Vengeance (The Prince's Games Book 1) Rebecca Grey (first e reader txt) š
- Author: Rebecca Grey
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A broken sob from a very broken man, greets me as I turn away. Finnegan cradles Sloane against him. The axe has been pulled from her body, blood soaking the pair as he walks toward me. Streaks of tears and dirt cover his face. Splotches of red stain his lips, as if he tried to kiss her back to life. Even a man of his strength and age is resolved to thisā¦ this shrinking form in the face of death. His pain echoes through me in an all too familiar twinge of loss.
Heddaās lips part in a silent āO.ā Part of me wants to turn back and look at Juilliardās reaction. Prince Juilliard, that is. But I canāt look away. I canāt tear my eyes away from the woman whoād died to save me from the monster Iām somehow tied to now. For the Resistance, sheād said. Iāll kill Jefferson myself for the Resistance.
Finneganās glare turns menacing when he looks at the king. Then his attention flicks to the guards still entering the floor to take us all away. Theyāll take Sloane away from him. Shove him up in some glorified prison cell for a while. Heāll mourn alone.
āWait,ā Finnegan rasps, āWait!ā
I donāt move. I wasnāt moving to begin with, not when I saw him walking up to Marcello and I. Especially not when I saw Sloaneās slim figure curled against him.
Finnegan falls to his knees before Marcello and I. He clutches Sloane tighter, his knuckles white. Even that small motion makes Sloaneās body start to crack and crumble. His eyes press closed and fresh tears roll down his face. āPlease, I beg of you. Kill me. Kill me now.ā
āFinnegan, Iām so sorry for your loss. One day youāll move on.ā
Says the man who was more heartbroken over his fatherās betrayal than the loss of the love of his life. Saints, Iām so stupid. Iām so very stupid.
Marcello doesnāt see what I see. Marcello doesnāt see the pain that truly never ends. Finnegan wants to die, as did I, as I still do most days. Iād lost parental figures young, I can only imagine the loss of losing someone youāve lived your whole life loving. And a love like theirs, full of mutual respect and gentle signs of affection could tear apart kingdoms.
āI donāt want to live in a world where she is not.ā He turns his gaze to me. āYouāve made it through the games. My job is done. Donāt make me face The Oasis without her. Donāt make me do it all alone.ā His voice breaks and I feel it in my bones.
I lift my dagger, still watching the Vampire. Finnegan lowers Sloaneās body and ash smears against his clothes.
āNilsa,ā Marcello warns.
Air whips past me as I lunge forward. I shove my blade in at an angle directly to his heart until the hilt is flat against his chest. The burn of tears is fresh in my gaze as it locks on Finneganās. Much the same, his red eyes darken. The crowd unanimously draws in a sharp breath, immediately followed by the muttering of gossip.
A long exhale wheezes out, his lips twitching up into a smile under his mustache. āThank you.ā Color immediately drains from his skin and I step away.
Shoving the blade back into my belt, I press my eyes closed. This day needs to be over. I donāt want to see or feel or think anymore. The hot press of hands grips my arms, shaking me until I feel my brain rattling inside of my head.
āWhat is wrong with you!? Why would you do that, Nilsa?ā Marcello stops shaking me as the guard grows close, suddenly remembering who he is as he straightens himself and locks his hands behind his back.
āHe was a good man and he deserved to die on his terms.ā
āHe would have grieved, moved on, and found a way to live again.ā
Guards press in around us, ushering us forward, herding us like cattle to the set of doors theyād just entered through. The spectators are already on their feet, filtering out of the arena. The surviving Hybrids, all except Hedda and I, wave to the crowd as we exit, proud that even if they didnāt win they managed to make it out alive. I donāt see the last moment of Finneganās life before he becomes nothing.
āDid you not expect me to act in the nature of what I am? Oh, Marcello,ā I hiss through my teeth, āhow have we forgotten what we truly are during the ruse of the game? You recruited me because I am a demon clothed in Human skin. I kill. Iām happy to kill. I am a monster.ā And Iāll kill your best friend with joy too, I think but donāt say out loud. I shrug, mostly to try and ease the weight of guilt that starts to settle. āAnd he asked for it. Not just asked, he begged.ā
We move forward with the current of the crowd. Marcello lifts his hand, waving to the room. He smiles and the two dimples appear on his cheeks, but the grin doesnāt reach his eyes. He doesnāt look at me now as he talks out of the corner of his mouth.
āThis is not over. We are not done with this conversation.ā
āI have no need to continue with it. So yes, we are done. The next time I see you, the next time we are
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