Page 108 of Revenge & Ruin

“Please, Leon. Don’t do this,” I whisper.

But mother’s voice drowns me out. “I’m giving you a gift, Leon. See how willing she is to accept her death?”

Cassandra is still violently shaking, but her neck is stretched out and exposed to Ida’s knife. Though weeping still, her eyes are closed in resignation.

“This is all that must be done” Mother tightens her grip on Cas’ hair and removes the knife from her neck.

Only to rest it on Cas’s stomach.

Cassandra’s eyes flash open in an instant, and she’s struggling, seemingly willing to tear her own hair out just to escape my mother’s threat.

“She still has some fight in her,” Ida grunts under the effort of keeping Cas restrained. “You need to learn what drives a person before you kill them. Then you’ll know who will come after you when they die.”

“I suppose you learned that the hard way.”

My heart stops beating.

Teo.

Staggering toward us, covered head to toe in soot and grime. Limping awfully but alive. Alive. Alive.

I don’t think. I just run, tears streaming.

He catches me in an instant, wrapping his arms around me protectively. And he’s filthy, and his burns reek of sizzling flesh, but he’s alive and here. And God, oh God…

“I thought you were dead.”

There’s a choking sound, and it doesn’t come from either of us.

I turn in alarm to see Leon staring at us, yes wide and unfeeling.

“See how she has betrayed us?” my mother goes on. “Come to me, Leon. Let me show you what it means to rule.”

To my despair, Leon takes a staggering step backward.

“Teo is weak and vulnerable. We can kill them all and end this,” she continues, turning the blade so that the handle is pointing toward Leon. “She’s not your sister. Not anymore.”

Leon gets closer.

Teo tries to stumble forward but half collapses into my arms. “No.”

“She’s made a mockery of everything we’ve built.” Ida presses the blade into Leon’s hand. “Don’t let her tear your victory away from you.”

“Will you have me kill her too?” His voice is nearly inaudible over the blood beating through my ears.

“Eventually. I would want to pick her brain apart first to see what else she knows about?—”

He moves so quickly I barely have a second to register what has happened.

One moment, Leon has a hold of the knife, pressed against Cassandra’s swollen stomach.

The next, there is a long, red gash across my mother’s throat.

“The cycle ends here.”

29

TEO

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