Page 29 of Sacrifice

“What exactly did he say?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “How did you supposedly carry out such a terrible murder at the age of four?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered.

“What do you mean?” I shook my head, brows furrowing. “How can you not know?”

“I didn’t hear every word Papa said. I think… I was in shock. Then I ran away from him because I wanted to tell you right away.” Rose’s voice cracked as she spoke. “I wanted to tell you the truth. You deserve to know it, Sebastian. It’s my fault.”

“It’s not the truth,” I said sharply. “Your father is lying to you. He and Jean-Pierre killed her, and now he’s obviously trying to pin it on you to make you feel bad. There’s no other explanation. You couldn’t possibly have killed my mother. You were just a child.”

A familiar voice drifted through the clearing. “That’s not true, Sebastian. Rosamundwasresponsible for what happened. At least she was in a sense. If it wasn’t for her, Miranda would still be alive today.”

I jerked my head to the left to see Augustus emerging from behind the same tree Rose was pinned against earlier.

“I thought I heard your voice, sweetheart,” he went on, eyes focused on his daughter. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere. You need to come home so we can talk properly. Finish our earlier conversation.”

“No fucking way.” I held out a palm, signaling for him to stop. “You need to stay away from her. She doesn’t need to hear any more of your bullshit.”

Augustus didn’t reply. His eyes had fallen on the spike pit beside me, and his eyes had gone saucer wide. “What happened?” he asked, shocked gaze snapping back to my face.

“Jean-Pierre attacked me and brought me here,” I said, motioning toward my bloodied forehead. “He attacked Rose, too. I wrestled him away from her so he couldn’t try to hurt her again, and then… well, he fell into the pit. It was self-defense.”

“I don’t understand. Why would Jean-Pierre attackyou?” Augustus asked, forehead wrinkling with confusion.

I stared at him, mouth agape. Was this man ignorant or plain stupid?

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I said. “Why don’t you take a wild guess, Augustus?”

He stared back at me, head slowly shaking. “Perhaps I am tired from the late hour, or perhaps my mind is muddled fromthe shock of tonight’s events,” he said, gaze flicking between me and Rose. “Either way, I’m afraid I don’t follow, so you’ll have to spell things out for me.”

Jesus Christ.He reallywasfucking stupid. How the hell did this man ever get into law school, let alone a governing position over an entire village?

“Jean-Pierre attacked me because he found out the truth,” I said coldly. “I guess he was smarter than you.”

As I spoke, I quietly motioned one hand toward Rose. When I knew I’d caught her attention, I dipped my chin toward the left, hoping she’d take the hint to grab the gun lying in front of the tree. She did. She slowly sidled away from me, and her father didn’t even notice; too caught up in the conversation with me.

“What truth?” he asked, eyes laser-focused on my face.

“Rose was with me all those weeks,” I said, squaring my shoulders. “Not a gang of outsiders, or my father, or the fucking Entity.Me.And when she leaves tonight, she’s coming to live with me.”

Augustus was silent for a moment, mouth opening and closing as he tried and failed to find words. “Oh,” he finally said. “I see.”

“I’m genuinely shocked at your level of ignorance, Augustus. I mean, youreallydidn’t suspect anything at all?” I shook my head, nose wrinkling with derision. “You really trustedme? A fucking outsider?”

He nodded slowly. Perhaps it was a trick of the moonlight, but I could’ve sworn his eyes were shimmering with tears. “Maybe I am nothing more than a simple old fool,” he said. “But I wanted to trust you, Sebastian. So very much.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”

“Why?” he repeated, lips spreading in a mirthless half-smile. “Well, then. I see I am not the only ignorant fool here.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Use your brain, Sebastian,” he said softly. “I’m surprised you didn’t figure it out already.”

Rose returned to my side as he spoke, and she quietly pressed the gun into my hand. I lifted it and aimed it right at her father.

“No more fucking around, Augustus,” I snapped, flicking off the safety. “For once in your life, tell the fucking truth.You can start with your daughter. Tell her you lied to her tonight. Tell her she didn’t kill my mother.”

Augustus fell silent as he regarded the gun pointed at his face. “It wasn’t a lie,” he finally said. “As I stated earlier, itwasher fault that Miranda died, in a sense. But it was wrong for me to bring that up in such a terrible manner, and I am deeply sorry for it.”

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