Page 64 of Sacrifice

“You wanted us to be free?” Rose said at the same time.

“Of course. You made your choice to leave, and I told you I would respect that choice,” he said. “I apologize for all these theatrics. It was an unfortunate necessity due to the presence of a certain guest.”

With that, he turned the dagger around and presented me with the handle. “This is yours now, Sebastian,” he said. “Make the sacrifice when you are ready.”

Finally, I understood. I nodded curtly and accepted the dagger, gripping it tightly in my right hand.

My father stared over at the altar, brows dipping in a frown as his expression of smug superiority morphed into shock and confusion. “Hold on… did you just give him the knife?” he said, one hand shooting toward his pocket. “What the fuck is going on, Augustus?”

I jumped down and lunged toward him, shouting at Rose as I went. “Duck behind the altar, baby!” I said. “Hide there until it’s over!”

Rose didn’t hesitate. I heard her scramble behind the altar, the sound of her quick footsteps fading as my focus narrowed on the man in front of me—my father. His eyes widened as I closed the distance, the confusion on his face twisting into a mix of fear and anger.

“Stop!” he barked, withdrawing his hand from his pocket. He had his gun now, but it was too late for him to fire it directly at me. I slammed into him, just in time to grab the barrel with my free hand and twist it upwards, and it went off with a deafening crack, echoing through the clearing like thunder.

The acrid smell of gunpowder filled the air as the bullet whizzed harmlessly into the night sky, and the sound sent panic through the gathered crowd. People screamed and skitteredin every direction, talismans dropping to the ground as they scrambled away.

I kept hold of the barrel, trying to wrench the pistol free from my father’s grip. He let out a furious snarl, holding on with all his might as his gaze focused somewhere over my shoulder.

“You lying bastard!” he shouted. “You said no harm would come to me! You swore on your god! I thought that meant something to you people!”

“I swore on the Entity’s name that no one from the Covenant would touch a hair on your head,” Augustus said smoothly. “Sebastian isn’t a member of the Covenant.”

My heart hammered as I finally wrenched the pistol free from my father’s grip and tossed it away. It clattered against the altar, far out of his reach. He snarled again, face contorted with rage, but there was fear too, lurking just beneath the surface. He wasn’t in control anymore, and he knew it.

I knocked him backward, the dagger clenched tightly in my fist. He grunted as we hit the ground, my weight pinning him down, and I held the blade to his throat, my breath coming in ragged bursts. The entire clearing seemed to still, as if time itself had paused, waiting to see what would happen next.

“You made me do this,” I growled, my voice trembling with rage.

Dad’s eyes flicked from the blade to my face, disbelief still etched into his features.

“Son, wait,” he rasped, struggling beneath me. His left arm was twisted and pinned awkwardly beneath his body, and his right hand was clawing at the ground, desperately searching for something to grab onto. “You don’t understand. I wasn’t really going to let them kill you. I just wanted to scare you. That’s all.”

“You really expect me to believe that shit?” I spat, pressing the dagger closer to his skin.

“Please… son…”

“Stop with this ‘son’ shit. It’s over,” I said in a low voice, eyes locked on his. “I just want to know one thing. Was she awake?”

His brows furrowed with confusion. “What?”

“When you killed Mom. Was she unconscious from the crash, or was she awake?” I said, nostrils flaring with rage and disgust. “Don’t fucking lie to me.I’ll know if you do.”

He swallowed audibly. “I… she was awake. But… barely. I don’t think she knew what was happening. She wouldn’t have felt much,” he choked out. “I didn’t even mean for it to happen. I was just so angry with her. I snapped, and I didn’t—”

Before he could finish his sentence, I jammed the knife into the side of his neck. He gasped as blood spurted, right hand still desperately seeking purchase on the ground beside him.

“You didn’t raise me to be religious,” I muttered as I watched the light slowly fade from his eyes. “But I really hope there’s a hell out there, just for you.”

He opened his mouth to reply, but only a gurgle emerged, along with a torrent of blood. His right hand kept moving by his side. By the time I realized what was happening, it was already too late.

I’d assumed he was clawing at the ground to find something to hold onto. It hadn’t occurred to me that he had a second gun in one of his side pockets, but he did, and now he’d grabbed hold of it, ready to squeeze the trigger in one final, desperate attempt at revenge.

“No!” I roared, immediately realizing where it was aimed—at the side of the altar, where Rose was crouched. I knocked it aside, but it was too late. The bullet had already exited the chamber. “Rose!”

I whipped my head around to see her scampering around to the other side of the rock. The bullet had missed her.Thank fuck…

I looked back down at my father. The light had vanished from his eyes, and his hand had fallen limp, gun lying uselessly on the ground next to him. I picked it up, flicked on the safety and stashed it in my pocket before hurrying over to the altar to find Rose.

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