Page 106 of Hexed
“Hey, Dad,” I say, a sudden pep in my step. “Let me introduce you to my babies, Jack and Flora.”
I take my time getting things ready because I’ve dreamed of this moment many times over the years. I never thought it would really happen. I assumed my father had run off or was dead in a ditch somewhere, and although I’m sure it’s unhealthy and won’t give me any peace, I can’t help but wonder why he actually came back.
Adrenaline pumps through my limbs as I take a knife and drag it across his forearm, the skin splitting like butter, a thin red line of blood bubbling on the surface.
He grunts, and satisfaction rips through me when tears escape the corners of his eyes and drip down his face.
“Are youcrying?” I tsk-tsk, excitement fluttering like bird wings in my stomach. “Daddy. Andersens don’t cry. Andersens arestrong.”Leaning down, I place the blade at his leg and whisper in his ear. “Crying is for the weak, remember? You taught me that.”
Screams from my father sound so sweet when they’re at my hand, and I slam the knife into his upper thigh, reveling in the muffled noise that pours out around the gag. Sighing in satisfaction, I stand and walk over to where my stonefish venom is, then make my way back to the torture table.
I’m hyperaware of Enzo standing against the far wall, the same way he did the last time he was down here with me. And maybe this makes me a freak, but having him herestillfeels erotic.
Vulnerable.
It makes my skin tingle and my senses spark.
And this gift? It’s the best birthday present I’ve ever received. I’ve never had anyone who justgetsme before, and Enzo Marino? He understands me in a way that transcends the physical.
Focusing back on my piece-of-shit father, I stand at the head of the table and lean over him until my face is upside down to his view.
Hisface is busted. Bruised and blackened with giant contusions on both sides. Judging by his dilated pupils, I’d be surprised if he doesn’t have a concussion. I glance at Enzo, noticing his knuckles are red and puffy.
He did this for me.
Nobody has ever shown up for me this way, and it makes my body warm.
Shaking off the emotions, I focus back on my father. “I’ll make you a deal, Harald.”
I smile at him sweetly when I notice his Adam’s apple bob from a heavy swallow.
“I’ll undo the gag for you, let you have your last words. But you need to tell me why you came back here. Otherwise, I’ll keep you alive for days, sending this poison here”—I hold up the needle—“through your veins repeatedly, until you beg me to kill you.” My eyes narrow, hatred bleeding into the moment like a thick black cloud. “Similar to how my mother begged right before she died.”
Reaching down with my free hand, I rip the tape off his mouth and pull out the balled-up shirt, damp with blood-tinged saliva.
To his credit, he doesn’t scream or cry out; he just moves his jaw like it’s sore.
“Speak.” I place the needle at his knuckle.
“I came back because Trent Kingston told me to.”
“That’s not good enough.” I shake my head. “Not when you killed Momma. Howdareyou show your face here like everything is gone and forgotten after all these years.” Leaning forward, I press the needle into his skin and release the venom.“I’ll never forget what you did to us. To me. And I’llneverforgive you.”
Harald’s brown eyes widen, and his head shakes slightly back and forth. “Yrsa, I…I’m not a good man. I can admit that. But I didn’t kill your mother. I wasn’t even there that night.”
“Liar!” I backhand him, making his face hit the metal and a tooth fly out of his mouth before skittering onto the floor. “Don’t you lie to me.”
He whimpers, blood pooling beneath his lips, but he focuses on me again. “I’m not lying. I had run away. My gambling was—it was out of control, Yrsa.”
“Don’t call me that,” I say through gritted teeth, anger making my vision blur.
“I’m telling you the truth.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Sweat beads at the temples of his blond hair, and his body jerks. The venom is settling in nicely, but I want answers before he loses consciousness or I lose control and kill him.
“I hadn’t been home in a couple of months at that point, don’t you remember? There were gambling debts I couldn’t pay and people after me I knew would kill me before I could get them the money. Iwasn’tthere.”
