Bonds of Hercules (Villains of Lore, #2)(36)

“ALEXIS!” Nyx yelled.

My eyes shot open.

I was barely holding on to my daggers, bloody grip slipping and fingers burning, as the Titan stumbled, trying to shake all three of us off, its face purple as Nyx strangled it.

Repositioning my hold, I dug the knives deeper into its chest.

Fluffy Jr. growled louder, gnawing on its right arm, which was now partially hanging off below the elbow.

Good doggie.

Engaging my triceps, I hoisted my weight up, pushing on the hilts of my daggers for leverage—crunch—the blades ripped down from chest to navel.

Inky blood drenched my front as black organs unraveled between us.

My blood pooled with it.

Fresh pain exploded in my chest as I engaged my powers.

The Titan let out a strangled screech, talons falling away from my ruined back. Foam dribbled from its lips as it convulsed.

Mozart played the piano, fingers dancing, head flung back, eyes closed in ecstasy.

The monster careened backward into the grass—Fluffy Jr. and I fell forward with it.

In the grass, Fluffy Jr. went for its throat. I raised my daggers high, ruined back screaming in protest, as I slammed them down. Black gore sprayed as I stabbed again and again.

Pausing, I wiped blood from my face with my forearm.

The Titan was lifeless beneath me, a mangled mess of stab wounds. Its right arm was hanging at an angle, face swollen and covered in snake bites, mouth dripping with foam.

With shaking hands, I groped at my belt, fingers still tingling.

The pain in my back was slowly becoming a fire. The titanium cuffs wouldn’t unlatch. Tears streamed down my face, and it was getting harder to see as I fumbled with the cuffs.

Crunch.

Fluffy Jr. growled as he got to his feet beside me.

A few feet away, the other Titan’s head snapped back into place. It sat up, an empty ravaged cavity where its throat used to be.

No. No. No.

The Titan stood tall, blotting out the sky.

Wings unfurled wide.

I dropped the stupid cuffs and tried to stagger to my feet, groaning as my back throbbed with pain.

There was a split second—a flash of wings—darkness exploded.

Air whooshed and my stomach dropped, there was a horrible pressure on my arms, a fresh burning sensation streaked down my spine.

The Titan had slammed into me.

Two taloned hands were wrapped around my biceps. Its monstrous face hovered in front of mine as it held me up—and I realized we were shooting straight up into the air.

I screamed.

The Titan opened its mouth, emitting a raspy whistling noise as the muscles in its ruined neck contracted.

Fluffy Jr.’s barks grew distant. Nyx was down there with him, still wrapped around the fallen Titan.

My hair whipped against my face.

Mangled black wings whooshed as they pumped and we rushed past the top of the Colosseum, hurtling toward gray clouds.

I looked down, head lolling from the force.

People were crowded on the side of the street across from the park, peering up as if they’d all come out to watch me fight a Titan. Multiple cameras were pointed up at me.

The crowd became little dots as we flew higher.

My ears popped as the pressure and temperature plummeted.

The Titan squeezed its hands together, crushing me. There was no way to move, no way to infect it with my blood.

I wheezed as black spots filled my vision. Charlie, Helen, and Ceres were waiting for me to return to the villa.

The bowl of the Colosseum grew smaller.

There was nothing left. Last time I’d been trapped, I had the option to leap. Now there was nothing to do but— Wait. Could I?

My gut told me no, my injuries were too severe.

The Titan squeezed harder and my bones creaked as I screamed louder.

You’re dead anyway.

I focused on the concrete chess table in the middle of the park.

Might as well.

“Domus,” I shouted.

Everything went black.

We slammed down into the empty table—taloned hands released me and concrete broke beneath us.

Smoke was everywhere. Pain. The Colosseum once again towered above.

Chess pieces dug into my hands as I crawled blindly through the smoke. Coughing and slipping on blood, unimaginable agony scoured my spine.

Fluffy Jr. launched himself at the Titan as it rose beside me.

With unfocused vision, I pushed up to my feet.

The elderly gaped, huddled together in a tight circle.

“Get out of here!” I couldn’t hear my voice over the ringing in my left ear.

The humans remained frozen, crouched with fear around an elderly woman with short spiky white hair. “Lucia,” they cried out as they touched her red-covered skin. Blood.

There was a long slash across her chest. A chunk of concrete had sliced her.

“Were the human casualties avoidable?” Persephone held my shoulders as she screamed in my face.

I collapsed to my knees next to Lucia. Leaning over, I desperately gathered pieces of her ripped shirt and pressed them against her wound.

My chest ached with pain as I tried to staunch the bleeding.

She said something, but I couldn’t hear it.

I couldn’t see anything; panic, desperation, and exhaustion beat against me. I pressed tingling fingers against her chest like it could save her.

The group sobbed and chanted in Latin.