Page 110 of Whispers of Fire

Did you do this?

“Won’t let any man who hurt you walk this earth, Angel,” he answers my silent question like it’s a proverb he lives by. My chest tightens, my lips parting as I register what’s happening. Vox killed them for me. Because he knew they had hurt me. Vox furrows his brows and tightens his jaw, betraying his fear.

Oh god, Vox.

He thinks I’m gonna run away from him now that I know. He thinks I won’t have the guts to accept what he’s done, who he is, what he does. I know I should cry and be distressed by this idea but… somehow, I only want to run into his arms more.

I’ll always be there, Vox, always.

Watching me, he slowly nods once, telling me silently that he understands if I leave. Watching him in distress of me leaving him is tearing my guts apart.

“He killed our Shepherd, Rose, OUR SHEPHERD! The waves of chaos will float on us, the Divine will break our world apart, it will be the end of civilization. And he did this! HIM!” my fathers shouts, his face wincing in pain, while his chin is angled towards my knight.

Does he realize how messed up our beliefs are, or is he so brainwashed he can't even think by himself anymore?

“He is a killer, Rose. Even a girl like you deserves better than him.”

I shut my eyes for a second, pushing his harsh words away from me.

Even a girl like me.

Shielding myself with the love of the man standing in front of me, I take a deep breath. The pieces of the puzzle are coming together, making my heart pump harder in my chest.

Locking my watery eyes with Vox, I mouth “I love you” because I do.

God, I do.

Relief washes over him, his chest resting higher as if I had given him strength.

I love you.

Don’t ever doubt it.

And perhaps this is wrong, perhaps this is sick and twisted, but he’s all I’ve ever dreamt of, all I’ve ever wished for. And I know, deep down, I’ll never let go of this man. No matter what. I’m as much his as he is mine. And if I have to dance in his darkness to bring him my light, then so be it.

These are my father’s last moments on this earth, I just know it. Vox’s protective gaze doesn't hide anything from me, not now that I know all that he is capable of.

“Vox and I found a deal to let both of ya lovebirds off the hook, Rose,” the large man standing next to Vox says, and I already know that it won’t be a walk in the park.

“He’s going to kill your father in front of you. Then it will be over. Vox will stay my vice-president and you’ll be free to be together in Seattle.”

White noise pumps in my ears for the second time today. The father who never loved me, the man who should have protected me, is now going to be killed because of me. I should cry and fight them, beg them to spare his life and offer mine in exchange, but I don’t. Because the man kneeling before me has never been my dad or anything close to a father figure.

He’s the one who tortured me so many times I can’t even count them anymore.

He’s the one who locked me in my room while the fire destroyed our house, knowing all too well that I was stuck in there, burning slowly.

He’s the one who offered me to an old man to be raped and he’s the so-called father who watched me be drowned and left for dead in front of our community today.

I will never stop loving him, because a child, however mistreated, will always love their parents. But I won’t stand in the way of death and try to save him.

He dug his own grave and tried to bury me alive in it.

His death will be my rebirth.

Locking my eyes on my father, I push away the arm holding me upright and kneel down next to him. Turning his face towards me, holding his chin, I take a mental photo of his face, remembering the skin and bones of the devil who brought me into this world.

Vox’s hands tighten on my father’s nape, but I stay still, observing my father with more pity than sadness. I open my mouth with a trembling inhale, because I need to tell him something, even if he doesn't sign, even if he doesn't understand.

---