Page 51 of Her Wicked Knights
"Knock it off?" He laughs, turning his wild gaze toward his cousin. "There's noknocking it off. We're not leaving this thing half-done. You can't leave raw power in chains like that. You're all here. You've all committed to the cause, so let's see your commitment."
"So, you're responsible for Jenny's murder." Tripp says, standing up with his fist clenched.
"I orchestrated it, maybe." Whit shrugs. "But I didn't kill her. There's no blood on my hands yet, which is why you have to do this."
"Go to hell." I tell him, striding toward the exit again. I'm just reaching my hands out to push the doors open when they burst into flames. Orange and blue fire licks at the door, jumping out toward my touch as the girl screams, the flames catching hold of her shirt.
I don't think. I just react, flinging her toward the ground and ripping her shirt over her head. But the flame is faster and less forgiving; it ate through the fabric and is already burning her skin. A chorus of her screams fills the air, and I look around, frantic, for water. There's holy water in the basin, but it won't be enough, so I do the next best thing. I throw myself on top of her, smothering the flame that dances along her spine.
The acrid stench of burning flesh fills my nose as her screams finally taper off, and when I pull away from her, I'm pretty sure some of her skin comes off on my leather jacket.
There's no holding back the swell of vomit, but I at least turn to the side before it pushes through me and I spew my guts on the flagstone ground.
"You're underestimating what I'm capable of, and I highly advise against it." Whit says. "The first seal broke and restored my magic, but to access the full scope of it, there are two more sacrifices that must be made. Do you want to be one of them?"
I couldn't speak if I tried. I can barely see him through my watery eyes as he stands before me. He moves just before another wave of vomit makes me stiffen and purge my guts, and then I feel someone's hands on my back, rubbing circles there.
"This is fucking insane!" Someone says.
"You can't keep killing people." Colton says. "Someone's going to catch on."
"Brooke's not from here." Audrey says.
I gulp through the burn in my throat, which feels absolutely fucking raw from the smoke and my own stomach acid.
"It's why Jake picked her."
It's blurry, but I see Jake glare at Audrey, as if that's something she wasn't supposed to reveal.
"Look, this is all getting a little out of hand." Carson stands, his hands out like he thinks he's about to preach world peace. "Let's stop attacking one another, okay? We're all here for the same thing, right?"
The girl that Audrey called Brooke moans in pain, and I focus my attention on her blistered skin, raw and red and still fucking sizzling. Another wave of vomit sends me back to the ground, and I don't see who stands and comes to us. I just hear footsteps, the soft snick of a blade cutting through air, and then a guttural scream as someone plunges the knife into Brooke's back.
"There we go!" Whit calls over the sound of her desperate wailing. "That's what I'm talking about, guys. Did everyone see Carson? He's not afraid to get shit done!"
I look up in time to see Carso0n wrench the knife free from Brooke's back, sending blood flying across the room. "Nick? Your turn."
Nick's a follower, but I think, when he looks hesitantly at the blade his best friend passes to him, that he will have some compassion. That's a pipe dream, though, because his hesitation passes quicker than the blade changed hands. And then he stabs her, bending over her body and plunging it deep as she tries to drag herself away from them, from us. The howl of pain is cut short with a gasp and then a wheeze, and I have to wonder if he got her in the lung.
"The triangle can withstand pressure from all sides because each side is equal. That's why we all must participate in this killing. Last time, we didn't, and the magic stayed contained to me. If you want to share the power, you must share the burden."
"I'm not fucking killing anyone." Mark snaps.
"Don't send a man to do a woman's job." Audrey huffs, and before I know it, she's plunging the knife into Brooke's back with a grunt.
"I can't..." I say, watching Brooke's body give up. She's a stranger, no one to me. I don't know how they lured her here, or whether she'd have done this to any of us if she had a chance, but none of that matters. She doesn't deserve this.
"Shh." Tripp shakes his head as I move toward the body that Audrey puts a foot on. She braces the bottom of her shoe on the girl's shoulder and uses the leverage to wrench the blade free.
"Come on, Jake. Get it over with."
Brooke's fingers twitch, and I decide I can't sit here any longer. I fall onto my stomach at her side, reaching for the fingers that are twitching against the ground. Her green eyes are open, but I don't think they're seeing anything, even as her lashes flutter.
"Close your eyes." I tell her, squeezing her fingers beneath mine. When she doesn't move, I brush my fingertips over her eyelids, guiding them into place. "And imagine somewhere better. Imagine the beach, with big waves coming in off the water."
The blade plunges into her; I know because I see her body move out of the corner of my eye. The only sound to escape her is a faint wheeze.
"See how many different seashells there are? They're all different colors..."
