Thirty nine

A streak of strawberry blond hair catches my eye as she weaves among the bodies in the room while I do my best to hold my own on the other side of the room.

We are still outnumbered, and frankly, I'm shocked that Emmeline is in Zareen, dropping bodies left and right with her crossbow.

I'd be lying if I said that I'm shocked at the display of her sheer skill and ruthlessness in a fight, but I'm not. I've never seen it in person except for that day when I stumbled into Northenhay, nothing more than a bumbling eighteen-year-old, afraid of her own shadow.

Now, not so much.

It takes a while to clear the floor, bloodied lifeless bodies litter the floor everywhere you look.

It's a mess alright.

When the last body drops to the floor thanks to a very well-aimed dagger, I finally take a gasping breath of relief.

We survived, and I'm still free.

Mason meets my gaze from across the room, stepping over bodies, while Emmeline looks around the room dismayed. I can't blame her, this was unexpected. Zareen, our haven has been breached. Who knows how many more have taken the liberty to wander around and uncover its secrets?

Mason swipes his thumb over my cheek, and smiles, " You look good painted in the blood of our enemies," His kiss drowns all my thoughts while his lips move against mine, the forceful invasion of his tongue turns my mind blank. Melting against him, I wrap my arms around his neck, not caring that there is another person in this room that could damn us. Or better said, that could damn me.

Gasping for breath we pull away, our eyes meet, he smirks and looks over his shoulder at Emmeline who is currently staring at us with thunderclouds looming over her head.

Shaking her head, she turns to Graham and begins kicking the bodies on the floor making sure that they are dead.

I'm still reeling, my mind doing its best to catch up with the reality of what just occurred.

When I turn to look at Mason, I find him staring at me, intensely.

My heart still thudding wildly in my chest, adrenaline rushing through my veins making me slightly dazed. Dazed seems to be a constant state that I find myself in more often than not, lately.

" You're staring," I point out to him quietly. He chuckles and kisses my forehead.

" I am," He admits proudly," How could I not? You amaze me every single day. You never give up, even when the odds are stacked against you. You fight, in the most unsuspecting ways. You held out hope for us, even when I pushed you away, and I'm so fucking grateful for it, Canim," He kisses my nose, and pulls me closer, leaving no space between us.

Eyes full of adoration stare back at me, while I try to find the right words to convey, something simple, and yet so complicated, " You don't give up on those you love. Because you might be the only one that they are leaning on. So, no I didn't give up on you, because I knew you were mine to hold onto," A smile stretches on his lips, his hands stroking up and down on my back, easing the tension in my body.

" Thank you Canim," He kisses me again, less fervently, but the love we share is still ever-present.

" When you two are done smooching, care to give us a hand," Graham shouts from somewhere in the room while Mason groans in the kiss, still not letting go.

" I could use a shower and some food right about now," He grumbles as he pulls away and glances around the room. Blood pools and spatters paint the dimly lit room, our clothes and our faces. Not a pretty sight.

His shoulders drop with a sigh, as he pulls away," Better get on with it, then," He leans down and swipes the serrated blade Graham has thrown our way.

" Why do we have to cut off their heads?" I look around the room at the lifeless bodies, " They are dead, aren't they?" Mason sighs and crouches down next to a body.

" Only temporarily. They will come back in a few hours, depending on the severity of their injuries, " He begins to saw through bone and flesh. I gag at the mere sound. Dear God, whatever I've done in a past life to deserve this, I promise I'll behave this time around.

A flash of orange catches my eye, and I look up to see Emmeline gliding over the floor, ever so gracefully even in the wake of death. Not a splatter of blood on her chic two-piece, not a hair out of place, while I probably look like I've crawled from a hole in the ground.

" Lily," She nods my way," Mason," Mason grunts, severs the head and throws it a few feet away.

" Emmeline, thanks for coming to our rescue," He says as he moves on to the next body, and begins to saw. Jesus, this is getting to a new level of morbid. One that, even I can't stomach.

" Are you alright? You look a little pale," Emmeline grabs my shoulders to give me a once over while I try my best to keep my lunch down. I really liked it. Mason cooked Enid's famous chicken casserole.

" Give me a minute," I hold out my hand and turn away, trying to find something else to focus on, maybe the queasiness will fade away.

Unfortunately, no matter where I look, the gore is inescapable.

With great effort, I manage to keep the contents of my stomach down while the sound of bone being sawed off becomes the new theme song of my life. I hope I don't have nightmares because of this. I don't think I'll ever sleep again.

" So," Emmeline sighs and looks around, " It seems that we have various problems on our hands. Eric won't be happy to hear that Zareen has been breached. But I don't think he'll be heartbroken either. He has been looking for an excuse to seal the entrance to this place for years. He will commend you for doing him a solid," Emmeline doesn't seem to share Eric's sentiments on Zareen, considering the soulful look in her eyes.

" You don't seem to agree," I try to ignore the sawing and the grunting, the sound of flesh squelching. God, this is truly gruesome.

" This is where I met Eric. This is where our story began. Losing Zareen feels like reneging on a part of our past. If it wasn't for this place, we wouldn't have found each other," Her soulful green eyes find mine, and I am at a loss for words.

I know how she feels. Even if I don't live there anymore, Northenhay is home. Losing it would be devastating.