head and put me out of misery. My vision becomes foggy like heavy clouds of smoke and clears moments later and I find something impossible.
My arm is blazing in silver and sapphire flames.
For a tenth of a second I trick myself into thinking the Reaper’s Blood is working, until the fire incinerates my flesh and bones. Blood pools around my knees. I must look like someone in a grotesque horror film. The flames erupt all around me until I’m completely consumed. I’ll be nothing but ashes in moments. My shoulder tenses as a fist punches its way out, stretching until the rest of my arm follows.
The silver and sapphire flames disperse from everywhere except my good-as-new arm.
“It worked! The Reaper’s Blood worked!”
