Ermes screamed again when another flower opened against his shoulder.
This one took more.
A mouthful.
His body convulsed so hard the roots had to tighten around his spine to keep him upright.
Perse watched.
Penny watched.
I watched them watching.
Perse was not smiling. There was no pleasure on her face. No madness. No theatrical cruelty.
Only judgment.
Cold and gold and so f*****g tired.
“You fed women to something that ate them,” she said.
Ermes sobbed through clenched teeth.
The sound was ugly.
Good.
“You gave their bodies to a monster because you decided they were waste.”
Another rose opened.
Bit.
Tore.
He made a sound that was not a scream this time.
More animal.
More honest.
Blood ran down his side and dripped onto the roots, but the garden did not let a single dr
