Page 153 of All Your Hate

Sweat coats her face as she scrunches her eyes up in pain. “There was too much blood. Dmitri refused to take her so I buried her here.”

Shaking my head in disgust, I walk away.

“Don’t leave me here, please,” she begs as she grabs my leg

Looking down at her I say, “You will die alone, Daniella. Think of every single girl you kept locked in the dark, terrified for their life. Think of Evie bleeding out with no one to hold her hand through the pain. You will die like they did. Cold and alone.”

Her fingers slip off the leather and she falls to her side. More sobs and pained cries tearing out of her.

I walk away, without an ounce of guilt in my bones.

As I step back out into the hall I look to my right where the basement door is still open. Just past it is the front door. I can’t help but laugh at how close my freedom was for all that time.

Daniella’s sobs come to an end and the house falls still. It doesn’t scare me anymore. It’s simply an empty shell harboring so many secrets and grief. It’s best being laid to rest.

I don’t leave through the front door. Instead, I search the house until I find what I’m looking for. In the kitchen, I gather up all of the bottles of alcohol that haven’t been smashed and find a pack of matches in a drawer.

Taking everything upstairs, I search for the main bedroom. There are bloodstains on the floor—most likely from Noah and Dean’s job here—that lead me to where I need to be. Even when I'm hating him Noah is still helping me. That's all he's wanted to do since he saved me.

I have very little memory of the bedroom, but it’s like my body knows this is the one. A chill creeps over my skin and I feel the heavy weight of the chain around my ankle. It’s gone now. Probably taken as evidence to be stored away and forgotten.

The bed is a mess, the sheets a crumpled pile on top of it. I uncap one of the bottles and pour it on top. Then I light a match and let the fabric catch. Within seconds it spreads onto the alcohol.

I watch the flames take shape with a numbness inside me. This should feel good, but it’s like something’s missing,

Back downstairs I pour alcohol onto Daniella’s body and drop a match. This time I don’t stay to watch.

My next stop is the basement. One final descent into hell.

Standing at the bottom of the steps I stare at the cell and wonder at what point Daniella decided to install it.

I go to the bed and do the same as upstairs. Lighting up the mattress. This one catches quicker and I step back to avoid getting burnt.

My body feels frozen as I stand in the middle of the room. The heat from the fire not touching me at all.

I’ve done what I wanted. Killed the person who made my life not worth living, but what do I do now? Can I really just go back home to Summer like nothing happened?

I hear a crash upstairs. Something on the upper floor breaking as the fire spreads.

“Wynter!”

My breath catches at the sound of the familiar voice. It can’t be him. It must be the smoke going to my head.

“Wynter?” the voice roars again and my cheeks get damp. Bringing my hand to my face I feel my tears.

“Noah?”

Slowly I make my ascent up the stairs, leaving the basement for the final time. A dark figure blocks the doorway.

Although the devil awaits me, this walk doesn’t feel like I’m marching to my death.

“Wynter?” his voice catches.

I cry harder and he grabs me, lifting me onto his body, my arms and legs wrapping around him. With my face buried deep into his neck, I breathe him in. That same spicy smell that stirred something inside me the very first time he carried me from this hell. These warm hands that wrapped tight around me, giving me everything I needed. Warmth, security,love.

“Noah,” I whimper.

His grip tightens on me and the next thing I know he’s slamming me into the wall. His firm body crushes me and it’s perfect. I lift my head and he kisses me before I can even get a look at his face. His cock hardens and my entire body burns for him. When he wraps a hand around my throat I can barely breathe, but I don’t fight him. Embracing his need for me, I reach up and drag my nails through his hair.

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