Burdened (A Burdened Novel) (44 page)

I scream out
, irritated, frustrated, and hurt. I hold him tighter, burying my face in his moist chest, crying against it.

I hate him. Nathan’s dad will die tonight. He did this. I hang with Nathan a while longer
, holding onto him. The want for vengeance starts to fill me. Hate musters within me. The desire to kill roars to life around me. My body starts to shake.

I let myself down a little more slowly
, preparing to let go so that I can slide off. Lowering, I grip with all the leg-might I have, around his stomach. I pull his cold arms around me—they don’t hug me back—and I kiss his lips for the last time. They feel moist and cold against mine. Nothing comes from him.

“I love you
, Nathan,” I whisper against his stiff lips. Fighting the urge to kiss him once more, I swing my body around and drop to the floor. I land on my hands and feet. My anger increases as I feel the shock of the fall shoot through my legs. Hate takes over me.

Both of my hands are burning hot and I reach them towards Justin and Nathan. Two orbs of fire bolt to the chains holding them up. Everyone looks in the direction of the
fire as it melts the chains and the men drop to the floor.

I look away as they hit with a hard thud. I don’t want to see the way their bodies land.

The snake of fire comes to my side. I desire the lights on. It quickly slithers away, and whatever the fire did to shut off the lights, turns them back on, and returns to my side.

Acknowledging my surrounding
s, Taylor is pinned against a wall by a desk that I never heard move. Nathan Sr. is smiling, and Rose is standing in front of the desk. I care for neither of them and the father will be the first to go.

“You have no idea what you have just done
,
Dad
.” His look falters slightly. “You’ve fucked with the wrong bitch’s mate.” I sprint towards him, making it to him quicker than I should have. My hands heat up and I jump, taking him by the neck. He cringes under the heat of my hands, and I catch the scent of burning flesh.

Rose comes behind me
, taking me by my waist, and throws me a good three feet back. I land next to Nathan’s stiff body. I turn, refusing to look at him. Getting back up, I meet Rose at full charge. Rose is the least of my concerns right now, with her dad standing there, smiling, like he’s watching his first fireworks on New Year’s Eve.

I flip her behind me and sic the snake of fire on her. It catches her around the neck and welcomes
itself into her mouth, going down her throat.

Oookay
…

I turn from the scene
, looking back at Daddy. I have never had to kill anyone and I know it’s not right. But it doesn’t feel wrong, not with him, not with this feeling, not with this hurt that he has caused. It’s right, if only for right now.

“Very nice
, Tracey. I’ve never seen anything like it. But there is
no
defeating me.”

“I will destroy you. Tonight!”

He laughs a manly chuckle, not taking me serious. “There is no way, Tracey. I am burdened and hybrid. There is no defeat.” Impossible! Then why would he want his burdened children dead?

He is supposed to be
only full-blooded Sephlem. Show no emotions, Tracey. “I don’t care if you were the devil himself. I will defeat you or I will die defeating you. But you will fall and hard.”

His expression turns hard. “Just take note
: I have tried and, it looks like, succeeded in killing
my own
children
. Do not think that I will take it easy on you.”

“There is a difference between me and
your
children.”

His head cocks sideways
. “And what’s that?” as if he is interested.

“They loved you. I don’t.” I shoot forward
, again making it to him quicker than I anticipated. Instead of grabbing him, I leap over him, jumping higher than I knew I could, and land on my feet behind him. I desire the warp of fire to come from my hand and through his back. It does, but it has no effect on his body, only burns his shirt away.

He turns around
, laughing at me, angering me more. “Aww, Tracey. Nice efforts.”

I hesitate and he reaches out for me
, grabbing me by my neck. His grip is extremely tight, cutting off my breath. I can’t move my head.

He lifts me from the floor, my feet dangling as I gasp for
the air that I’m not receiving. The room shades dark. I feel a film cover my eyes. Looking at me, his eyes widen, and his grip loosens enough for me to kick him. The kick sends him to the floor—hard. I land on the floor, buckling over to catch my breath.

He wastes no time
in getting back to his feet. I stand up straight, preparing myself for another attack, stretching out my neck and warming my hands. I don’t know how I am going to defeat him, but it is going to happen.

“Dad!” Rose screams out. We both look in her direction. Her body is lit up
, like the inside of a candle. Every inch of her is turning red. Her eyes turn cold with worry and fear, and within the next second, she explodes. The snake of fire forms on the floor and slithers over to me.

Whoa
. I smile at it as it enters back into my palm.
Very good
, I mentally praise it.

Nathan’s father becomes
even more enraged. “Don’t be upset, Daddy. I really wanted you to go first. Too bad!” I say, with a smile that makes the shit hit the fan.

His eyes
bulge and everything in the room suddenly comes flying towards me. I dodge them and run over to him. Since he’s sending things my way, he’s going to get hit by them too.

At my approach
, he delivers a quick blow to my stomach. I buckle over, sliding back on my feet. A metal chain hits me in the back of the head, dazing me, and my sight fills with flashing spots. Another hits me in my back, dropping me to my knees.

Nathan Sr. walks over to me
, grabbing me by the back of my neck. He drags me to where Nathan lays. I look away, not wanting to see him like this.

“Tracey, look at your lifeless mate.” I refuse. “Look at him
, Tracey. Look at my achievement.” I still don’t look. “I have been trying to kill him for ninety-three years—his sister, Taylor, for longer.” He grabs my neck tighter. “I had to wait for him to fall in love, in order for him to become vulnerable, to start letting his guard down, to not think so much.” He lifts my head, pulling my hair. “Look at him!” He laughs. “Thank you, Tracey, for choosing my son. You really don’t know how much it means to me.” Amusement and sarcasm bleeds from his voice.

