It’s a question. He doesn’t order me around anymore, and I smile at the request. Giving him a small kiss on his lips, I say, “Don’t worry. Go deal with your family, and I will stay here with mine.”
We both look at the unconscious Cillian. Soren really appraises him, making sure he’s not awake. When he’s convinced, he nods to himself and goes to join his twin brother in the murder of all their family. Screams surround me, bodies fall, and part of me fears something may happen to the guys.
The massacre stretches in front of me, and I soon get lost in the artistry of it all. Lex knows the human body, and he kills them quickly and effectively. Parker is blunt force. They run out of his path, afraid my monster will get to them. But Parker is stubborn, and nothing escapes him. Soren and Orion work together finishing their family line. I love seeing the twins getting along, even as they kill their own. Soren is the mercy stroke after Orion’s torture. They complement each other so well that I can’t stop the soft smile that comes to my lips.
My gaze searches for Hadrian, finding him at the farthest side of the room. He moves like there’s a symphony playing inside his head. The stroke of his knife is so fluid, like taking his bow to his violin. It’s always music with him, even now when he’s spilling blood.
When I asked them to do this, I feared they wouldn’t have the stomach. Yes, ending the four families is the only way to stop all this, but there’s a big difference between that conclusion and action tainting your hands with blood. I shouldn’t have doubted them. My boys work as dark angels, ending the suffering and spilling all the blood I asked them to spill. The remaining descendants of the four families scream in terror, trying to find an escape route. They run to the tall windows and the locked doors. It’s funny to see what desperation will do. They built this fortress, so they know there’s no escape.
Time crawls, and what was beauty turns into a gruesome display, but I don’t mind. Not everything is poetry, after all. The crowd thins, and the corpses pile. Simple things can kill the human body, the most fascinating deaths coming from the Morwen side of the family, of course. I creep closer to the edge of the stage as I watch, forgetting my promise to Soren.
“Stay away, Sable!” The order comes from Orion. His eyes are pinned on me and mouth closed in a thin line. I smile and wave. I’m not risking myself. I just want to watch.
This is my grand finale. This is what my family worked toward for so long, and it’s only right that I get a front-row seat. This is the revenge that killed my family, but I refuse to let it kill what’s left of it again.
“You’re destroying the Morwens because of a whore?” Lex’s father asks as he pins him to the table.
“No, Father, I’m destroying just you. The Morwen lives in me.”
Lex’s knife stroke is precise, and his father dies within moments. He’s lucky. A desperate scream comes from Parker’s side of the room, and I wonder if the Morwens are grateful that their killer is a skilled medical student.
Saliva pools inside my mouth as I watch the scene unfold. Hadrian takes the last of his family, a frail older man who looks almost innocent, but I know that no rich old Vale is guilt-free. Eyes hungry, I watch each boyfriend kill the last of their corrupted, disgusting families.
Silence is loud around the hall, and they all look at me at the same time. The air feels lighter even though it’s heavy with blood, and I smile. Blood paints the black stone before quickly disappearing into the crevices like the stone is thirsty. Bellthorn loves suffering, even when it belongs to its own Founders. The castle is a living thing, eating its enemies and friends alike. Iwonder how much blood these walls have seen. How much is still embedded in the rock?
Fuck. It feels so good to smile.
They start moving my way, leaving bodies behind. My angels of revenge look beautiful, painted in blood. Soren and Orion reach me first. Soren dips his nose into my neck, breathing me in while his brother gives me a slow kiss.
“Are you hurt?” Orion asks.
I giggle. “Are you?”
He shrugs. “I’m free.”
Damn, it feels good. Lex comes up behind me and kisses my temple as I reach for Hadrian, who gives me a hug. My giant stalker is the last. His body is completely covered in blood. It’s obvious he’s messy when he kills.
“Everyone okay?” I ask to check one by one.
“We are good,” Soren says, even though I notice someone punched him, the bruise already turning purple.
And then Cillian groans, stirring awake. I roll my eyes before turning to my supposed cousin. “Let’s deal with him, I guess.”
Parker jumps into action, hands over the material of Cillian’s shirt, and lifts him easily before dropping him down on a chair.
“Good morning, Cillian. Everyone is dead, but you can use your villain monologue on us, if you like.”
“What?” Orion groans. “I never agreed to that!”
“Babe, he is family. It’s only fair.”
Orion curses, and I laugh, a full belly laugh, holding my midsection. The boys smile at my delight, and I know it’s not as funny as I feel it is, but this is the most free I’ve felt in a long time.
Parker kisses me. He has blood even painted on his face, but I don’t mind. He takes my chin between his stained fingers. “Turn off the cell jammer. We don’t want people wondering why no one can call anyone from the four families.”
That’s true. I nod and turn it off, and that’s when all phones ring at the same time. Not only the ones from the dead people, but ours too. We look at each other, and the smile disappears from my face just as Cillian laughs.
“Looks like the Founders can’t get away with everything,” Cillian taunts.
