The Last Hero (Villains & Monsters #2)

Chapter 35

Small torture mention here. -Rae

- Late March, 2046 - (Two months ago)

"You look heartbroken today," Jamie said in between pants, taking a second to spit out the blood that collected in his mouth towards the ground. He had felt pain everywhere, and he tried hard to not show it because he knew that would only fuel her to do more.

Daija raised a brow, then scoffed. "You're bleeding in multiple places -- some worse than others -- and that's what you're concerned about? I'm starting to get worried about your priorities."

"You're going to hurt me regardless, so why not make it fun and try to guess what kind of mood you're in?"

"Don't be ridiculous," she said as her eyes narrowed into a glare.

Jamie grinned with blood-lined teeth, then tipped his head back and laughed. "Oh, Daija," he sighed out. "You've changed a lot, I'll give you that. But sometimes, you still slip and make it way too easy."

"Too easy to piss me off?"

"No, too easy to tell what happened," he leaned forward and held her gaze, his smile unfading as his voice lowered. "Did you argue with your troublemaker over me again?"

She froze, and Jamie knew he had hit the mark. "Poor Simon," he said. "It must be infuriating and exhausting to see the love of his life be so obsessed with someone that isn't him, especially someone that she hates so much."

"Is that what you're calling this?"

"It's exactly what it is," he shrugged. "Your obsession with me and your desperation for answers are the only reasons I'm still alive."

Daija rolled her eyes and walked towards the table at the back of the room. There, she removed her gloves and flexed her fingers, probably to ease the pain in her knuckles. "I know what you're trying to do," her calm voice echoed throughout the cell. "You and your odd ways of attempting to get answers are amusing. They would've worked a few months ago, but I will admit that I'm not as hot-headed and eager to prove you wrong like I was before."

Oh? "Amusing, huh?"

"Very," she said. "You said so yourself that trying to break you apart will drive me insane because of the way you enjoy messing with people's heads -- my head."

"In a way," he started slowly as he watched her movements, "it has."

It was her turn to smile now. "You believe so?"

"You believe it hasn't?"

She shrugged her shoulders as she leaned back against the wall and sighed tiredly. "Not really. Besides, no one can be more insane than you and Oliver Stevens. Never thought that I'd have to put you two in the same category."

The unspoken questions hung in her words. 'What happened to you? What happened to us?'

"I bet you of all people understand him," she said.

Unfortunately. "I do."

She hummed curiously at the bite in his voice. "And you hate it? Knowing too much?"

Jamie swallowed the lump in his throat, then admitted, "I do sometimes, but I don't think he did."

"Why would you hate knowledge?"

"Because I ended up coming up with shit like Blue Fire."

Daija went silent at that, then shook her head slowly. "Knowledge didn't lead to you making Blue Fire. Your own anger and desire for power did."