h4Chapter 826: 826-The de Against My Throat/h4

    strongHnie:/strong

    The weather had turned gloomy and bad so quickly. As he dragged me out, I realized my belly looked like that of a nine-month pregnant woman.

    "Please, be careful," I pleaded with a grimace. But the closer he got to the well, the more numb he became. I noticed how cold his hands were as he gripped my wrist.

    I held one hand over my belly, my eyes misty, blinking again and again. If only Cora were here, she would have easily escaped his grasp. But I wasn’t well.

    Strange pains coursed through my body, not the kind from transition, heartbreak, or exhaustion, but the kind someone must feel before giving birth.

    Yet I wasn’t giving birth. So why was I in pain? Something was wrong with my babies, and I had no one to help me. I sniffled, ovee with emotion.

    Then I saw the path to the well. We were only two minutes away.

    "Kaye, please listen to me, just once," I begged, pressing my feet into the ground to stop and pull him back. But he never turned to look at me. He just kept dragging me.

    I tilted my head toward the sky. Dark clouds covered everything, and a light rain began to fall on us.

    Finally, we reached it. The cursed well of sacrifices. My heart pounded louder than ever.

    "So this is where it ends, huh?" he muttered, releasing me.

    The instant I tried to run, even just shifting into a stance to sprint, he lunged forward and seized my wrist again. I knew I couldn’t outrun him. So what else could I do?

    "Kaye, for this ritual to work, you need to perform it on the night of a full moon," I lied. I had no idea, but maybe that would work.

    His face twisted with confusion. If I couldn’t make him remember me, maybe I could trick him.

    "What do you know about this curse, and this ritual?" Kaye snarled, gripping my elbow tightly.

    "Of course I do. I’ve spoken with your mother, and she told me all about your curse. She told me about the sacrifice too," I murmured, careful not to say whether I was Kesha or Hnie.

    If I admitted I was Kesha, things would be far worse. That wasn’t a game I was willing to y.

    "But I didn’t think the full moon was needed," Kaye muttered. I saw him look for his phone in his pocket before he remembered I had tossed it out of the car and he looked lost.

    "How is it not needed? A full moon is required for every ritual," I argued, pressing harder on the idea that he couldn’t make the sacrifice work without it. He scratched the back of his neck.

    "Wow, amazing," someone voiced.

    Then I heard someone p and step out from behind the bushes. She had finally arrived, the devil, the viiness herself.

    "Kesha," I growled, locking eyes with her.

    The way Kaye turned to her and smiled made my heart crumble. She didn’t deserve those loving stares.

    She walked up to him and hugged him, but her eyes stayed on me, a smirk tugging at her lips before she pulled away.

    "She’s lying, Kaye. You don’t need a full moon for this sacrifice," she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

    "Are you sure?" Kaye asked. "Because once she dies, there will be no other way for us to stop this curse," he said to her.

    "Of course, Kaye. I confirmed it with your mother’s seer. She said it’s fine. There’s no need. We just need to make sure it’s done, that’s all," Kesha said, looking very satisfied with herself.

    "Kaye, don’t listen to her. Can’t you see the difference between us?" Panic started to rise in me. We were right there, and she was standing as if waiting for him to push me down the well.

    But of course, they would kill me first, just to make sure I didn’t survive the fall this time.

    "Don’t listen to her. She’s doing what she always does. And if you let her keep talking, I’m sure she’ll get in your head. You don’t want that, do you?" she said sweetly, batting her eyshes at him.

    He gave her a weak nod before turning back to me.

    "I’m not going to let you fool me. There’s nothing you can do to stop me this time, Kesha," he hissed, and my throat went dry.

    "Now please, let’s get started. Before she finds a way to manipte you," Kesha pressed, stepping back.

    A sharp pain shot through my body, almost certainly from the pregnancy. I ced a hand on my belly and locked eyes with Kaye.

    "Kaye, I’m not feeling well," I whispered. A tear slid down my cheek as I watched him frown. "Please, don’t let her do this to me."

    "Come on, don’t listen to her, she’s just wasting time," Kesha jumped in. She ced her hand on his shoulder, breaking his gaze from mine.

    He nodded, and then she pulled a dagger from her purse, handing it to him. He stared at it for a moment before taking it from her hand.

    He walked toward me, and when I tried to step back, he hastily grabbed the back of my neck and yanked me close.

    Then he spun me around, lifted my chin, and forced my head back so he could press the knife against my throat.

    Panic surged through me as tears streamed down my face. My back was against his chest now.

    I was sure he could hear my heartbeat pounding, and feel how terrified I was.

    "Come on, kill her!" Kesha shouted. A strong wind whipped around us. The storm was closing in, but the one inside my chest was far worse. I felt the de prick my neck, then a scream tore through the air.

    Kaye quickly moved his hand from under my chin, sliding it down to my belly, then up around my shoulders to pin me in ce.

    He stared toward the sound of the noise. I knew it instantly, it was my mates. They had found us. But had they? Wasn’t it toote? Kaye’s dagger was already pressed against my neck, ready to end me.

    Then Norman and Emmet burst in. Their faces twisted with worry when they saw Kaye holding me like that. I couldn’t bear the thought of dying in front of them. It would scar them forever.