Page 91 of Into the Abyss
I almost spat at him that he was family, butI bit the words back. I was family too, and I brought an enemy intothe Abyss. It didn’t matter to Olgon I did it to save lives. He wasdetermined to destroy those lives.
“Even if Corson is close to the king, youhave to know Kobal won’t risk everything to come here and try tosave him,” I said.
“Of course he won’t,” Pride purred.
“Then why do you want Corson?” I askedOlgon.
“Because Corson knows things about the kingno one else knows,” Olgon replied.
“He’d never tell you anything that could beused against his king.”
“Maybe not normally,” Pride said. It tookall I had to keep my focus on Olgon. “But he’ll do anything for hisChosen, and he most certainly won’t be able to stand seeing hertormented in any way.”
Don’t react. Don’t react.Even if myeyes gave me away to Olgon, Pride wouldn’t know how to read myemotions yet.
“I’m not bringing you to Corson,” Istated.
“But you are,” Pride purred.
Behind his back, Lust rose to her feet.Swollen and bruised, her face resembled a half-smooshed tomato, butshe was healing fast. Grasping her horse’s mane, she pulled herselfonto its back and settled there. I hoped one day I’d get to watchher and her asshole beast meet with a horrific fate.
Lust’s head lulled forward before snappingup. She nudged the horse toward us and stopped beside Pride’ssteed. Sloth remained near the monolith with his eyes closed; heappeared to have fallen asleep, but I suspected he waslistening.
“She and that filthy demon will be cut apartpiece bytinypiece, and they will watch it happen to eachother!” Lust vowed. “Then, I will feed them to each other beforestarting the process all over again.”
I inwardly recoiled at the prospect of sucha thing happening while Lust’s green eyes burned into mine. Ididn’t know what possessed me, but I smiled at her.Drop dead,bitch.
I’d never known someone so beautiful couldbecome so ugly, but her face twisted into a rage that blurred herfeatures into something hideous and unrecognizable. For a second,Lust’s face mirrored her insides.
“I’m going to kill her,” Lust snarled.
Pride held up a hand, forestalling her whenshe went to dismount. “Not yet,” he said.
“Look at what that demon did to me!” shespat at him.
“You should have suspected the Chosen bondwould make him capable of withstanding your power. Your hubris didthat to you. Do not forget, you are Lust, notme.”
If Pride could feel the hatred Lust emittedwhen she pinned him with her stare, I suspected he would havekilled her, or at least tried. However, after her brief lapse withme, she’d composed her face into a blank expression again.Outwardly, she showed no signs of loathing toward her fellow rider,but inwardly she seethed with it.
The horsemen are not as close as theyseem.
“We need her alive to do as we bid, and ifwe kill the demon, she’ll be useless to us,” Pride continued.
Some of Lust’s hatred waned until itsmoldered beneath the surface like a burning ember.
“Now, child,” Pride said to me.
This time when I refused to look at him, hishand shot out and he gripped my chin. His finger dug into my flesh,bruising it but not drawing any blood as he forced my head towardhim. I tried to break free of his touch before he could poison mewith his overly arrogant ways, but he was keeping his powerconfined, for now.
My mother shifted beside me, and her handtightened on my shoulder. “This is my daughter,” she hissed frombetween her teeth. “Donothurt her.”
Pride’s eyes flicked toward her; I tensed todefend her as I waited for him to attack.Noone toldPridewhat to do. But he glanced dismissively away fromher.
“I’m not playing games with you, child.”Pride’s fingers dug into my chin until my skin broke, bloodtrickled free, and his nail scraped my bone. A muscle twitched inmy clenched jaw, but I didn’t make a sound. “I’ll tear thosebeautiful eyes from your head and personally hand them to yourChosen unless you do what I command.”
“She’s not to be hurt,” my father said andstepped toward him.
“Paupi, no!” I cried and threw out my handto snatch his back before he could touch Pride.
