Indomitable

t w e n t y - t w o

Remi squeezed her eyes shut, unable to watch the horrific scene unfold before her. She couldn't bear to see sweet Bliss's head roll onto the floor, spewing out blood—lifeless.

Bliss, who was always so lively and full of smiles. Always playing around with Remi's hair, twisting and braiding or curling it until she looked like a fairy. Always dragging her out of bed to go for a run or work out so that she stayed in shape.

Always making Remi laugh.

No more laughter would fall from those lips.

The thought broke Remi's heart.

Slowly, Remi opened her eyes. Her eyes were dull and dead. There was no more fight left in her.

Until she saw two clawed hands wrapped around the shaking swords, less than an inch from Bliss's neck.

She wasn't dead.

They hadn't killed her.

Relief flooded through Remi's veins so powerfully that she nearly collapsed.

In one quick motion those clawed hands shattered the blades into pieces, falling like glass. A few silver pieces got caught in Bliss's hair, but most simply fell to the floor around her, shimmering like tiny snowflakes reflecting the sunlight.

The guards were tossed to the other side of the room, hitting the walls so hard that they crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

Remi let loose the breath she didn't know she'd been holding, allowing relief to come to her burning lungs.

The creature who had done all this gave her an icy smirk, his lips tilted up in such a way that one could only describe as demented.

And yet, she felt safe.

"Who are you?" Duke Guatus growled angrily, stomping over to Killure. He was tall, but the Icix was taller, and more filled out with muscles than the duke could ever hope to be.

He looked like an ant standing next to a bear.

Killure regarded the man with an eerily-wide smile. "Does it matter? I'm here to retrieve what I lost." He looked pointedly in Remi's direction, and her eyes widened. "Also . . ."

Remi didn't even notice he had a large bag slung over his shoulder until he tossed it at the duke's face.

The contents of the bag spilled out all over Duke Guatus.

Remi inhaled sharply when hands, bloody and severed at the wrist, came toppling out, their blood smearing against the duke's bare chest and down his expensive, fancy pants, staining the floor a deep, crimson red.

"This is what happens when someone tries to touch my master," he murmured cruelly, thoroughly enjoying the terrified look on the duke's face—which had become even paler than before, losing its pigment entirely.

Remi nodded at Bliss, and Killure took the hint, scooping the bruised and battered girl into his strong arms.

With downcast eyes, Remi followed him out of the room, leaving the guards and duke frozen in place.

Until the duke snapped out of his daze and called out after them. "We're not finished here!"

Killure glanced back over his shoulder with murder in his eyes. "We are finished. Unless you want me to splatter your guts across the walls, which I would be delighted to do. And at this point, I'm fairly certain that no one would be opposed," he added, and glanced at Remi.

The duke didn't protest further.

Remi just kept walking, her gaze downcast. She didn't have the energy to keep this up much longer. The emotional and mental strain . . . it was almost too much to bear.