The Wrath of Water: The Elements: Book One by E.E Beilhartz

Author:E.E Beilhartz [Beilhartz, E.E]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Three Dinos Publishing
Published: 2023-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Annabelle

​Annabelle sat on a rock peak and stared out at the vast mountains and valleys. She wasn’t really seeing them. Not the breath-stealing drops, the jagged juts of rock, or the heart-wrenching beauty of the new day. The animals that made their homes on the rocky slopes would have fascinated her, if she had seen them. She was exhausted to her core, but whenever she closed her eyes, she saw what she had done in the caves.

​Not the good parts, oh no. Her brain wasn’t kind enough to let her linger on the high points of her rescue mission. Annabelle could still feel the give of flesh under the knife she’d held, the resistance of cartilage over the throat, the hot, sticky blood spraying over her hand. And the weight. The weight of the man she’d killed falling onto her as she struggled to lower him quietly to the ground.

​She wasn’t sad that he was dead. His words to Bria had taken away any ounce of sympathy she could have possibly felt for the dead man. There were some things that there was no forgiveness for. She hoped, sincerely hoped, that she could forgive herself for taking a life.

​It wasn’t something she’d ever thought of before. Her primary concerns in life had been self-absorbed, she could admit that now. Her clothes, her hair, having more than anyone else in Hydrous. Parts of that woman still existed within her. She knew herself well enough to admit that. Even if they saved Natura, she doubted she would ever completely get rid of selfish Annabelle.

​Footsteps sounded on the rocky ground behind her, but she didn’t turn. They wouldn’t be out looking for her. She assumed Luca would be with Bria and Chloe in the caves, eating or cleaning up again—she knew firsthand that you could never wash enough to get the blood off, and Bria had been covered in it. She glanced down at her hands, resting gently on her knees. No, you could never wash enough to erase that stain. She couldn’t see it anymore, but she swore she could still feel it there.

​A mumbled conversation penetrated the fog in her mind, but she didn’t bother to listen in. When Luca sat beside her, she tensed, but he said nothing. He had a comforting presence, she realized, when he wasn’t angry with her, or frustrated by her. Her lips twitched slightly at the thought.

​“Annabelle,” Luca murmured, breaking the silence. “I wanted to thank you for rescuing us. Me. From what the others have said, we wouldn’t have gotten out of there without you.”

​Instead of bringing pride or pleasure, his words brought on another wave of dread. To her shock and humiliation, tears burned in her eyes, falling free before she could will them back. She hated, hated, hated to cry. Luca placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she shook him off. She didn’t want comfort. Not from someone who barely tolerated her.

​“I know what you did,” he said, his voice soft and comforting.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.