Merciless Saints (St. Monarch's Academy 1)

“He did,” Damien mutters as he leads me in the direction of the birch and pine forest.

This is what happens when you marry into the right family. They take care of your problems.

After a couple of minutes, Damien tugs me to a stop. His eyes drift over my face and seeing the worry tightening his features, I ask, “What else?”

“Madame Keller sends her apology. Alexei and Demitri went to retrieve your father and brother’s remains last night. As well as our belongings.”

His words are a blow to my broken heart, and I struggle to get the words out, “They’re here?”

Damien pulls me against his chest, and placing a hand behind my head, he presses a kiss to my hair. “They are. It’s time to bury them.”

A funeral.

I get to lay Dad and Sean to rest where Mom was buried. My family will be reunited in the afterworld.

The thought gives me some comfort, but it also makes my sorrow engulf me.

When I nod, Damien keeps an arm around my shoulders, and tucked against his side, we walk the last of the distance to the family cemetery.

When we break through the lining of trees, my eyes scan over the two holes, ready for the burial. Seeing the guards who've been with us for years reminds me of Dana.

“Dana should be here,” I whisper.

“I’ll get her,” Demitri offers, and he immediately jogs away.

My gaze stops on the two coffins, and knowing Dad and Sean are inside them makes sorrow twist my heart into a painful lump.

Alexei comes to stand in front of me, and it has me bringing my eyes to his.

“Thank you,” I say, my voice hoarse. “Thank you for killing Adrian and bringing them home.”

Alexei surprises me by pulling me into a hug, and for a moment, I stiffen in his arms. Then he murmurs, “I tried to find Cillian, as well, but the scene was cleaned before my contact got there.”

Oh, God.

Cillian.

What happened to his body? Ugly thoughts begin to swarm in my mind that he was dumped or burned with the rest of the dead.

My shoulders quake under the onslaught of grief, and it makes Alexei tighten his hold on me.

“I’m sorry, little Winter,” Alexei whispers.

I nod against his shoulder, and the moment he lets go of me, I step closer to Damien’s side.

Damien wraps his arm around me, and I press my cheek to the side of his chest as I try not to cry.

DAMIEN

When Demitri returns with Dana, I lower my mouth to Winter’s ear. “Would you like to say something?”

She nods and then steps out of my hold. My eyes don’t leave her as she walks to the coffins. Her fingers brush over the wood, and then she asks, “Which one is Sean?”

Alexei gestures to the other coffin, and Winter goes to kneel by it. She swallows hard and presses a kiss to it. “I’m sorry, Sean. I’m so sorry I didn’t protect you.”

She closes her eyes, and her body jerks once as she fights to keep her emotions under control.

I fist my hands at my sides, so I don’t rush to her side. After making her mine, it creates a vicious storm inside me to see Winter in so much pain. My jaw tightens as the need for revenge begins to form in me.

Winter gets up and goes to kneel by her father’s coffin. “I’ll kill them all. I promise.” She swallows hard, then whispers, “Give Mom a hug from me.”

She rises to her feet and glances between the two coffins, and then she takes a quivering breath. Softly, she begins to sing, her Irish accent more evident than ever. The guards, who are Irish, softly join in.

The song is the same as the one she was listening to right after we got home. It’s filled with reverence, and the love Winter has for her fallen family makes each lyric sound achingly sad.

When the last notes of the song fade, Winter whispers, “Goodnight.”

She begins to walk away from the coffins and passes right by me. When she keeps going, I glance at Demitri, who quickly says, “We’ll bury them. Go with her.”

I rush after Winter, and when I catch up to her, she lets out a heartbreaking sob as she wraps her arm around her middle as if the sorrow is threatening to tear her in half.

Without giving it another thought, I sweep her up into my arms and continue to walk toward the house.

“The shore,” she squeezes the words out, and as I change direction, she wraps her arms around my neck and buries her face against my shoulder.

“Shh…” I whisper.

When I reach the shore, I sit down and position Winter, so her back is resting against my chest. I keep my eyes trained on the land in the distance so she’ll have some privacy while she grieves.