Lips Red As Blood

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Her world turns into shades of muted colors — of silver disbelief and of slow blazing fury and of heartbreak so intense, Cora's vision goes shimmery and hazy. 

Cora can't cry. She wishes she can, to release the pressure building on her chest, but she's unable to. Her heart feels like it's about to burst any minute, as she stares wordlessly at Asher's body. Cora's lips part, as a wild noise escapes her dry throat. 

"Asher?" she whispers. It's as if this moment can only be spoken in whispers. Anything else will shatter this moment, and it'll make reality slam into her. "Asher, please wake up." 

Asher doesn't move. If he hears Cora, he makes no indication of it. 

"Asher." Cora shakes his body. "Asher, please—" 

"Get me out of these chains." The command comes from Leticia, whose voice sounds deadly serious. "Get me out of these goddamn chains so I can kill someone." 

Leticia lifts the heavy chains, chin quivering. Cora tries to wrench the chains apart, but other than the rattling noise, nothing happens. "We need a key," Cora says. "There's no key." 

The other devil pauses for a second before she exhales. "Move," orders Leticia, as she slowly stands up. Chains seem to weigh her down, as glitter and rain drip down her tiny frame. Hatred burns in her gaze, and when Cora doesn't budge, Leticia repeats her words. "Move out of my way, Cora. I don't want to hurt you." 

Cora grabs Leticia's wrist. "Don't do anything impulsive," Cora blurts, as her voice cracks. "Don't do anything that can kill you. Please." 

Leticia smiles sadly. "Too much death for a human, huh?" 

"I don't know what I'll do," Cora chokes out. The moment that sentence slides out, it's the truest thing Cora's ever said. With so much death she's witnessed, with her friends dying in front of her, with a million memories turning into dust, what's the point? What's the point of living, when everything she treasures is gone? "What will I do?" 

Leticia shakes loose Cora's grip. "You'll be okay," promises Leticia. "In Hell, whenever an honorable demon or devil perishes, they're reincarnated in a better place. You'll be okay, knowing that those who died from him"—her gaze turns into sharpened knives, towards Dalton. "—will live happily later." 

Rain falls even harder, each tiny raindrop slapping against her skin like tiny slivers of needles. "Take care of Asher for me," Leticia whispers, as she steps toward Dalton. 

As soon as Leticia launches herself at the other devil, everything turns sideways. 

"Die." The word escapes Leticia in a hiss full of venom. "I'm going to kill you." 

Dalton's eyes widen with surprise, as he takes in the feral creature that leaps at him with nothing but fury on her face. Leticia wraps the chains around Dalton's throat, pupils swelling as she chokes the life out of him. Gold sparks sizzle through the air, as they struggle against each other. 

"Let—go—" Dalton snaps, slamming Leticia against a tree. "What do you think you're doing?" 

Blood drips down the side of Leticia's perfect face. "I told you," she pants, nails outstretched. Cora winces, as the sharp nails slowly scrape down Dalton's cheek. "You're going to die today, and I'll put an end to your atrocious plan." 

"Atrocious?" Dalton is furious. "I'm trying to make the world better—" 

The chains jolt to a stop and Leticia glares. "Better? By destroying all the worlds? It's not making anything better at all." 

When Dalton tries to jerk away, that's when the chains around Leticia's body explode. Like a caterpillar exploding into a butterfly, Leticia straightens, the chains slipping off her body like a cocoon melting away into something beautiful. Powerful. Unstoppable.