Bargaining by C.R. Rice

Author:C.R. Rice
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult, metaphysical, Magical Realism, teen, fantasy, urban, thriller, Suspense, Mystery, romance, magic, multiverse, multidimensional, mirror, doppelganger, social issues, coming to age, science fiction, fiction
Publisher: 4 Horsemen Publications
Published: 2024-06-20T23:22:07+00:00

Chapter Twenty

Averie leaned into Thane’s reassuring embrace, her tears long since dried as she stared out the large windows. The crisp night breeze brought goosebumps to her flesh as she gazed out over the darkening city. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed since she had banished Silas, be it minutes or hours, all she knew was that he was gone.

She felt Thane tremble beneath her and began to pull away. “Don’t,” he grunted. “It’s fine.”

“You’re hurt and cold,” she pointed out.

Thane shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”

Averie shook her head and flicked her wrist. Rocks and fallen marble began to shift before them, rising into the air. The soft scrape of glass reached their ears seconds before the shards appeared to reform the windows. Only a moment passed, and the room was together once more, complete with a fire roaring in the large fireplace.

She felt Thane shake his head. “I’ll never get used to that,” he whispered.

“Try being the one doing it.”

Thane frowned as he glanced around the room. “How do you do it?”

Averie shrugged and tapped the side of her head. “Think it and it happens. This might hurt.” She sighed, pressing her hand to his chest. A flare of heat burst forward. Thane groaned, hissing a breath through his teeth as he clenched his eyes against the pain. “Better?” Averie asked a second later, her breath coming in slow pants.

Thane swallowed against the lingering burn and hugged her close. “All better.” He nodded, resting his chin atop her head. “Though, maybe next time, you let me throw back a shot or two first.”

Averie’s chuckle ended in a slight whimper. “How could he do this, Bear?” she asked, shoving her fingers through Ecko’s silken darkness.

Callen shifted his stance until he could look down, unnoticed to the pair. “I don’t know, Fox. This world … it’s different than ours. Part of it seems to be trapped in the past while others are far beyond anything ours ever had. The ties they hold to their beliefs and their families… It’s something our world forgot about a long time ago.”

“But why? How could he do that to them? To me?” she finished in a whisper.

“He trusted his father,” Thane answered simply.

Averie jerked from his arms, sending him a confused look. “He betrayed us and sent, stars, countless to the slaughter. And you’re making excuses for him?” He doesn’t understand.

Thane shook his head. “No, Averie, I’m not. I’m not defending what he did. I’m only stating the facts as I have seen them. He didn’t know what he was doing was wrong. When he did, he tried to fix it.”

“He tied me to him,” she sobbed. He’s inside of you. Like a parasite, he’s still here.

Thane pulled her tightly against his chest. It was a rare moment in their lives that he had seen her this close to a breakdown, and it pulled at his heart. “I know, but it’s going to be alright. You are going to be alright.”

Get him out! “I want it gone,” she said.

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