Page 64 of Drenched

“No.” My voice was low, steady. “I’ve found it.”

More villagers gathered, their eyes flicking between me and the flames. They weren’t afraid of the fire. They were afraid of me.

“You’re worse than Rynar,” I said, the words scraping out of me like broken glass. “You sacrificed my parents. My friends. You fed them to the Abyss and pretended their graves were real. You smiled at me. You lied. You let me suffer.” My voice trembled with fury. “You let everything happen.”

Tanya’s eyes narrowed, her mouth a thin line. “I thought, if you’d see the graves, you’d feel some sense of closure and leave. But you didn’t. In the end we did what we had to do to survive.”

A laugh escaped me, hollow and bitter. “Survive? You call this survival? Sacrificing innocent lives, hiding behind your rituals and lies?” My fists trembled. “You’re worse than the monster you fear.”

Her face hardened. “You don’t understand the cost of keeping this village safe.”

“Don’t,” I hissed. “Don’t you dare talk to me about cost. I paid the cost. My parents. My friends. You threw us to the wolves and called it salvation.”

I took a step closer, my face inches from hers. “You’re the real monsters. And you’ll pay for what you’ve done.”

The rage inside me boiled over. I lunged at her.

We hit the ground, my fists flying, teeth bared. My knuckles struck her face, the impact jolting up my arm. She shrieked, her fingers clawing at my hair, yanking so hard my scalp burned. Blood smeared across her mouth as she screamed curses at me.

“You think you can judge us?” she spat, eyes wild. “You think you’re righteous?”

“I think you’re vile!” I snarled. My fist drove into her cheekbone, her skin splitting under my knuckles.

Hands wrenched me back, rough and punishing. My feet scraped against the dirt as I was hauled upright.

Sebastian.

His face twisted with disgust. “You’ve gone too far, Pearl.”

He punched me, the force snapping my head back. Pain exploded through me, sharp and blinding. My knees buckled, and I hit the ground hard. Blood filled my mouth, hot and metallic.

A scream ripped from my throat, raw and jagged. The waves surged, echoing my fury. But Sebastian didn’t stop. He draggedme up by my shoulder, his fingers digging into my flesh. He punched me again, harder.

My body crumpled under the blow, my ribs screaming as I hit the ground. His boot crashed into my gut. My breath whooshed out in a painful rush, bile and blood rising in my throat.

He leaned down, his breath hot against my ear. “You brought this on yourself.”

Through the haze, my fingers curled around the knife Rynar had given me. The handle was solid, cold.

As Sebastian’s hand closed around my throat, I struck. The dagger plunged into his foot, cutting through leather and flesh.

His scream was a wild, ragged sound. He stumbled back, clutching his foot.

I didn’t hesitate. I pulled the knife free and drove it into his chest. The blade slid between his ribs, hot blood spilling over my hand.

His eyes widened, his mouth opening in a strangled gasp. He crumpled to his knees, his body jerking. He tried to pull the knife out, but his strength faded. His eyes rolled back, and he fell.

Tanya’s scream shattered the night, raw and broken.

I met her eyes, my breath heaving. “Now you know,” I rasped, “how it feels to lose someone you love.”

Her face twisted in agony, her eyes blazing with fury. “Hold her!”

Villagers grabbed me, hands clawing, dragging me to the ground. My knees hit the dirt hard, sending shocks of pain through my battered body. I couldn’t fight them off, my limbs too weak, my vision swimming. They forced my arms behind me, the rough grip biting into my skin.

Tanya stumbled forward, tears streaking her face, her hands shaking with rage and grief. Her eyes were red, wild with the kind of fury that eats a person from the inside out. She snatched a rifle from one of the villagers, her fingers clenching around the barrel so tightly her knuckles turned white.

“You’ll die for this,” she hissed. Her voice was a raw whisper, barely holding itself together.

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