“Elliot.” My name is a whisper this time, swallowed up by the immensity of the forest around us.
“Secora,” I return. “My Secora. I’m going to watch it, and I am going to love you. Okay?”
She doesn’t answer right away. I remain close, planting a few more kisses on her throat before rotating off her. I don’t want her to feel pressured to answer. And as much as I hate to admit it, I’m not going to watch them without her permission. I can be patient. I can wait as long as I need to gain her trust, to make her understand I’m not going to leave, no matter what these memories hold.
I lay beside her, both of us looking up at the grey sky, barely visible through the thick trees. Leaves and twigs rustle when she finally turns her head to look at me.
“You love me?” she asks. So vulnerable and soft, so sweet and lovely.
“Yes,” I say, dropping my chin to meet her gaze.
“And you’ll let me take it away if it’s too much?” she whispers.
“I promise,” I say. Silently, I add,it won’t be.
“Okay,” she says. She looks back up at the sky, but her hand moves through the tangle of leaves, only stopping once her fingers find mine. “Okay, Elliot. You can watch them.”
Elliot Lyrie
age 16
That Night
Dark.
It’s dark in the augur house and quiet. The augurs will be gone through the end of the month, so these halls will be abandoned for a few more days. Harrison will be here. I know that now. Even while he should be with his uncle who lives near the river, he’ll be here.
Drinking.
Smoking.
Raping.
I stop. Lean against the hallway wall for support. This place has always unsettled me. Mama Iyle has been an augur for as long as I’ve known her, so this is far from my first time wandering the halls unsupervised. It is, however,the first time I realized how many horrible, terrible things could happen here.
My fingernails draw blood. I force my hands to relax. I didn’t realize I’d been clenching my fists, but blood decorates my palms, shaped like tiny crescent moons.
I swallow. I need to stay calm.
The council may be ready to hide Harrison’s crimes, but I’m not. I’m ready to drag him into the light, hang him from his wrists in the town square and strip him naked. Let the world see him for the cruel, heartless beast he is. Let them punish him for it. Let them do as theyplease to the monster I lay before them, only having my turn once his body is bruised and broken.
And if they don’t? If they are all cowardly, I will do it for them. I will torture him until he’s incapable of hurting anyone ever again. I’ll scrape his tongue from the bottom of his mouth. I’ll cut his cock clean off his body and feed it to the sirens.
“Elliot?”
I startle, spinning around so fast I almost lose my balance.
I am rage in human flesh, but I am also inexperienced. I’ve never hunted someone. I’ve never planned revenge. I’ve never broken into a house with the intent of harming someone.
Looking at Harrison now, I know the same isn’t true for him.
He’s a twisted, vicious monster, and I only wonder how I didn’t see it before. That unnatural gleam in his eye. Excitement, almost.
Does he know why I’m here?
How could he not?
“Sorry I’ve been out so long,” he says. He leans on the wall opposite me. He’s come from the kitchen, knife in hand, spinning it lazily.
