Page 51 of Savage Sacrifice
“You shouldn’t,” I retort, my gaze snapping to hers, and she scoffs, folding her arms over her chest.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re the last person I’ll come for. And when I do, it will be to slaughter you,” I rage, my own words catching me by surprise as she snarls under her breath.
“Bitch.”
I preen, smiling broadly at her. “Thank you.”
“Obliviscar. Amittere. Dedisco.”
Sand blows in front of me, dusting Ben’s and Bianca’s faces before they fall to the floor with a resounding thump.
I gape in surprise, turning my attention to Belladora, who dusts her hands off while rolling her eyes. “She’s a lot,” she states, glancing at Bianca, and I scoff in agreement.
“You could have cushioned their falls,” Blaze grunts, frowning at Ben, and I feel guilty for not having the same thought, but Belladora doesn’t seem to care.
Instead, she turns to me with a pointed look, the tight smile on her lips doing little to ease the sternness. “If you want to break the curse, you must sacrifice it all.”
I gulp, frowning at her before an exasperated sigh parts my lips. “Haven’t I given enough?”
“What do you want? For us all to kill ourselves?” Wylder grunts, nostrils flaring in frustration, not waiting for her to speak. “How would that be any different than those who died before us?”
“My marking is back too,” Lincoln states, lifting his arm in the air for everyone to see, but it’s Belladora’s expression I watch.
Her eyes widen, but not with shock, surprise, or fear, but with… hope.
She rubs her lips together, bouncing on the balls of her feet before she points a finger at me. “She sacrificed her life for Minnie. He sacrificed his power for Polaris… have you checked your coins?”
Before I can open my mouth to question her, she’s gone, not even a puff of smoke in her wake.
19
WYLDER
“What’s the plan of action now?” Lincoln asks, eyes still locked on the spot where Belladora was standing a few moments ago.
I’m helpless to answer. My brain isn’t functioning at full capacity yet. Not with Polaris standing right in front of me. He’s had time to acknowledge everything is okay. And from the scent in the air, he’s had time to fuck her too. I, however, am sinking in relief.
Inching toward her, I can’t stop myself reaching for her hand, and as I lace my fingers with hers, she smiles up at me. The need to touch her is undeniable, the warmth of her palm against mine grounding me, but it’s that sparkle in her eyes that pieces me back together.
I was hurting; I’ll be hurting for some time. Watching the woman you love die at her own hands to save her friend will leave a scar to last a lifetime. Seeing her again with my own eyes, being able to touch her and breathe in her scent, is the first step toward healing. Especially when she smiles at me like I mean something.
No one could break me to the core and piece me back together quite like her.
However, the reality is that it won’t last for long. The calmness I feel, that settles in my stomach, isn’t one that will last. Not when we’re still forging through an uphill battle.
“How about we all discuss what’s been going on?” Polaris offers, eyeing Ben and Bianca splayed out on the floor.
I squeeze her hand in mine as Asher speaks. “It all centers around you, Silver.”
He’s not wrong there. She’s the whole reason we’re here.
“Maybe, but I also know nothing,” she admits, her eyebrows gathering slightly at the admission.
Understanding quickly washes over me. We’ve been through much more than her these past few days. Sure, she’s been living a new life, but we’ve been overcoming obstacles to get to her.
I run my thumb over her knuckles as I try to start at the beginning while keeping it as brief as possible. “Sian was an issue, she definitely doesn’t care what she did to the poor guy,” I state, nodding at Ben, and Polaris’s smile grows strained. “Professor Whitmore is an issue. We went looking for you near Krystal, where you obviously weren’t, but he put a lot of obstacles in our way before we could leave campus,” I offer, and her eyebrows rise in surprise.
