Amos stood over his father’s body, panting from the effort of carrying him to the safe house. He had carefully put away his letters from Clover, slung his father over his shoulder, and glamoured them as he carried the heavy body all the way here.
He dropped his father’s body in the secluded area behind the house and exhaled with relief.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Amos dropped his bag and dug through the contents for water.
He might be one of the strongest men in Eden, but the safe house was a long walk from the palace. After drinking his fill, he got to work binding his father’s hands and feet, and trapping a cloth in his mouth with a gag.
Sasha’s powerful wings kicked up dirt like a wind storm as she landed close by, and his heart ached for her. No matter how evil the king was, he was still Sasha’s bonded, and that had to stand for something.
She’d been there for Amos in times when no one stepped in to stop his father, and the knowledge that killing his father might hurt her, made him hesitate.
Amos stood and approached the dragon. “I have to stop him.” Sasha nodded and nudged his stomach. Why hadn’t he thought about how this would affect her?He had been a selfish bastard.
“If this is too hard for you, I can try to amputate his arms and legs, and lock him away with the Hydra somewhere.” He doubted the Hydra would agree, but he owed it to Sasha to try.
Sasha shook her head sharply and stomped all four of her feet, kicking up more dust.
“You want me to kill him?” Sasha nodded.
The tension in Amos’ shoulders released. Even the thought of locking his father away somewhere made him uneasy, but he’d owed it to the dragon to ask her opinion. He felt like an asshole for not doing that before now.
Amos rubbed her scaled nose. “It’s okay to be sad for who he should have been.” Sasha stepped closer and nuzzled him. “I love you, Sasha. I’m sorry it’s come to this.”
The dragon stepped back and sat. “I’m not going to make it quick,” he warned. “You might not want to watch.” She didn’t move.
Amos walked to her side and lowered himself to the ground beside her. “I won’t start until he wakes up.”
He didn’t know how long they waited, but eventually, Phillip rolled over and started jerking against the ropes. He realized his father might be strong enough to break the ropes. It might have to be quick after all.
Jumping to his feet, he walked into his father’s line of sight and squatted down. “Paul was right.”
His father’s eyes widened, and he tried yelling around the cloth in his mouth, struggling to free himself. Amos ignored him and went to his bag to retrieve a whip. The king saw the weapon and struggled harder, trying to drag himself away.
Amos could have given a speech, told his father how vile he was and how much he deserved this, but he didn’t need to explain himself. They both knew. Instead, Amos drew a whip from his pack and brought it down across Phillip’s face and body until the king nearly passed out.
Tossing the whip aside, Amos removed the dagger at his belt and grabbed his father’s chin, forcing him to look at him. “Have you ever heard of death by a thousand cuts?”
His father groaned through labored breaths, and Amos held up the dagger. “I’ll give you a demonstration.”
He sliced his father’s body in strategic places that wouldn’t kill him right away. A slow painful death in the dirt, tied up like a dangerous beast was exactly how the king deserved to die.
Amos spent time working on his father’s body until Sasha stumbled and crumpled to the ground. He shot to his feet and sheathed his dagger, running to her side. “What’s wrong? Are you sick?” Her responding huff was weak, and Amos smoothed his hand down her neck.
She wouldn’t have told him to kill his father if it would hurt her… would she? Amos connected to Roland.“What happens to afamiliarwhen their bonded dies?”
Roland was quiet for too long before he replied,“They die too.”
Time stopped. Amos looked down at Sasha, his heart dropping. “What did you let me do?” he rasped. She tried to nudge him, but she was too weak to move her head.
It was too late to save his father—he had made sure of that, and now it was too late to save Sasha too. He would live the rest of his life knowing he’d killed one of his oldest friends. He fell to the ground beside her and hung his head.
“Is Sasha there?”Roland asked.“She said she was close by.”
“Yes. You knew I was going to kill him. For years you’ve known, and you never told me.”The betrayal cut deep.
It was all he could do to not scream at the gods as yet another part of him broke. How much more could he lose before they hauled him off to hell?
“She asked us not to. She knew he needed to die, and she gladly sacrificed herself for it.”The connection quieted, then,“If your father is still alive, there’s something you could try that might save her. I don’t know if it will work, but it’s worth a try.”
