The Reaper's Wicked Obsession-Chapter 212: Tainted (2)

Isadora suddenly rose to her feet. Kraven followed, watching as she slowly strode closer to the lake.

"Say something, darling, anything. Curse at me, yell, hit me, or stab me... just look at me."

"I want to be alone," she replied faintly.

"You know I can’t do that."

"Please."

His body tautened, his fists clenching at his sides. He really wanted to do as she wished, but he couldn’t. He wasn’t about to let her drown in her terror without him.

Isadora sensed his hesitancy, so she did the only thing she could, something that broke her, knowing that he would never see her the same way again.

"If you won’t ask, I’ll tell you," she said. "That’s the only reason you’re here. Let’s get this done with." Her breath shuddered. "The Stingers didn’t finish what they wanted, but they did other things. Your precious Isadora is tainted."

"What makes you think I care about that?" He snapped, unable to control his irritation. "I want you to open up to me, Isadora. Tell me your terror and show me your darkness, I’ll take it all and gobble it up."

"You don’t mean that."

"Seven gods, Isadora! My devotion to you will never change."

"It should!" she yelled, facing him, her eyes red and swollen from her silent cries, her body shivering from an unknown cold.

Kraven closed the distance between them in a heartbeat. He grabbed her waist and pulled her into him.

But she panicked, struggling to break free, disgusted with herself. Mad at him, mad at herself. freёnovelkiss.com

She fought, she punched, she did anything just to free her tainted body away from him. But he didn’t let go, he took it all, locking his hand tightly on her hips.

She slapped him, she scratched him, but he took everything she gave. Her pain, her anger, her tantrums. Until there was nothing left, her body slumped against his, her breath unstable as she cried her eyes out.

"Why won’t you just leave?" she sobbed. "Why?"

His hand moved to her chin and forced her to look at him. She hesitated but eventually did.

To her surprise, what she saw was not a man who was disgusted or sickened by her appearance. It was a man who was finally relieved when she looked at him, that her attention was no longer locked in her head.

He was elevated, a smile curling on his lips. "There... that’s my girl. Where have you been?"

She ugly cried. Her lips came apart, and her eyes narrowed to slits.

She seized his jacket and buried her face in his chest, muffling the sound of her cries.

~♧~

Logi was sitting against the boulder, his ears picking up every sound, every sob, and every pain.

His nails were rubbing against his axe. A squeeze against his chest as the sounds got louder.

"The gods favor her," Thornfoot said, curled up against a tree. His bloodied hand was wrapped with the material of his clothes he had torn earlier, to stop the bleeding.

"She’s a survivor," Logi replied.

He was infuriated with himself... he couldn’t do a thing. All he could do was wait restlessly, praying to the gods that Kraven would find her on time.

When they came back, the sight of her broke his heart.

He had seen her in ruin many times... when she ran the Spine, wounded, weakened, but kept going. When she fought her way through the Hunt and survived. When she battled the Sigil Beast, fearless, and when she stood her ground against Solin.

However, when he saw her in Kraven’s arms, shaken and bruised, something within him snapped—He realized he had failed her.

"This isn’t about the gods’ favor... why appeal to them when, at the end, we’re thrust into a nightmare forged by them?" He faced Thornfoot with a dark gaze.

Thornfoot nodded, slowly. "You’re right. After all, we’re their creations, yet they still want us to experience things far beyond our control. Do you think because they despise us? Or do they know that no matter what, we strive to defy the odds?"

"How strange... for a minute there, I must’ve assumed you spoke like a decent being for once."

Thornfoot huffed.

"I should kill you right now..." Logi declared suddenly.

Thornfoot’s breath hitched.

"And I will... the moment we get to the Serpent’s Tower." He gave a thoughtful expression. "Kraven will get furious if I take his kill away from him." He released a heavy exhale, raising the axe to his eye level. "But I’ll take his wrath if it means your head will kiss my steel."

"I’ll make sure I say my last prayers to Lifara, would you give me that honor?" Thornfoot asked, a smile on his lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

"No. You don’t deserve it."

~♧~

The fire crackled and popped at the center. The crickets came to live with their loud noises, as well as the frog croaking in their ponds.

Logi kept his eyes on a sleeping Isadora, but Thornfoot’s loud snores distracted him.

He turned briefly to the dirtbag curled up in the corner before averting his gaze to Kraven.

His full attention was fixated on Isadora. It had been days, and finally, she slept.

It felt like a dream come true.

Both Logi and Kraven kept their eyes on her, watching and observing the fine rise and fall of her chest; her features were peaceful, too.

"Do you think she has nightmares?" Kraven’s voice broke the silence. "I haven’t seen a frown or heard a whimper. It’s almost like..."

"She doesn’t dream," Logi finished the words for him. "It could be... and it’s certainly not a mystery if she does not have the ability to dream, given what she is."

"Hmm..." he mumbled.

Logi exhaled sharply, leaning his back against the tree. It was at the tip of his tongue, and after pondering deeply, he gave in.

"Kraven..." he began. "I think she should remain in Dealers’ Isle, going through with the mission will be too much for her."