Page 121 of No Saint

A body.

Rotten. Half of it has been eaten by rodents and insects alike. The skin was falling away from the bones but it was a mixture of different colors, from grey to green to yellow. The hair was coming away from the skin and he had no eyes.

No fucking eyes.

I vomit again.

“This is where Gabriel will end up. Rotting in this house forever. But don’t worry, pretty Amelia, he’ll be good food for the vermin.”

Oh my god, that was Lucas. That body, it was Gabriel’s brother. Lincoln’sfather.

“He won’t come for me,” I rasp, spitting the bile from my mouth as I try to breathe through my nose, “He isn’t that stupid.”

Asher laughs, “That man loves you. More than himself. More than this city. He’ll come for you.”

“No.”

“I was jealous of it at first,” Asher continues, closing the door, “he got everything. The city. The power. You. But then I realized how weak that made him because to begin with you were just the whore who got knocked up by his brother, but then he married you. Took the boy. Made him an heir. He fell in love with you within the first week and then you became more. And that right there, will be his downfall.”

I had to pray he wouldn’t. That Asher was wrong. Gabriel loved me, I knew that, felt it with every ounce of my being but he had to be smarter than that. He had to know it was a trap.

“You don’t have to do this,” I try as we start making our way down the long narrow corridor underground, away from the rotting body and the festering flesh, “Asher, please.”

“You can beg, Amelia. I will listen.” He says, “But neither you, nor him will leave here alive. I am sorry for you but I’m sure you can understand why I need to kill you too.”

I swallow. Would he go for Lincoln next?

Camille?

Would he take out all of them so only he can sit on the throne? What about Atlas? Was he in on this too?

It was obvious Asher had managed to sway several men to his side, used them to destroy Gabriel’s city, his life while trying to take the throne from him but what about the moody twin of his?

“You’re a monster.”

“You have to be a monster to survive in this life, Amelia, your husband taught me that.”

I didn’t want to die. Not yet.

He kicks a door open at the end of the hall, pushing me inside before he slams it closed and drags me across the room. I fight and kick but he’s stronger than I am and with the grip on my hair and bound hands, I couldn’t get away from him.

“Please!” I beg.

He throws me down hard, my knees give out under the strength of it, and I smack into the pole that juts from the ground to the ceiling, side of my head bouncing off the unforgiving surface.

He comes for me and even though black dots dance behind my vision and my head thumps, I kick out, managing to land a blow to his groin and then his head as he doubles over in pain.

“You fucking bitch!” He growls, lunging for me, landing on top of me so hard I feel something snap in my leg.

I scream and my vision blurs with the pain.

He’d broken something. Oh my god.

The back of his hand slams against my face and I hit the floor, paralyzed in pain. In fear. He’d kill me before Gabriel even arrived, make him see me. Rub in how late he was.

Oh fuck. Oh no.

Tears sting my eyes and I’m helpless to stop them as they track down the side of my face. Asher manhandles me, my body too weak, too limp to fight him as he ties me to the pole, arms bent at an awkward angle that made it too painful to try and slump.

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