I finally look at Nathan
, realizing how close I am to him. I reach out to touch him, but his father pulls me away. I was only an inch away.

I stare at him as
I am being pulled away—my heart staying there, in the place I was pulled from. I have no ache, feeling myself getting pulled farther from him.

Mindlessly
, I reach for the hand behind me. My hand is on fire. I smell burning flesh and his hand lets go, hurriedly. I race back to Nathan as tears fill my eyes, blurring my vision. I place a kiss against his swollen forehead.

In m
y last goodbye, I say, “I’ll die killing your dad, because I can’t live without you.” I kiss him again. “If I don’t see you in heaven, I’ll know where to find you.” I touch my hand to his slashed cheek, then I kiss his swollen lips. “I love you.”

I lay my
forehead against his as tears flow from my eyes, onto his beaten and swollen face. I place my hand to his chest, not feeling a beat but wanting there to be one, putting all the feeling I have into that touch.

I turn around to his father’s approach. He either does not have the ability of speed or he knows he is about to kill me. I let the snake of fire leave me
, to help me fight. Nathan Sr. smiles at it. I’m glad I have a weapon.

I jump to my feet and he delivers a rib
-crushing kick to me, sending me sliding on my back into Rose’s juices. Black fluid is all over me. Disgusting!

A few of my ribs are definitely broken
, but I stand against the pain. Nothing is left in me to fight and I am just ready to blow this guy’s fucking head back.

I race to him,
jump on him, and deliver face-burning punches. I don’t stop—I can’t stop. After the seventh punch, I realize they’re doing nothing. He grabs me by my middle, squeezing my cracked ribs and throws me against the floor with all his might.

My shoulder blade shatters under the pressure and it’s har
d for me to breathe. I’m done. I can’t move.

My snake of fire creeps up behind him. He catches it
, blowing an ice-like breeze, minimizing any affect my new friend had.

He smiles at me. “Tracey, Tracey, Tracey. I told you
. You—” He grabs his neck. Then his chest caves in. My eyes widen at the sound of his bones cracking.

I’m still
on the floor, unable to move. I watch him drop to his knees and they crack under the fall. All of the sounds are sickening, yet it’s satisfying to see him falling.

“I told you
—” I close my eyes at his voice. “If you even
try
to kill her, there will be no words.”

Nathan Sr. stumbles and stammers over his words
—going back and forth between a “broken son” and a “true Nathan”—as he gasps for air.

I hear footsteps approaching. I don’t need to see him for confirmation
. I know his voice. I know his sound. I feel his presence. He’s alive!

Nathan’s dad is wid
e-eyed, barely breathing. Hands touch my shoulders. All of my pain goes away in a matter of seconds. He sits me up, but doesn’t turn me to look at him.

“Go pull that desk from Taylor so she can save Justin
. He is better off than I was.”

I do as he asks
, choosing the route that walks past his father.

“Tracey
, I—” There are no words. I punch him as hard as I can in the face, sending his head turning left. He turns his head back before I walk away.

Behind me
, I hear low gasps, flesh hitting flesh, shattering bones, and then, a final breath being pushed out. I make it to Taylor, pulling the desk from her. She collapses to the floor.

I pick her up. “Taylor
, get up. Please?”

Moment
s pass with me shaking her and patting her face, before her eyes flutter. Once she realizes she’s awake, she leaves me, racing over to Justin.

I turn to them
, seeing a pile of ash resting where Nathan Sr. once knelt.

Taylor is hovering over Justin
, breathing from her mouth, over his face. After minutes of this, he opens his eyes and is healed back to his good-looking self. They are happy.

Warm arms wrap around me and I let out a breath
that I had been holding since I got home from the race track.

“How about you heal me
back to my good-looking self?” I start to turn towards him. “Don’t look. Just put your hand over my face.”

I do as he asks
, not wanting to fight right now. I can feel his face changing under my hands.

“Thank you
. You can get to the rest of me later.” I look him over. He is still covered in that black fluid, but it doesn’t matter. He is alive, and standing in front of me.

“You came back!” I’m breathless. Looking at him
—better and alive—literally takes my breath away. Butterflies form in my stomach and I can feel my heart losing control in my chest. “Can I hug you?”

“You have t
o ask?” He grabs me in his arms, lifting me to him. I wrap my body around him.

I soak him up like a dry sponge
in water as he presses his head inside my neck and I rest my chin on his head.

“Tracey
, I love you.”

“I love you
, Nathan.” He hugs me tighter. “I would also like to be a part of your family.” He lowers me a little and looks at me. “And I’m sorry about your sister.” He looks at Taylor. I shake my head and look in the directions of the black fluid on the floor.

He
gives me a quizzical look. “You did that?”

I shrug my shoulders. “You could say that.”

There are loud footsteps coming hurriedly in our direction. “Are we going to have to fight some more?” I ask, not wanting to.

“No
, but we are going to have to comfort, and hear a lot of crying.” He lets me down as Taylor and Justin walk over to us. She hugs her brother long and hard. “Thank you,” he says to her.

“As usual
, you save me, I save you.” She punches him lightly in the chest. “Later, you tell your side, and I’ll tell you my side. Then you tell me about you and Tracey being bound, and why in the hell she has night-vision, fire snakes, and match hands.”

Nathan looks at me. “We have a lot to talk about
,” I tell him with a half-smile.