The Battle of the Trees - Sword, Ring, and Crown Book Two

Chapter Thirty-Five

My rage immediately deflated at the sight of all the blood. Sorrow flooded in as I stared down at the redness, which left a trail along the floor and around a corner to the left. 

I'd just lost Elsie and hadn't even had time to mourn her. I hadn't even gotten to know Dimini, but he was now linked to me, so he had to be necessary. Straif had insinuated that he'd tricked Dimini into this, that he'd used the petite Fae's attraction to me and the circumstances to get his way. Even if that wasn't true, Dimini didn't deserve to die. Grief made me feel heavy as I followed the grisly path forward. 

I  stumbled further into the hall, which was now lit from my sword and the moss. Pictures were lining the wall, and my stomach soured as I looked at them. Each image -- and there were hundreds of them overlapping each other -- was a photograph, drawing, or painting of me.

They all showed private moments of the past four years of my life. One was a picture of me asleep in my treehouse, and Klick and Klack were resting above my head. Another one was of me riding my bike down a hill in San Francisco. My brown hair was all undone and streaming behind me. Another was me looking at the dress in the window, the dress I was going to buy today, in fact. Luis had his paws on the glass beside me. There were pictures of shy girls looking at me in the pizza restaurant, pictures of me wiping my face with my shirt, pictures of eating, reading, getting a hug from Luis or Dom.

The panic rose and rose as the pictures all blurred in front of me. I had always been paranoid that Joseph was always out there watching and waiting. He was telling me I was right, and he had been watching. 

Someone was sobbing, and I realized that it was me.

My breath came out in short, loud gasps. I retched what was left in my stomach.

Joseph had taken from me again.

"Stupid! Stupid!" I crouched down and let my sword hang loosely in my grasp and I trembled so violently it threatened to disjoint me. I pressed my forehead against my knees and tried to force myself to calm down.

He had so many moments. He could have caught me hundreds of times, but he let me alone.  I gritted my teeth as some of the more vulnerable shots flashed in my mind. He'd been close enough to touch me sometimes, and I'd never sensed him.

His voice came from everywhere as he mocked me. "Like the pictures? I think I have a gift for photography, don't you? "

His voice stuck a knife into my rage once more, so I yelled, "So what, Joseph?? Good for you, you creep! You managed to get some award-winning shots here! Woo!"

I swallowed back my sobs as I hugged my legs tighter.

"Stop it, Matt." I whispered, then I took a not so cleansing breath. I concentrated on the breathing exercises that Dom taught me years ago when he caught me having a panic attack. I wouldn't tell him why I was having one, but he helped me cope in that first year. The cannolis, the hugs, and the little things like teaching me how to breathe when life got to me -- I couldn't find enough money in the world to pay for it.

Dom managed to help me once more in this dark place, even though he wasn't right beside me.

As I breathed deeply, the smell of that place disappearing from notice, I searched for other calming thoughts.

Adrian. I imagined talking things over with him in bed. He'd grown up to be a great guy, and he had wanted to help me. Even after leaving him alone out there, he'd worried about me. If I didn't make it out of here, I wouldn't be able to keep thanking him and apologizing to him. I wouldn't be able to see our beautiful daughter that had firmly yoked him to me.

I had to make it. I held on to esch thought of my men, bolstered by each image in my mind. The images blocked out the fear that Joseph tried to trap me in.