Page 28 of Sacrifice

“It’s not true.” Rose’s voice trembled with desperation as she lunged against his firm grip. “I went willingly. I made him lie about everything! I sent those ransom messages myself!”

“Lies. All lies. He has brainwashed you, Rosamund.” Jean-Pierre squeezed her arm tighter, making her wince. “I need to protect you. He must be dealt with.”

“No!” Rose kept struggling valiantly. “You can’t kill him! I won’t allow it!”

“You cannot stop me,” Jean-Pierre snarled. “The second you cease this pointless little fight of yours, I’m tossing him in that pit.”

“You won’t get away with it!”

Jean-Pierre let out a bark of dry laughter. “I will. The outsiders know he’s accidentally fallen in one of our traps before, so I’m sure they’ll easily believe it happened again.”

“No!” Rose shrieked and broke away from his grip once more, but he was too fast for her. He grabbed her by the front of her dress and threw her backward, aiming for the thick tree trunk.

My foggy mind was still struggling to process the scene, but instinct took over the second I saw Jean-Pierre’s attempt to hurt my girl.

I pushed myself up, the world still spinning around me, and with a burst of adrenaline, I roared and launched myself at Jean-Pierre, tackling him to the ground. Behind us, Rose narrowly missed the tree, landing on her ass beside it with a strangled gasp.

Jean-Pierre and I rolled across the ground, wrestling for control. The struggle was ferocious, each of us fighting with every ounce of strength and resolve we had. Rose cried and begged for us to stop the whole time, warning us of the proximity of the hunting pits.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted my gun lying near the base of the closest tree trunk. It must have flown out of my pocket when Jean-Pierre unceremoniously dumped me on the ground earlier.

I scrambled to grab it, but he growled and smashed me in the side with one fist, knocking me sideways. Then he got up and went for the gun himself, his face a mask of fury. I ignored the pain bursting in my head, rose to my feet, and grabbed him by the back of his collar, yanking him backward before delivering a heavy blow to his jaw. He responded in kind, smashing his meaty fist into the already-throbbing side of my head before attempting to tackle me back down to the ground.

As we grappled and grunted, the clearing around us seemed to blur, everything fading into the night except for the fight for survival. Jean-Pierre’s eyes were wild as he tried to overpower me, his face contorted with fury and desperation. I could feel his immense strength pushing against mine, every muscle straining as we continued our struggle for control.

With a final, desperate shove, I pushed him away from me, and he stumbled backward, his eyes widening in shock as he lost his footing. Time seemed to slow as he teetered right on the edge of the open spike pit behind him; the same one I’d fallen in only days ago.

“No!” Rose screamed from somewhere behind me.

With a sickening thud, Jean-Pierre fell backward, his guttural cry cutting off abruptly as he landed on one of the deadly spikes. The stake drove straight through his heart, the life draining from his eyes in an instant.

I stood there gasping for breath, my body shaking from the exertion. Rose rushed to my side, her eyes wide with a mix of relief and horror. “I couldn’t let him kill you,” she said, chin wobbling as she spoke. “But I… I didn’t…”

I pulled her into my arms, holding her tightly against my chest. “I’m sorry, baby,” I muttered. “I know you didn’t want to see anyone get hurt or killed. But that motherfucker tried to hurt you. I couldn’t let that happen.”

“I know.” Her body shook against mine as she let out a wrenching sob.

“Rose. Baby. It’s okay,” I said soothingly, rubbing the back of her head. “He can’t do anything to you now.”

“I just… I really didn’t want him to die,” she said thickly, voice muffled by my jacket.

“I know, but he tried to hurt you, so he had to be stopped,” I muttered, still stroking her hair. “He killed my mother too, sohe had to pay for his crimes one day. I guess this is how it had to happen.”

She jerked her head back. “No. Sebastian.No.It was me.”

I stared at her, uncomprehending. “What was you?”

Tears were rolling down her cheeks now, and she wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I killed your mother,” she murmured. “It was my fault.”

I almost laughed at the sheer absurdity of her words. “What the hell are you talking about?” I said, shaking my head. “You were only a child when she died.”

“I know. But… my father… he just told me,” she choked out, overcome by her emotions. “It was me. My… my fault she died.”

I steeled my jaw, nostrils flaring with fury.That fucking asshole.After all these years of his sick, twisted bullshit, Augustus was still lying to my girl. Still trying to fuck with her head until she didn’t know who or what to believe.

“Rose, your father is full of shit.” I cupped her chin in one hand, forcing her to look at me. “You know that. He’s a liar. He’s just trying to confuse you and make you feel bad for leaving the Covenant.”

She shook her head, tears still flooding her cheeks. “No. This is different. He wasn’t lying. I could tell.”

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