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“Stay here,” Diamond orders Heart in the passenger seat. He’s pale and holding his side, but he’s up and moving, refusing to be left behind. Doc gave him some sort of drug concoction at his request that will keep him alive and moving while we find our girl, but he’ll need to rest after. For now, we have to find our queen.
Kneeling, I inspect the pawprints alongside footsteps. “They went that way.” I point off into the grass, and the others converge on me, even Heart. “Looks like we’re on foot.”
“Fun.” Heart groans, but he sets off in the direction I indicated, not one to be held back when it comes to her. We all know he would do anything for her, and we also know better than to argue with him. We walk by his side silently. The wind rustles the long grass around us as we move away from the cars and the place where Roger ambushed us.
Luckily, we don’t have to go too far, shadows moving around the fire we come across. Crouching to hide, we watch our girl, knowing we can’t stop her.
Nor do we want to.
My mouth drops open in surprise and desire as she takes down all three men. There’s a cruel, almost manic air about her as she tortures one, and it makes me hard. When Freedom helps her, I can’t help but grin.
My two favorite girls spilling blood? There’s nothing better.
Heart sighs dreamily. “She’s torturing and killing for me. How romantic.”
“You know what? I would say you’re screwed, but you’re right.” I nod, watching as she kills the last man and then stands. With Freedom at her side, she takes off, moving deeper into the wilderness, leaving the bodies and blood behind. We wait until she won’t turn and notice us before we head to the campsite, making sure they are truly dead.
“She knows where he is,” I murmur as I watch her in the distance. “She’s going after him.”
“It’s her hunt,” Club says.
“He’s right. It is.” Diamond tosses one of the bodies into the fire and wipes his hands. “Burn the other two. Leave no trace that she was here. We’ll follow her and only help her if she needs us to. If not, this is her night. We are simply here just in case.”
Picking up one of the other bodies, I toss it into the fire as Club gets the last corpse. We watch them burn before our eyes turn to our girl.
“Let’s go,” I say, and we silently move after her, stalking her silhouette through the wilderness.
We walk for at least another hour, tracking her until she finally stops before a farmhouse, the lights blazing inside.
The house is very similar to the one we saw the first night we met our queen, and the irony doesn’t escape me.
Thunder rumbles in the turbulent sky, as if brought on by her rage, and we watch as she slides her mask down and walks toward the house, seeking her revenge.
Chapter
Fifty-Five
The white farmhouse comes into view, and I can’t do anything but scowl. Why do the worst monsters always flock to the color white? Is it because they can never be as pure as the color? Is it an illusion to hide what true monsters they are? Either way, it doesn’t surprise me that this farmhouse is the home of Roger’s games. He always liked pristine houses. He was very particular about white, always demanding it was clean when I lived with him before, presenting the perfect man, marriage, and house. Now, the color only pisses me off. How dare he pretend? How dare he choose this as his last stand?
Freedom strides beside me, her tail swishing back and forth. She’s on edge and ready, as angry as I am. Just as I can feel the pulse of the cirque in my veins, I can feel hers. We’re both part of the same family and furious that one of us was hurt.
I’m reminded again of Heart’s injuries, of the way he looked down at the wound. Fear flashed through me, but more than that, I felt anger. Roger has taken so much from me, nearly killed me, but I’ll be damned if he takes anything else. Heart is recovering now. I have no doubt Dr. Louie will keep him safe, but before I can return to his bedside and offer my support, I need to slay our demon.
My demon.
The blade feels weightless in my hand as I stroll closer to the farmhouse. The cops’ blood still splatters my body, so I know I must look crazy, but I don’t care.
Let me look like a monster. Tonight, I’m going to be one.
I’ll be the nightmare who will haunt my husband. I’ll be the last thing he sees, and he will beg for forgiveness before I’m through.
The lights are on in the farmhouse, giving it a picturesque look that belongs on a Christmas card. The yellow light washes out the windows and streams across the perfectly manicured grass, its bright tendrils not reaching me in the shadows. It would be pretty if it wasn’t hiding the evil bastard I’m here for. For a moment, I wonder what happened to the people who actually lived in this house. Part of me hopes they are just out of town on business. Otherwise, the people who were here before, be they innocent or not, are probably dead. Roger wouldn’t have thought twice about killing them.
“What do you think, girl?” I ask Freedom as we approach, sliding my free hand through her fur in comfort. “Should we knock or just walk right in?” She makes a soft chuffing noise in answer that makes my evil smirk grow. “That sounds like a walk right in. Alright.”
We round the house to the front door and step up onto the white wraparound porch, the wood creaking under my boots. I take a deep breath, easing my thoughts so I can focus. Roger is a dangerous monster, and if I’m not on my game, things could go south. Luckily for me, I’m not alone, not with Freedom beside me. Still, I remind myself that I’m no longer the Ember from so many months ago. I’m not the helpless woman who’d been beaten and nearly killed. I’m not the same woman desperately crying in the attic, waiting for death.
I’m something else now.
