Elegy by Tara Hudson Read Free Book Online Page A

anything, Joshua’s frown had deepened and his eyes had grown even wider. Although he was my voice of reason—my heart—I turned away from his horrified gaze; I couldn’t let him weaken my resolve.
    “So, now that that’s settled,” I said with forced nonchalance, staring at the miniature bomb in my hands instead of the people around me, “how does this thing work?”
    “As . . . as far as I know, you hold the lever down, pull the pin, and throw. Then, you know . . . run like hell.”
    Although Scott had cleared his throat before speaking, his voice still hit a few nervous high notes. Judging by his stutter and Jillian’s sudden fidgeting, neither of them had thought we would actually detonate the grenade. Then again, neither of them had seen pure evil in the mirror tonight.
    I was still examining the grenade, wondering exactly how I should go about releasing its destructive power, when I caught a glimpse of movement. When I looked up, Joshua now stood less than a foot from me.
    “Amelia,” he whispered, “I don’t think we should do this.”
    I lowered the grenade so that it wouldn’t hang in the air between us like a threat, and leaned toward him.
    “I know, Joshua. And on most days, I’d agree with you. But what if we can stop the demons tonight ? What if we can end the threats to your family? To us ?”
    Joshua shook his head, but I saw his eyes dart involuntarily to the bridge. Although his gaze only lingered there for less than a second, I knew I’d struck a nerve. Joshua hated that bridge almost as much as I did. Still, he wasn’t quite on board with this plan yet. Which meant I needed to give him one last push. . . .
    Holding the grenade slightly behind me, I reached out my free hand to brush my fingers against his. Except our fingers didn’t connect. Instead, our hands floated through each other like passing currents of air. Like nothing.
    “Joshua, listen to me,” I whispered. “Please. As long as the rest of you take cover, all the risk falls on me. And what’s the worst that could happen? I die, lose my Risen abilities, and get to touch you again? Sometimes, that’s all I really want. So if the three of you are safe, then there’s no downside to this.”
    The reluctance in his eyes shifted into something that resembled hurt.
    That look didn’t mean I’d hurt him; it meant that he knew I would die again—and eagerly—if I had to. And in that glint of hurt, I saw everything clearly: even though Joshua understood me, even though he might agree with me just a little, he wouldn’t go along with something like this. Not now, not ever.
    Keeping the grenade tucked behind my back and out of his reach, I lifted onto my toes. With my eyes shut, I planted a small kiss on what I hoped were his lips. I lingered near the warmth of his skin. Even without a real kiss to precede it, that warmth felt delicious, and I wanted to remember it.
    After a slight hesitation, I moved closer, until my lips were only an inch from his ear. There, I said a single, simple word:
    “Run.”
    I didn’t wait for his reaction; I followed my own orders, spinning away from Joshua and sprinting as fast as I could for the entrance of the bridge.
    While I ran, I heard desperate shouting behind me as Joshua ordered Jillian and Scott to dive behind their cars. Thankfully, none of them had tried to follow me.
    I skidded to a stop at the center of the bridge and stared down at the dark, incomprehensible thing in my hand. I gripped its safety lever tightly and felt it press against my palm.
    What did Scott say? I thought feverishly. After I pull the pin, do I let go of the lever?
    No matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t remember how this thing actually worked. After far too long a pause, I thought:
    Only one way to find out.
    With the lever still held tight, I slipped one finger of my free hand through the ring of the pin. Using more force than I’d thought I would need, I yanked the pin loose. It dangled on my finger,