Hi

Finally gonna try and finish this book lol
Hope you like this. Maybe one more chapter maybe two I don't know but there will be an epilogue as well and I already wrote it and it was a lot of fun to write

Chapter Fifty-five

I knew how it worked. I knew that the moment my name was revealed, there were already a group of officers surrounding our house, waiting to pounce.

There was no running, and I wasn't going to even if I could.

My assurance, was not that Inanis would spare me, but that perhaps, I could challenge the system. I Mirea Dhalmi, was still a Harvester at one point, surely I deserved the right to fight for myself, even if it was most likely not worth the effort.

I knew there wasn't a chance to get out of this, but yet, I couldn't bring myself to accept that I was walking into my own execution.

Inanis wouldn't go against his work. Without a doubt, I was certain he'd go through with plunging a blade into my chest. I don't think he'd want to do it, but that never really mattered what he wanted or didn't want; it was his job, and so, his job he will do.

My father uselessly begged the men putting me in handcuffs to reconsider, as if they were the ones that chose who deserves to be killed or not.

Usually the public would narrow down the options, and Inanis would choose from there. This time, he had no say.

Inanis was just as locked into this as I was.

They have special jets for the victims of the Bone Cutter, and I was no exception. In less than four hours we were in Washington, and I was being escorted to some fancy hotel, where I would be guarded and watched until tomorrow.

None of this surprised me, none of this phased me in the slightest. Even the incredibly expensive hotel room I was locked in was nothing to me. I was used to better with Inanis anyway.

I pace back and forth, trying to understand exactly how I should go about tomorrow. What should I say? How should I say it? What would he say? That's the biggest question.

How will he react when he sees me?

I feel like we haven't seen each other in years, and yet, I know that the moment my eyes land on his face, it will feel like we were apart for merely seconds.

I lay in bed, and wait for the sun to rise. There is no point in trying to sleep, I won't be able to. I'm not nervous, but I'm not stupid either. Inanis will have to kill me tomorrow. I don't think I can get out of it. Even if I could, that would require Inanis to quit his work, and I don't know if I could do that to him.

His job was his life, who am I to take that from him because I denied to do what I was meant to do?

I stare at the ceiling. The bed was somehow too hard underneath me despite my body sinking into the mattress. My body hurt, and as I feel my fingers up my ribcage I can feel each induvial rib poking out like a confession to my own depression.

I haven't really seen my reflection lately. I must look hideous, sick even. I wonder if that will please Inanis. Will he be happy to see that I suffered because I missed him?

Suddenly I hear the click of a lock, and the sound of the door opening to my room.

My mind immediately goes to a dark place, and I look around for something to defend myself with. I've heard of prisoner mistreatment, but I never thought it's happen to a prisoner of Inanis.

I'm a woman, and any man could have his way with me and nobody would ever know, I don't think they would care either.

In the eyes of the country, I committed a sin, and I deserve any punishment coming to me.

I look around the room for something-anything to protect myself, but there was nothing but furniture too heavy to lift. I'm sure that was the point. Despite the glamorous room, and decorative clothing, I was still a prisoner.

I do the only thing I can do, I turn on the light switch and the room lights up, and I'm left staring at my ex husband, alone, with blood coating his hands and jacket. He's holding a knife in one hand, and a gun with a silencer in the other.

I've never seen Inanis use a gun before, I knew he hated them. This was incredibly strange.

There are splatters of blood on his face, and I have no doubt the men who were left to guard my hotel room are dead.

"Inanis."

He's staring at me so intensely that I have a sudden concern that he might kill me right here. Surely not.

He's suddenly walking towards me so quickly I can only see him drop the knife and use his blood-covered hand grab my chin up, and he kisses me. I don't care whose blood he has on him, I pull him close and I kiss him back and my heart may just give out but I don't care.

I love him so much I actually hurts.

His hand travels down to my back and he holds me so tightly against him but it still doesn't feel like enough.

His hands are shaking like he's scared, or perhaps desperate.

He's still holding the gun, and it looks so strange in his hand, that I take it from him and set it aside.

I run my hand through his hair as he pushes me against the wall. His tongue is on my neck and he bites my skin and my whole body feels electrocuted, and I know his does too.

