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Until now.
It takes Antony’s men a long time to get the bull into the center of the arena – even on wheels, the bronze effigy is heavy and ungainly. Once the brakes are set and the bull locked in place, the men busy themselves stacking wood underneath it.
Two more men disappear backstage and return carrying a leather armchair with beautifully carved arms. They set it down in front of the fire, and I sink into the cushion, my fingers curling around the carvings. Noah and Yara stand behind me. Noah’s fingers tangle in my hair. The men bring me a drink, which I sip while we wait.
All the time I watch Alec’s face, dim with fear and confusion. I savor every moment of his distress.
With Brutus, I robbed myself of my rightful vengeance. He died too quickly, too painlessly, because I would not lose the chance to put him down by proselytizing like a comic book supervillain. But a little pomp and circumstance feels right for Alec. I turn my head to meet George’s gaze. She’s still on the balcony with Gabriel, still watching with an intense expression.
Antony nudges me. “The fire is ready now.”
I rise to my feet. The crowd falls silent.
The door in the bull’s side is so heavy I need both hands to swing it open, revealing the hollow chamber inside – just large enough for a man. The exterior of the bull has been shined so I can see my reflection in it, but the inside is a gaping black maw.
I address the crowd, but my eyes never leave Alec’s face.
“Perillos of Athens invented this device. It’s called the brazen bull. The story goes that when he presented the bull to Falaris, the tyrant requested Perillos demonstrate its workings. Perillos climbed inside to demonstrate where the victim would lay, and Falaris slammed the door down on him and lit the fire beneath.”
The bull gleams golden beneath the floodlights. Alec’s fear scents the air. It hits my veins like the best drug in the world. I revel in it.
“It’s said that Falaris described the screams of his victim, ‘as the tenderest, most pathetic, most melodious of bellowings.’” I settle into the armchair. “Let’s find out.”
Alec’s eyes are wide. He’s too petrified to put up much of a fight as Noah and Antony stuff him into the bull. Alec reaches out to grab Noah’s collar. The look in his eyes is of hope dying. “Help me. She’s mad… she’s going to kill me—”
“Damn right.” Noah slams down the heavy door, jamming Alec’s hand and severing three of his fingers. They drop onto the ground. Blood spurts from the door, and Alec’s words break into screams.
I lean back in the chair and cross my legs. The crowd has gone eerily quiet. The only sound now is the crackling of the fire and my own blood roaring in my ears. The bronze bull groans and creaks as it slowly heats up. Smoke curls from the nostrils of the bull – faint tendrils at first, then great puffs of smoke, reminiscent of the steam trains that once used this roundhouse.
After a time, another sound reaches my ears. The sweetest sound I’ve ever heard.
Alec LeMarque screams.
His screams become more than screams – they are inhuman, otherworldly, rising from a place of essential truth within him.
Even though I’m watching Alec die with hundreds of other people, this feels strangely intimate. Noah’s fingers stroke my scalp. As Alec’s screams wash over me, there’s only one face I see.
George.
She leans against the railing, the flames reflected in her green eyes. Can she smell him burning? Can she taste his death on her tongue?
Does she love the sweet sounds of retribution?
Noah remains beside me, his hand in mine. Gabriel films the whole thing. Later, I’ll send it in an anonymous text to all the girls at Stonehurst who Alec victimized. Let everyone in this town know what the August family does to rapists.
Let bad men tremble before me.
It takes a long time for Alec to die. The bull glows. His screams pour over me. Falaris was right – it’s the sweetest melody.
When it’s finally done, I exit the arena to stunned, reverent silence. Tiberius drives us home, and I gather the three princes into my bed. That night, for the first in many nights, I sleep with peace in my heart.
Noah
No.
I throw myself out of bed with such force that I send Gizmo flying across the room.
She hits the curtain and bounces to the floor, shaking her head and peering up at me with wide, terrified eyes.
