Page 184 of The Harbinger

I leaned back from her touch, pushing her hips away from me, the temptation to bury my anger inside of her all too consuming. “Stay here,” I said as she followed me to the door.

“But…”

“And don’t drink the tea if you haven’t figured that out by now.”

I stomped down the stairs, not out of anger but from the undying urge to get my hands around Catherine’s neck.

How could she have betrayed me this way? She was more of a mama to me than Ina was, having visited me when Ina sent me away, changed my diapers, and nursed my wounds.

What caused her to become so careless… reckless even?

My phone rang. I dug it from my pocket and placed it to my ear. “Where is she?”

“I found her out back in the woods, burying something.”

“I’m on my way.”

My feet moved quickly as I swung open the back door and disappeared into the woods, her blubbering cries guiding my way.

“How could you?” I walked towards her, and she cowered.

Dmitri had drawn the first bit of blood, her temple running crimson from a small abrasion.

I held out my hand, and he slid a knife into it.

Catherine’s eyes widened as I stalked closer, her lips smacking as she searched for words. I pressed her back against the tree and plunged the knife into her gut. Slicing downward, she grunted, her intestines falling to the ground at our feet.

Shock rode her silent reaction, her mouth gaping as if in awe.

“Such betrayal from someone I held so dear to me,” I whispered in her ear. “Tell me why?”

A cry bellowed from her chest as I tore the knife from her gut and tucked it into my band, my hand painted red. She stared at me, eyes wide with fear, clutching her stomach in a futile attempt to keep her insides from spilling out further. And then, with a sickening thud, she collapsed onto the ground. I took a step back, watching as the pool of blood spread around her like a dark, oozing stain.

“Tell me why?”

“She has taken the place of... She was a distraction to you. Look how you...” She tossed her head back against the tree, wincing. “Look at how you’ve neglected your responsibilities chasing after her.”

I slammed my fist into the trunk of a nearby tree. The rough bark bit into my skin, but I welcomed the pain. It gave me something to focus on, a release for the anger and hatred boiling over inside of me. “You have your place as I have mine. Mia was meant to be here. She’s prophesied, and you nearly cost us all.”

She furrowed her brow as tears slipped down her cheeks and curled under her chin.

“You did it all, didn’t you? The cat, the drugs, the whispers in her walls?”

Catherine nodded, her heels digging into the soft dirt.

“Why?”

“Because she’s unworthy of you, and she threatens the stability of our following.”

“Myfollowing. They do not follow you.”

Dmitri handed me a dirty plastic bag filled with dried green herbs. Did she have this on hand, or had this been her plan all along, a plan she prepared for?

“I’ve been loyal to you and your family from the beginning.”

“You have until now. This is not loyalty. This is sabotage. I expected better from you.”

“I’ve put you and this church first, even gave up my marriage to stay.” She coughed and nearly doubled over, her face grimacing, her teeth bared. “You’ve taught us to take what we want.”

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