Page 8 of Savage Sacrifice
“Possibly.”
I think we all know there’s nopossiblyabout it. That woman was an older version of Polaris. No doubt.
Lincoln clears his throat, his face as ashy as Tatum’s as we all turn to look at him. “Speaking of parents,” he starts, scrubbing at the back of his head nervously. Whatever he’s about to say, I know I’m not going to like it. I can already sense it in my gut. I almost tell him not to share, but any information is key right now, including whatever this is. “Polaris was a Florentine, which means…” he starts, but his words quickly trail off, and I’m not sure if he’s running a little nauseous.
I have no idea what’s going on, but it seems Minnie does as she gasps, slapping her hand over her mouth in horror.
“Somebody spit it out,” I bite, and her wide eyes find mine.
“It means my parents were the ones behind her being sent to Florentine’s to begin with.”
3
ASHER
The weight of Minnie’s words fall heavily over the group. No one knows what to say or do, but that’s the truth; their parents were the reason for Polaris’s time at Florentine’s. Saying it like that feels like a cop out since she endured so much shit, missed out on so much life, all so they could live theirs.
I hate it.
What doesn’t make sense is the fact that Bryony is Lincoln’s blood kin, yet she didn’t face the same consequences Polaris did. Why didn’t she find herself at Florentine’s?
Shame dances in Minnie’s eyes, but the actions weren’t her own; they just reflect badly on her. I wonder if Polaris considered that fact before she… fuck. My eyelids fall closed as I grimace at the memory, but all it does is offer my nightmare a canvas to play out on. Prying my eyes open, my vision blurs as my muscles coil tight and uncertainty wars inside of me.
She just… died. At her own hands, to save Minnie.
Even if there’s a miracle in this world and Polaris’s words to Minnie are true, I’ll never be able to unsee the gentle look in my mate’s eyes as she grabbed a used blade and plunged it into her chest.
Hope, Asher. Cling to the fucking hope.
It feels easier said than done right now. I’m light-headed, on the verge of swaying on my feet, and I don’t like how helpless and out of control it all feels.
“Let’s head back, figure all this shit out in private,” Lincoln murmurs, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tilts his face down, trying but failing to shield the dismay from his facial features.
We’re feeling it, every one of us. Hiding your vulnerabilities in a group this tight doesn’t shield them; it simply elevates them. But he quickly shakes it off, his jaw ticking with barely contained anger as his hands ball into fists at his sides.
Blaze grunts in response but spins for the exit without a word, Wylder right beside him, but I don’t miss the deathly stare the vampire offers our alpha before he does. I’m not sure if Blaze wants to kill Lincoln for the sins of his parents or not, but I think the fact that Lincoln looks just as feral as he does is keeping him at bay. For now, at least.
Taking their lead, the rest of the group hurries for the exit too. Bryony and Minnie huddle together while Lincoln throws his arm around Tatum’s shoulder and guides him to follow, leaving me to bring up the rear.
Good.
I need a moment to be alone with my thoughts.
I feel numb, so fucking numb, right down to my bones.
Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I head outside, hoping the fresh air will help snap me out of it, but it’s futile. I’m trapped in a vortex in my mind, the dreaded moment playing on repeat.
She took her life for Minnie, without question. I want to say without thought, too, but I saw the calmness on her face, the soft lilt to the corner of her mouth as she looked at her best friend. She knew what she was doing; she believed in it. I have to try to do the same.
I’ve never met anyone as loyal as Polaris. It’s a trait I usually treasure, but right now, her loyalty is causing me so much pain and grief that the high regard in which I usually hold it is dwindling.
Control is slipping through my fingers like grains of sand, making it impossible to capture. I try to push the loss of Polaris to the back of my mind as we take the winding path to the wolf dorms, but all it does is allow other worries and concerns to come to fruition in my mind.
My uncle, The Crow, has a deal brokered with Blaze, which requires Tatum’s life, and the countdown is still ticking on that. Not only is Tatum’s life in jeopardy, but the weight of Polaris not being here right now is only going to send him into a deeper spiral. He’s spent an eternity trying to keep his head above water, but why would it matter now without her?
I shake my head, trying to force the thoughts away, but the uncertainty churning in my gut quickly refocuses, targeting Minnie next. Not only has she just witnessed, more up close and personal than the rest of us, her friend killing herself to save her life, but her brother’s blood kin is her partner.
None of this is fair, not for any of us.
