Page 99 of A Dove To Break

“Adrian, I promised you and the council that anyone and everyone responsible for Edgar’s death and your subsequent rape would die for their crimes, and I plan to fulfill that right now,” I say. Tears spill down his cheeks, and his audible sobssound around the room. One man jumps up to escape, but Jax punches him so hard that he falls flat on his ass. Men are picked out of the crowd one by one until all of the people responsible for that horrific night are put on their knees opposite Adrian.

“Today, I have the honor of closing this chapter for the two of you. I hope it brings peace to Edgar’s memory and allows you both to properly grieve his loss,” I say. “I know bloodshed doesn’t make up for him missing from your lives, but we can try, can’t we?”

Absolutely,” Raul says as he stands and kisses me. “Edgar would have stolen you away from all of us. I wish he were here to meet you.”

“Maybe in the next life I will have that honor,” I say. “I’m not good at opening up, but the four of you have shown me that I can do more than just open up. You each have taught me that it’s okay to bloom from the wreckage. I was nothing more than a dove to break into submission, but now I know that sometimes we have to break in order to build back stronger. You four are the foundation to everything I am, and you all deserve just as much praise as I do.”

“I love you so damn much,” Adrian says as he wraps his arms around me when he stands. We stay like this for a moment before he takes my face into his hands and gently kisses me.

“I love you too, Adrian,” I say sweetly. “This moment… this slaughter… It’s the retribution we all deserve. It is the end of an era that brought nothing but pain and suffering to anyone who didn’t fit within their box of expectations.”

I turn, and Brent hands me a pistol. I have been nervous about this, but staring down at these monsters, knowing I have the honor of sending them to the depths of hell where they belong, wipes away all of that anxiety and leaves the sweet taste of revenge behind. I raise the gun and press it to the forehead of the first man. He is bound at the ankles and wrists with a gag in his mouth. On the screen behind us are the pictures Edward took of the horrific incident, showing the entire society what they did and why they are going to die for it. One by one, I pull the trigger, their bodies drop, and the weight of their sins is enough to bring everyone to their feet. When the last man drops, everyone cheers.

I can finally feel the cage I was kept in for my entire life open up. I will forever be a dove to break, because there will always be barriers to destroy and new heights to climb. I will never stop fighting to build a better life.