I’m not leaving her. She’s been through so much with me, she deserves to be held one last time. I accept death.
I welcome it now.
Fire arrows are shot into the trees around us, illuminating the forest. I can see everything now. Ada’s leg is broken, her bone sticking out. I whisper to her just how sorry I am, but she makes so much noise. She’s in too much pain. I need to end her.
A crow flies down, landing on Ada, and she instantly quietens, relaxing in my arms. I stroke her face and give her a kiss. The crow flies off as Ada passes in my arms. I let out a wail, holding her tight. My grief is all consuming, but I’m aware enough to hear someone get off their horse and approach me.
Kill me. I don’t care anymore. I accept this. Death, take me.
I look up and stare into the eyes of Richard.
He’s won.
“Oh, Evelyn. Ifinallyhave you. Do you know how hard it was to get information on you? I have been trying to hunt down your identity for days. Bernard was useless, he only told me your name was Mary. How fitting considering your role at the Tower of London.” He laughs, pulling his baton from its sheath. “I even tracked down some of yourwhores.” He spits the word at me. “Seems all the girls at De-Vil’s place were gone, no luck there. Not until I hunted down Sid. Remember her?” He smacks hisbaton into his palm. “She was sleeping with Lord Hale before you killed him.”
He swings the baton to the right side of my face. “She told me everything she knew,Evie.” The baton connects with my cheek, cracking. “Even your dear stableboy spoke up after he saw you in the alley behind the baker’s with that man.” He slams down the baton on top of my head.
My vision blurs, and my head pounds. I'm so goddamn dizzy.
Adrenaline is taking away some of the pain, but I know it won’t last long and soon I’ll feel every moment of this. I turn my head to spit out blood, trying not to get any on Ada. “He told me how you cut off his cock and slit his throat? Did you really think no one saw you?” He crouches down next to me and strokes Ada. I stare at him with as much anger as I can show, despite still seeing double.
“Finally, you came afterme.” Richard pulls my right arm away from Ada’s head and stamps on it, my bones shattering under his boot. I stifle a scream. I can’t give him too much satisfaction right now. “The biggest mistake of your life. That fight? You nearly had me at one point, I will give you that to take to your grave, but I won. I may have lost my wife, but Iwillavenge her.”
Dawn breaks and streams of sunlight replace the moonlight. Richard notices how I quickly glance at the changing sky through the trees and he starts to laugh. A crow passes through the glow of the sun and caws.
It is time.
“This is the last sunrise you will ever see, Evelyn. Your time has come and I will take your life, just like you took my wife’s and so many others’.”
Richard pulls out my dagger.Mine. He raises it and pauses, thinking for a moment before lowering the blade and coming closer to me, his breath on my ear. “I’m going to do this slowly, Ithink. I look forward to watching your life drain from your eyes, you sick fuck.” He holds back my head and slices my throat, not too deep but I still feel the blood trickling down me.
This is it.
Richard stabs the dagger into one of my shoulders, then the other. Pain radiates throughout my whole body, but I’m too weak to defend myself.
I’ve accepted this fate, I know this is my end and I will join everyone else who I've ever killed. My head drops forward and I end up bleeding on Ada.
I’m so sorry, girl.
You deserved better than to be stuck with me.
The men around me cheer and celebrate, but I'm too far gone to understand their words. It’s clear they’re enjoying this show—my show. The crow that has been hovering around pecks at Richard's ankles and I briefly smile, knowing that's Gray. My smile quickly fades as I think of him not actually being here with me at this moment. How could he let this happen? He should be here, holding my hand or giving me some form of comfort, like we gave those other poor bastards.
I close my eyes completely. I don’t have any energy. I gargle out a sigh and relax down onto Ada.
Richard shouts and someone comes around to the other side of me, putting their hands on my head and forcing me to look at Richard. He places the knife in my side, just under my rib and ever so slowly, pushes it in, while I stare at him, forcing my eyes to stay open and alert. His pupils are blown, an all too familiar darkness there.
He is loving this.
Gray, I love you.
Epilogue
A painI’ve never felt before spreads across my chest. My Evelyn. My love. She is fleeing for her life. I knew this was coming, but it wasn’t supposed to be like this.
I can’t stop this; I can’t help her. I can only watch as she goes through the last few hours of her life.
When dawn breaks, she will die.
