Hive Queen Sinclair, Grayson (best pdf ebook reader for android txt) 📖

My ribs broke upon the stone, and then I tumbled off and smashed into the thick pews, bashing my head in the process.

The world didn’t matter anymore, the job didn’t matter anymore, all that mattered was the agony that ripped me apart. I forgot how to breathe, or my lungs forgot for me. I might’ve blacked out for a second, but the pain was so intense that it woke me back up.

My health bar flashed a bloody crimson in my eyes, the sliver of my life draining to the abyss.

Let it. I just wanted the pain to stop.

A floodgate opened in my mind. It was Eris, and she’d broken through the block I’d placed on our connection. The mere thought of Eris was enough to snap me out of my pain. I could barely move, but I’d have crawled through the nine hells themselves for her.

I brought a health potion to my lips and downed it, not caring that I would mostly likely trigger potion sickness. I had a job to do, a wife to return to; death would only get in the way.

My health stopped just before death came to collect and returned to the green after a second or two. My bones and organs stitched back together, and the pain vanished as a timer appeared in the corner of my vision, counting down from three hours.

Knew I’d hit it. Oh, well.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah I’m fi─“

My heart stopped.

I sank to my knees, not understanding how the potion failed. My world went sideways, and as my body shut down, I realized it wasn’t my body that was dying.

It was Eris.

I was just along for the ride.

Terror struck like lightning through me, but I wasn’t concerned for myself. I didn’t care about my life, not when Eris’s was also on the line. I could come back if I died—she couldn’t.

No, no, no, no, no. Not again, please not again. I’ll do anything. I can’t take anymore, please, just take me!

I begged. I didn’t care who I begged to, the gods, Ouroboros, or even the god that abandoned Earth and left us to die. I pleaded to them all to spare her and take me instead.

I fell back to the ground and stared up at the ceiling, at the intricate stonework and stained glass. I stared at Raven and her panicked face as her eyes filled with worry, for my sake.

I was wrong to mistreat you the way I did. And for that, I’m truly sorry.

Raven jumped and used her wings to glide down to me. she dropped to her knees and pulled my head into her lap.

“What’s wrong? What can I do?” she asked, pleading.

There was nothing to do, I couldn’t rescue Eris, could only hope and pray for a miracle to save my beloved.

“I’ve done what I can to slow the progress, but I can’t stop it. If she dies, we both follow,” the Aspect said.

For too many long moments, I hung in a state between life and death, one foot in both.

And then my heart started beating again.

My body started working properly, and I took in a heaping gulp of oxygen. I sat up quickly and coughed until my throat ached.

It was subtle, but her presence was still in the back of my mind. Eris was still alive.

She was healing and would be okay.

I nearly fainted as relief washed over me. I was lightheaded and took a knee as my mind tingled with the rush of chemicals flooding it. Thank the gods. Whoever or whatever saved her. Thank you.

I sat up off the ground as my breathing returned to normal. Raven’s concern turned to relief as I stood on my own.

“What just happened?”

“A lot, all at once. Eris nearly died, and I was cursed by this fucking bauble. But talk later, let’s get the hell out of here.” I looked up at the rope dangling a dozen feet above us and had to reconsider our escape plan. “Can you lift me up?”

“Not in this form, and there isn’t enough room for me to transform right now.”

I cursed and tried to figure out how I was going to climb up to the rope, when a thud echoed through the Vault of Tears.

I whirled around to find that we hadn’t been as quiet as I’d have liked when my broken body landed. Shit. They’ll unlock the door in seconds. I ignored the pain wracking through my body and sprinted to the door and shoved the nearest pew in front of it.

Won’t hold them for long. We need to leave.

But I quickly realized one thing.

There wasn’t a way for us both to escape. But there was a way for one of us to.

“Take this,” I said, passing Raven my invisibility potion and lowering my voice. “The Heart curses the bearer. Can you handle it?”

“If you can bear it, then so can I.”

I passed it to her, and she took the palm-sized emerald without hesitation.

Alert! The Weeping God’s Curse has been removed.

Alert! The Wrath of the Chosen has been removed.

Raven grimaced and slumped her shoulders as she accepted the curse. But she kept standing. “Don’t worry, my level is in the upper eighties. I’m probably stronger than you.”

“Good, now go. Fly out of here and use the potion to escape Aldrust. Take the emerald back to Magnus.”

Her grin slipped from her lips. “What about you?”

I turned away from her to the door that would open any second. “If you get the chance, find Eris and tell her I love her, and I’ll see her as soon as I can.”

“I’m not going to leave you to die here!” she shouted, running over to me.

“Go! Now. That’s an order from your master!”

As if