His lips return to mine and he kisses me like he's starving and I want nothing more than to take his clothes off and devour him for hours.

And then I remember that he's covered in blood, and we probably shouldn't be doing this right now.

I break the kiss and he immediately moves back to my neck, and I know he knows we can't keep this up. "Inanis." He ignores me and so I have to say it louder, clearer, even if I don't want him to, "Inanis stop."

He stills and slowly, as if it were incredibly difficult for him, he pulls away completely.

We stare at each other, and all my preparation speeches I had made in my head for when I first saw him have been forgotten. It was useless to try to explain anything to him, because there was nothing I could explain that I knew he didn't already know.

I want to apologize for some reason, but for what?

"I didn't think I'd see you until tomorrow."

He stares at me, and his face is unreadable, "You should know me better than that."

"You killed them?" I asked, referring to the innocent guards just doing their job.

"I killed more than just them."

I don't want to know. "You can get in trouble for this." I hadn't thought about that until just now. What he was doing was against the rules. Not even the Bone Cutter can see his victims the night before. It's a lot like marriage, the groom isn't supposed to see the bride before the wedding, it's bad luck.

Same thing.

"I don't care."

"You should, you could lose your contract." Why did it feel like I was trying to save his job more than he was?

He only continues to stare at me, and I am beginning to feel uncomfortable. I know he has a lot he wants to say, but he's not saying anything. There's a reason, and I can't fucking read him to figure it out.

"So what's the plan then?"

I stare at him just as he is staring at me, and I notice just how bad he looks. He looks how I feel. Tired, angry, and absolutely miserable.

"The plan is to get the fuck out of here."

I narrow at him, "That's it?"

He frowns, "Did you expect explosions? Perhaps a jet we could fly off into the sunset in? If you wanted an army, I imagine I could scrounge up a few of the homeless-"

"Alright, alright, I get it. I meant why come if you had no plan?"

He crosses his arms, "So you're not happy to see me."

"I never said that."

"Sounds like that's what you're saying."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"You said why come, so therefore I'm assuming you aren't happy that I'm here."

"Again, that's not what I meant."

"I don't believe you."

"Oh my god you fucking idiot can we just leave?"

He checks how much ammo is in the gun, and I watch him maneuver the weapon like he's been using guns his whole life. It was unnatural to see him be so comfortable with it, despite him always telling me guns were annoying and no fun.

He bends down and picks up the knife he had brought with him. At this point it was nothing but a red object covered in blood, but he clearly wasn't phased.

"So you don't even know where we should go?"

"I've not thought of it." He says, and then, like something just ignited in his head, "I have an idea though."

"That's reassuring."

He actually looks exasperated, "Do you want to die?"

"No but I thought that you had to or you'll lose your-"

"Don't finish that I don't want to hear it."

"Inanis this is insane. Your whole life is-"

"Goddamn it Mirea I said shut the fuck up." He roughly grabs my arm and forces me to walk beside him, "They already know I'm here and it's obvious why I am. They can't imprison me, but my contact is done."

My heart drops and I feel sick. I stop walking, pulling my arm from his grasp. He looks back and impatiently glares at me. I don't care. "You just threw your whole life away."

A humorless laugh escapes his lips, "What life Mirea? Explain to me what I just threw away. Do you even know?"

"You worked hard to be the Bone Cutter don't act like this is nothing to you, you're lying!"

He sighs, "Can we talk about this later? I really don't want to be caught for questioning it's so tedious."

I glance at the two bodies in the hallway that we'd have to step over and grimace. As horrific as the sight is, it is Inanis. He can't not be a Bone Cutter it's all he knows.

I open my mouth to say something but he cuts me off by grabbing my arm once again and pulling me alongside him.

We step over the bodies and I refuse to acknowledge how I feel nothing looking at them. Sure, there is guilt, but I find myself not even caring. This whole system is fucked up, the government, the country, the slaughtering people publicly.

And yet, I think of Inanis, and I know that's the life he was born for. He might be acting irrationally in the moment, but how long will he live a normal life before it becomes too boring for him? How long before he gets bored of me?