Kill Me, My Love

Chapter 35

"Ritual"

– Let me go, mother! – Sam hissed through his teeth.

– Or what? What will you do to me, you little brat?

The man's face contorted with rage, veins filled with black blood coursed around his eyes.

– Leonard... Don’t do it... – Olivia croaked, convulsing in painful spasms.

– I will do everything to make you suffer, you freak, – the dark one shouted.

Samael wasted no time. He shoved Lina back into the hallway and lunged at his father. He had transformed into a vengeful spirit, ready to tear apart anyone who crossed his path.

The men clashed, Sam’s mother fell to the floor and crawled aside, trying to regain her senses. Meanwhile, the struggle continued. Blows rained down incessantly. They fought without harnessing dark powers. It was a brutal brawl, fists and blood, teeth and feet. Leonard was a powerful man. Tall, strong, with a heavy hand and agile movements. However, Samael was also a worthy opponent. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree...

The fight moved to the center of the room. Everything around them became a weapon. The sheet turned into a noose to strangle with. A bedpost became a spear. Father and son spared no punches, unleashing everything that had boiled over for years, decades, centuries... Living so long in the world, in any relationship, accumulates quite a pile of crap.

– Freak!

– Swine!

– Bastard!

– You’d be better off dead!

– You’d have been better off never being born!

The swearing rang out in time with the blows. It wasn’t long before both of their faces were drenched in blood, and their clothes were torn. Wounds appeared in unexpected places, making stomachs twist into thin knots.

Lina clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. Watching the suffering of her beloved was as if she was absorbing his pain. Each new blow sent tremors through her limbs.

Olivia began to rise to her feet. Marks from her ex-husband’s fingers emerged on her neck. She held out her hand and whispered something. It was clear it was not easy for her; her jaw was clenched from the strain, and her legs trembled as if planning a tap dance. Yet, she stubbornly continued.

Sounds, like a snake’s hissing, escaped her perfect mouth with relentless tenacity. When she finished — a wave of emerald light burst forth from her palm, cutting into Leonard’s chest.

He flew back a few meters and slammed against the wall. Sam immediately approached his father and whispered something over him. The unconscious body of the man dissolved, while the dark one, using his last strength, collapsed onto the floor.

The girl finally stopped imitating a statue and rushed into the hall. Samael’s mother leaned against the wall, clearly feeling unwell.

– Sam! – Lina exclaimed, running towards her beloved.

He breathed heavily, beads of sweat gathered on his brow, and thick dark blood oozed from his wounds. Not knowing how to help, she squatted down and laid his head on her knees. She stroked his hair and tried to be brave, even though she felt that in just a few minutes, treacherous moisture would gather in her eyes.

– It’s okay... – the dark one murmured. – I’ll be fine. Soon...

For a few more moments, his eyes were wide open, and in his gaze spread a sea of tenderness and love. The girl looked on and felt that nothing weighed anything when Sam looked at her like that.

However, this lasted only a short while; soon his eyelids drooped — the dark one lost consciousness.

Panic engulfed her. What to do? How to help? How to save? It was one thing when she felt bad, but in such cases, Samael was always there. With him, nothing was scary. Not even dying. Now the situation was drastically different. Regeneration stubbornly refused to start... The dark one was covered in a sticky layer of sweat, and his heart beat faintly. As if it was about to stop working.

Olivia, as if sensing Lina’s panic, found the strength within herself and approached her son.

– He’s lost a lot of blood, – she whispered, leaning down to touch her lips to his forehead. – Cold. Things are bad.

– Bad? Why?

– He recently performed the possession ritual. That took up a lot of energy... And when he sent Leonard back to Abaddon, he hurt himself. Now he hardly has any strength left, which is why regeneration isn’t starting. He won't die from it, of course. But it could take weeks... Maybe months to recover.

– We don’t have that much time, – the girl suddenly turned pale.

– I know.

The woman’s lips pressed into a thin tense line. Now she looked remarkably like Samael. The same furrow above the brow and a stern gaze.

