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"What was it like in the Echo?" Allison asks, her voice hushed and almost tender. "If you'd rather not talk about it…"
"The Echo is hell. Every depiction of that domain you've ever seen or read about can't come close to the reality." I bend my knees to rest my elbows on them, only so I can hide my face in my raised hands. "I woke up a monster, alone in a brutal world. Gradually, other creatures began to appear, but they were not allies. You've seen what the Echo beings are like. Over the years, I ran into people I recognized, but I quickly realized they were not the men and woman I'd known. They were twisted copies created by my brother."
"Years? Sefton did that to you last week."
I have to look at her now, though I don't want to do it. "Time behaves differently in the Echo. Sefton might have created that world last week, but I lived in it for five years."
She stares at me, not blinking, her lips parted, for a long moment that I don't even try to measure. Though I aim my gaze straight ahead, I can see her peripherally. And I swear I can feel her attention on me, prickling my skin.
At last, she speaks. "I'm so sorry, Dax. I had no idea you'd been in the Echo for so long. Can't imagine how horrific that was."
"Don't feel sorry for me." I swerve my head to glare at her. "Have you forgotten how I treated you until a few hours ago? I abducted you, tied you up, shouted and snarled and accused you of conspiring with Sefton. And let's not overlook the deal I forced you into accepting, the one that requires you to fuck me."
She starts to speak, but I don't let her.
"Remember what I did," I growl. "Sefton was right. I am a monster."
Chapter Sixteen
Allison
Is Dax a monster? Just a few hours ago, I would've said yes. I haven't forgotten the way he treated me, but I also haven't overlooked the glimpses of goodness—or at least not-so-awfulness—in him. Yesterday, when I couldn't walk any further, he picked me up and carried me for two miles. He didn't have to do that. He could've dragged me along with him. Then he got me food and water, and he commandeered a car so I wouldn't have to walk anymore.
Yes, he kidnapped me. Yes, he tied me up and snarled at me. And yes, he vowed he wouldn't protect me unless I had sex with him. The fact I wanted to do that doesn't excuse him. But I'm beginning to understand why he behaved the way he did. Five years in a literal hell world? Yeah, that could turn anyone into a monster.
But Dax isn't a monster. He's a damaged man.
Do I want to save him? Not sure that's a good idea, but then, I have no one else. The most important question seems to be whether he wants to be saved.
I try to lay a hand on his arm, but he scoots sideways to get away from me. I decide not to push. "You are not a monster, but you are traumatized. Even before the apocalypse hit, you were trapped in a horrific place."
He bows his head, hands on his knees. "Sefton was right. I deserve to be in hell."
"No, you do not."
"I don't want to talk about this anymore."
"Tough shit. Idowant to talk about it." I clamber to my knees and grasp his face with both hands to force him to look at me. "Don't let Sefton mess with your head anymore. He's the demon, not you. I get that you were a player, and you didn't act like an earl or whatever. But that doesn't make you evil."
"Believe what you like."
"Thank you. I will."
Since he won't believe me anytime soon, I stand up and look around. We're in a meadow filled with wildflowers, and rolling hills extend toward the horizon. I recognize this place. It's on the outskirts of Fort Worth, probably twenty miles away, far enough that I can see only the skyline. It's always reminded me of the Emerald City inThe Wizard of Oz, but not today. The city has become a heap of ruins. Luckily, I'd driven past this rural area before the Echo, so I know where we are.
Too damn close to the epicenter of the apocalypse.
A dark smudge on the horizon draws my attention. What is that? A chill frosts over me from head to toe as I realize the truth. That's the apocalypse, and it's spreading outward, coming this way. In the minute or so while I watch it, the darkness and devastation swarms closer and closer until it overtakes the sun. Clear sky remains above us, but the shadows draw ever nearer.
"We have to go," I say. "Now."
Dax wrinkles his brow. But then he sees what I see, and a muscle jumps in his jaw. He leaps up, grabbing my hand. "Where can we go? It's coming this way. I'm sure anywhere we try to hide, Sefton's apocalypse will find us. He wants to destroy the world and remake it to his liking."
"We need to go someplace that he won't destroy. Got any ideas about that?"
Dax studies the approaching darkness while booms echo in the distance, signs that the fireballs and lightning are coming closer. "I can think of only one place that Sefton might have left untouched."
"Where is it?"
