Page 116 of Godslayer
It’s like one, long hug.
It’s enough.
Enough to make me forget.
Enough to give me faith.
Enough to make me hope.
A family of my own.
One I will not screw up.
One I will cherish until my dying day.
One I will protect with my very last breath.
One I wouldneversacrifice, not ever.
Not for anything.
I feel buzzedwhen Jasina and I finally stumble into our room on the top floor of the Observation Tower, even though I’m not.It’s not the wine making me feel drunk—it’s this woman. She’s intoxicating. And this evening out with her was exactly what I needed.
But not in the same way it would’ve been in the past.
I like the luxury. The fine dining, the nice clothes, the soft atmosphere. I like it. I miss it.
Jasina, on the other hand, didn’t miss it because she never had it to begin with. A tease. That’s all she got for being a Pledge and a Little Sister.
I didn’t enjoy this night so much for my benefit, but for hers.
I want Jasina to have everything there is to offer in this world. She deserves all of it. And as we pause in the middle of the room, which is a seamless continuation of the entire experience—large, open, filled with opulence, every exterior wall made of glass—I think about how much more I could give her as an augment.
It would be about keeping her safe. Here. I could keep her here. Not in this room—butmaybein this room? She would never have to go back to that heavy place filled with grit and lies.
She’s looking around the room, eyes pausing on the windows. It’s easy to deduce what she’s thinking because it’s what I was just thinking too.
“Who cares,” I say.
“What?” She looks up at me with those royal blue eyes of hers.
“The windows. If someone wants to watch, let them watch.” And then I tug her towards me, kissing her as I walk her backwards and into the bedroom. There is just one dim light on, and it’s soft, this light. Making her skin glow a little as I continue to kiss her.
Stopping at the end of the bed, I slip my tongue past hers just one more time before finally pulling back and placing my hands on either side of her head, and threading my fingers into herhair. “Everything is gonna be different from now on, Jasina. I promise. You will never be sacrificed. You will never be a piece to be played in the Game of Gods. I am going to give you the perfect life.”
My right hand slips down to her stomach, and she blushes. “And this baby will never be Extraction Master. He, or she, will be innocent and pure. Brought up in truth, not lies.”
“Is this your promise, then? To keep me safe if I agree that you should be augmented?”
It’s a little bit of a slap in the face. I mean, I’m really,reallytrying to make a moment here. A memory that we can think back on. But what did I expect? This isn’t Clara. This is Jasina Bell. She’s not some trinket to be put on a shelf. She’s a fighter.
“I want you to agree because I want to do it,” I reply. “But if you say no, I won’t. We’ll leave. Walk right back through those tower doors, go back to the train line, and keep going. I saw the map. I know how it’s all laid out now. But I also know that the gods on the other end of the line—the Alphas—they are playing for keeps. And I would not…” I hesitate here.
“What? You would not what?”
“I would not want you to come with me. Not like this.” I press my hand against her belly. “This baby, Jasina. I want it. So bad. I wantyou. I want to keep you both safe.”
“So where would I go?”