– Of course we could try something, but there are no guarantees. This ritual hasn’t been used for a long time. And you’ll have to endure seven circles of hell...

– I beg you, do something!

Lina caressed the man’s face with her fingers. She touched gently and tenderly, trying with her movements to lend him strength. Yet she knew it was all in vain. And if there was any ritual that could help him, she was ready for anything.

– Alright, let it be. Time is short, and without Samael, we won’t cope. I’m sure Leonard was taken out of action for just a few hours. Then that monster will return, and I think, with reinforcements.

– What do you need from me?

– Nothing now. Just sit here and wait while I bring everything.

Olivia snapped her fingers and released the conquered from their cage. The men immediately approached her.

– You stand guard, – she ordered the burliest of them, – you three, follow me.

The conquered nodded and hurried to carry out their mistress’s orders.

– Lina, everything will be alright, – the woman confidently said, and propping herself against a bare male figure, she stepped out.

The girl was dumbfounded and couldn’t even muster a reply. The intonation with which the phrase was spoken... astonished her. Here the cold, cruel queen had transformed into an ordinary woman. A mother, caring for her son and capable of simple human feelings.

When there was no one left in the hall but the silent guard blocking the passage, she let her feelings flow. Tears streamed down her cheeks, dripping onto bloody wounds.

Samael’s body looked terrible. His right ankle was swollen, his chest had become a bloody mess, his neck and arms were covered in cuts, and a bruise swelled under his eye.

– You must be in pain, – she whispered and gently kissed the corners of his lips. – You’d have been better off killing me, beloved. I’m a magnet for problems and death...

After sitting like that for a few moments, she wiped her wet face with her sleeve. Then she laid Sam's head on the floor and curled up beside him. Sorrow tore at her heart.

It was no wonder that her whole life people had shunned her; it wasn’t even about the prophecy, but about her very being. A creature that leads misery and suffering by the hand. Everyone who became fond of her somehow received punishment for it. Parents, sister Yaryna, Sam... How many more people would she make suffer?! The question was rhetorical, but if one believed the prophecy, then the answer was crystal clear to the entire world.

She lay there for nearly an hour. A cold emanated from the floor, but Lina was undisturbed. She was immersed in thoughts about her own insignificance.

Eventually, footsteps echoed in the hallway.

Olivia returned. Much more lively and invigorated than before. Behind her, the conquered followed. They held various items in their hands. Candles, some cloth, chalk, bowls with various liquids.

– Get up, – she called to the girl.

Lina lethargically raised her head, observing what was happening.

– What are you staring at? Get up, you’ll help. While we prepare the room for the ritual, you’ll prepare Sam, – the woman ordered.

– Me? How? – she asked, surprised.

After long sobs, she felt like a drained amoeba, incapable of anything.

– Here’s a bowl, here’s a towel. You’ll undress Sam completely, wash him, and lay him on the sheet.

The woman explained nothing more, set the necessary tools next to Lina, and began explaining something to the conquered.

The girl had to get up. No one else would do this job for her.

She started with the shirt, unbuttoning it button by button, bravely enduring the sight of open wounds. As soon as she did it – she froze. Now she had to somehow get it off of him. But how? She understood it would take considerable effort. So, she embraced him by the waist and pulled him towards her so Samael could sit up. It was hard, as the man's weight was considerable, and Lina had never lifted anything heavier than a book in her life. But her beloved needed this help, so eventually, she grew angry with herself and, straining every possible muscle, she did it.

After that, it was easier.

When the dark one remained in nothing but skin, she soaked the towel and began to wash the blood away with slow, delicate movements. She did it carefully and lovingly, with all the possible love fluttering in her heart. She focused on her task, not noticing what was happening around her. Samael was now wounded, beaten, but still incredibly beautiful. Even the bruises did not mar his looks.

– I see you’re not in a hurry, – Olivia returned to her previous demeanor. – Boys, drag him onto the sheet.

The conquered took Sam by his arms and legs and placed him on the fibrous cloth.

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