Chapter 29
The little girl who forced out thank yous between sobs died right there under the stars peeking through the storm. As if the swamp knew how much I wanted real stars shining above me.
I never deserved the shit that was given to me.
I deserved more.
I deserved a family that would love me.
My fist landed hard enough against his chest that I could hear the hollow thud in his ribcage. I ignored the throbbing of my bloody hands. The sweet satisfaction that I could dish out even a sliver of what he’d given me won hands down.
He sighed with disappointment, but didn’t fight back. Like I was nothing more than a screaming toddler refusing to leave the candy aisle.
As if he ever experienced that, he always bought me candy in exchange for my silence.
“Are you done?” I wasn’t even a big enough threat for him to put his hands up.
I swung my foot up, aiming right for his pride and joy. The stupid little prick that made him shred me to pieces.
He finally reacted, jumping back to dodge me.
He was so focused on his cock he forgot his face.
My fist slammed into his nose. I felt every crack and snap in the bone as I followed through with hatred that should have struck me cold.
Instead, I reveled in the spew of blood that arched through the air.
His scream of agony were the sprinkles on top.
The relief that lifted off my chest was better than any drug. Better than donuts after starving for three days. Better than Rot’s cock.
“I hate you,” I screamed loud enough to make my throat strain.
I needed more.
I tackled him to the ground, straddling his chest, punching his face over and over again. All the exhaustion from earlier faded away as my blood pounded in my ears.
My knuckles splintered and cracked, but I was beyond caring about that. If I could make him cry even a fraction of the tears he made me shed, it would be worth it.
Blind with rage took on a literal meaning as my sight grew blurry. It took me too long to realize that was because hot tears had flooded my eyes, and poured down my cheeks to blend in with the rain.
“You needle dick, arrogant–”
A fist slammed into my stomach hard enough to cut through my rage. My stomach flipped upside down until I leaned off to the side to vomit in the mud.
I should’ve puked on him.
A roar of protective rage exploded within me, but all I could do was try to calm my tender stomach.
It made me realize exactly how close he was. That he’d been creeping in the distance, while I had the upper hand. Now that I didn't, the water in the distance splashed loudly as he barrelled toward us.
Gale took advantage of my distraction to toss me off of him, pinning me stomach down to the ground with his heavy weight. My head hung over the edge, just over the water. “Is that how you treat people who give everything to you?”
The nightmare of drowning. It all made sense now.
“Fuck you!” I yelled.
He pushed my head into the water, but his voice was loud and clear. “I made you, Talia. I hand crafted you into the perfect woman.”
Train them young. Right? You sick fuck.
I don’t know what crawled up your ass, but I suggest you adjust your attitude.”
He’s only done this once, because his wife caught him and had me removed from the home. She said due to marital conflict the house wasn’t conducive to child-rearing, but she’d eyed me with a silent apology when the social worker put me in the car.
I’d been too young to understand. I cried. I’d been there the longest time I’d ever spent in a house. It was the only home I knew. I begged her to let me stay.
She’d saved me.
But–
She never called the cops. He was a respected professor now. He spent his days around impressionable college girls. No one ever made him pay for his crimes.
“I’m so grateful. Daddy. Thank you.” My tiny voice after being locked in a closet all night. “I’m sorry I made you mad.”
I wasn’t a little girl anymore.
I went still, releasing the tension from my body. Not because I was out of the fight. Because he was more predictable than he thought he was. It was easier to intimidate a child.
The need to breathe burned my lungs with a deep ache that only air would fill, but I didn’t let the panic set in. It hurt, but I knew I could hold my breath for much longer than this.
Once I stopped fighting, his hold on my head became gentler, almost unsure.
He knew it shouldn’t have been time yet, but my body language said otherwise. Maybe I hadn’t gotten a decent breath to hold. He wouldn’t know.
I fought the urge to smirk when he pulled out, remaining limp as he flipped me over and slapped my face. “Talia!”
The panic in his voice was delicious. This was real fear. Let him get his taste.
“Sweetheart, this–” He swallowed loudly. “This isn’t funny.”
He moved over me to listen to my breathing, but I continued holding my breath. He leaned over, resting his hands on my chest. Ready to do chest compressions.
He was weak with fear and not thinking straight, exactly how he’d kept me.
I kicked him in the nuts, making him grunt. The splashing water he hadn’t noticed was close enough to reach out and touch Rot.
I grabbed his shirt pulling him close to whisper in his ear. “You’re finally going to get yours.”
I dug in my pocket, pulling out my knife, opening it with a snick. His eyes grew wide when he heard it. I jabbed the blade into the side of his throat. Blood coated my face and chest as the carotid artery sprayed over me.
He moved away, grabbing his throat, trying to staunch the bleeding.
Finally, it was him on the ground as I stood over him. He stumbled away from me, closer to the edge.
His throat gargled out sounds that couldn’t be called words. I’d been too efficient. He’d die too fast.
Rot came out of the water, chomping on Gale’s ankles, forcing him down on the ground. Once he was down, Rot grabbed his foot, slowly dragging him into the swamp. His fury an entity that filled the air. Scream for my mate, human.
Gale attempted to yell in terror, but couldn’t get his throat to work. He slid across the mud, clawing desperately at the ground with one hand. Unsure of which threat he should be more worried about. Bleeding out or drowning.
I stepped forward as he reached for me to save him. The same way I did when I’d been dropped on his doorstep with a trash bag of belongings. Defenseless and sinking.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” I whispered, mimicking the calm facade he always gave me. “I’ll make it better.”
He was too panicked to appreciate the irony.
That he’d made his own special monster, no black magic required.
The realization filled his disgusting gray eyes right as his face sank beneath the surface. Water churned and red filled the brown water.
I waited for Gale to break the surface, but he never did.
As if Rot would allow him to escape. Not while he was fulfilling my wish for suffering.
The rage seeped out of me as seconds passed. I wanted to blame it all on Rot. That it was his rage that pushed me to take a life.
But it’d be a fucking lie.
He just finished what I started.
I stared at the dark water, waiting for an emotion to take its place: excitement, shame, even regret. Nothing came.
The only thought that flitted through my mind was that I should have let Rot get a bite and watch the fucker rot away. Like Gale did to me. Like Levicy did to Rot. Now, he’d never understand us.
I calmed into something hollow and empty, like I’d poured everything I’d held in into the swamp floor, but Rot’s rage radiated in my chest. An insatiable hunger needed to be fed, and Gale fit the bill.
There was no chance of survival for Gale. We wouldn’t allow it.
Rot and I were the same. Perhaps that was why we fit together in beautiful imperfection.
It was a shame Rot couldn’t see that, too. That thought tasted like vinegar on my tongue.
I didn’t say that.
I wasn’t sure if he could see me, but I held up a middle finger to the swamp. My hand shook as I did, so I guess I did feel something, but I was too numb to figure out what that was.
I defeated my demon before Gale took his last breath. When I’d bared my soul to Rot down on my knees. He didn’t get to swoop in and play devoted mate now. Tears pricked my eyes again.
“This changes nothing.”
I’d fight Rot too if I had to.
I was leaving.
I’ll never let you go.