Page 148 of Monstrous Serpent

And he let Wade live. But I won’t.

I step out from behind the oak, eyes locked on my uncle.

He smiles, baring his teeth, as he pulls his knife from its sheath. “There you are.”

“Here I am.”

Shaw's laughter rips through the trees again. A shot cracks somewhere to the east. Then another. Then a scream that doesn’t belong to Calix.

My uncle’s head snaps toward the sound. “What the fuck was that?”

“Some things are scarier than you.” I close the distance between us in three steps, aiming my blade at his throat.

But he’s fast, deflecting my strike, and following up with his own. “Nice try.”

I twist, his blade grazing over the fabric of my hoodie. My uncle drives his knee into the side of my thigh. The leg goes dead for half a second, knee buckling before I catch myself.

Shit.

Driving my elbow back and up, I catch his jaw, then step away to create some distance.

He spits out blood and chuckles. “Not bad. Much better than that pissant brother of yours.”

My eyes narrow as I circle him. “Don’t give a fuck about Garrett.”

“You never did. He sacrificed himself from the time he was six to protect you. So many broken bones. So many times he almost died. And still, he never gave up. Not until you tried to leave.” He rolls his shoulder, half his mouth twisting up into a one-sided smirk. “You’re the one who destroyed him, Hunter.”

“Garrett made his own choice. He could’ve come with me. Instead, he became like you.”

This time my uncle attacks with two quick slashes—one high, one low. I block the first and take the second on my forearm. It cuts through the fabric, slicing the skin open. But he’s inside my reach. I drive my fist into his ribs.

My uncle grunts and headbutts me just below my left eye—thank fuck he missed my nose. White still flashes across my vision. He follows up with a quick hook, and I drop to one knee. “This is where you die.”

After punching him behind the knee, I grab his foot and twist. He goes down, shoulder smashing into the ground, and kicks me with his other leg.

It jolts me sideways, making me lose my hold on him, but I recover quickly, bringing my boot down on the hand that’s holding the knife. Bones crunch and shift under my heel. “That hand’s done.”

“You won’t win this, boy.” With his free hand, he grabs the knife and thrusts, burying the blade into my side.

“Fuck.” I stagger back, hissing through my teeth as blood seeps over my fingers.

“Stomping's flashy. But you stayed too long.” My uncle gets to his feet and drops the knife.

The second he reaches back for the gun in his waistband, I charge, driving my knife high under his armpit and twisting it.

He scoffs, his hot breath skating over my face. “Too late.”

The gun comes into view, and I grab his wrist. The gun goes off, the bullet hitting the ground near my boot. My ears ring, but I keep his wrist pinned low, then twist the knife again.

His breath catches, his body slumping forward.

I strip the gun away and step back, aiming it at him.

My uncle drops to his knees, one hand pawing at the handle, each inhale rattling.

I crouch in front of him, watching.

He doesn’t look away, just grins as blood bubbles at the corner of his mouth. “Good boy. Just like us. A true Kincaid.”