Page 33 of Lethal Truths

“I don’t understand. Creed is one of you. He’s—“

“He defected!” Heather shouts, getting up in my face. “He and Griffin. Both of them have new loyalties, and it’s not with The Celestials. That means they’re problems to be dealt with.”

My stomach roils as their faces flash through my mind. I haven’t had nearly enough time with Creed. And things with Griffin, the way we left it all… I was so angry, but now I wish I had at least tried to speak with him. Maybe patch things over, maybe not, but at least I would have given it an effort.

“What about Asher?” I murmur just to keep my mind going and her mouth running.

Heather grinds her teeth, stopping before me again. “He was always meant to be mine. He strayed when you showed up, but once you’re gone and the other two are rotting right beside you, Asher will come back to me. He’ll see that he and I are the same. Four of us were given this task to initiate, but only the two of us stayed the course, kept trying to break you.” She brushes her fingers through her short hair, nodding to herself. “He’ll see it, and then we can get back to how things were before this fucking school year started and ruined everything.”

“But you didn’t break me. Either of you. You failed,” I point out, curling my lips up in disgust and fury. “I’m right fucking here, ready to fight for my life. So what do you say, Heather? Untie me and let’s see who comes out on top.”

I expected her to rage, maybe even take the bait, but she doesn’t. Instead, Heather cocks her head at me, smiling menacingly. “You’re tough, I’ll give you that. But you gotta admit, I was getting close, wasn’t I?”

My face scrunches up as I think back over my time at B.U. “I’ve hardly seen you around. Besides the attack on Fright Night, I’d say your efforts were pretty weak.”

“Really?” she asks with a mock pout. “So you didn’t start to worry that you were losing your mind like your mother? I didn’t have time to continue since we…” She tilts her head, holding a hand out toward me. “Improvised today. But I was going to pick away at your sanity over the next month until you were ready to kill yourself and save us all the trouble. I always thought the best attack was a subtle one.” Heather winks, and then laughs when my eyes open wide in horror.

“You’re insane,” I breathe.

“Mmm, no. That runs in your family, not mine.” Heather laughs, a tinkling, delicate sound that’s at odd with the dire situation. “How is your mom, anyway? Have you spoken to her recently?”

“Why?” I grind out, my voice shaky and almost desperate.

Heather lets out a heavy breath, offering me a sad smile. “Poor Prudence. I am sorry. Truly.”

A lead weight sinks in my gut, threatening to consume me whole. What if— No. I can’t let myself look for hidden meanings here. Clearly, this is a trap, a ruse to push me over the edge. But I can’t stop the agony from ripping through me, anyway.

“What’s that supposed to mean? What did you do?” I rush out, fighting off a wave of tears.

Heather shrugs, backing away from me. “Guess you’ll have to ponder on that, won’t you?” And then she turns around and leaves through the heavy door, shutting me in musty silence.

22

Asher

We’re all on edge, waiting for bad news and hoping for good. It’s late, sometime past midnight, at least, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t sleep. Creed and Griffin are in their rooms, probably faking it, too. We’ve been growing apart for months, but with a single, horrific moment, the three of us have been thrown back together. We need each other. It’s the three of us against everything and everyone else, it seems. We’re falling apart and falling together, and it’s all I can do just to survive during the process.

It’s been two days since Prudence vanished. Two days since my father was here in this house. Two days since Griffin told me…

I slam my eyes shut against the tidal wave of images that tries to overwhelm me. I can’t stop seeing my father, Griffin, and oceans of blood. It doesn’t matter how many runs I go on to wear myself out or how hard I fight the destructive thoughts, they’re always there, lingering right under the surface and waiting for a moment of vulnerability.

And I have to admit, I’m feeling more vulnerable than anything else these last few days.

I’m caught in the middle of a war I never wanted to be a part of, one I didn’t realize was taking part. At the beginning of the school year, only months ago, I thought I knew it all and had my future all mapped out. The Celestials ingrained certain expectations into me from an early age — who wouldn’t want power and wealth? — and somehow they got me to do just about anything to attain those things. And I didn’t waiver, I didn’t hesitate. I sought to destroy Prudence because I was asked to.

She called me pathetic once. Now I feel it.

It’s sad that it took Griffin’s haunting confession to shatter the veil and show me what kind of life I was diving head-first into. I never wanted to be a violent, cruel person; I just wanted a good life and my dad’s approval. Now, though, looking back… I realize I’ve become a fucking monster to get those things, and I don’t even want them anymore. Not if this was the cost.

Not if Prudence’s life is the cost. As much as I fought it, she’s grown on me. I live for the fights between us, for the bite in her tone and the rage in her eyes whenever I’m near. In my efforts to find her weakness and exploit it, I’ve revealed mine. A fiery redhead who can keep us all on our toes. I’ve kissed her twice now, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to experience it again and again, and so much more. But now she’s gone, and her absence is like a physical hole in my chest. Two days without her calling me names, without her telling me to go to hell? I can’t fucking stand it.

I just need her back so she can yell at me and I can rile her up and maybe we can come together in some vicious melding of wicked emotions and desires. Or maybe I’ll tell her that I’m done trying to make her miserable and instead would like to fuck her senseless, and she’ll still tell me to go to hell. Honestly, that’s much more probable, but I won’t know for sure until I get her back.

But how? Where would they take her? Underground, but where exactly? The Celestials own a lot of property across Black Creek, but as a junior member, I’m not privy to most of the locations.

Think, Asher. Use that big stupid brain of yours for once.

I blow out a dry laugh when the voice in my head sounds just like my pet’s. Fitting. It’s as though she’s urging me on, wanting me to find her. Maybe only so she can kill me when I do, but honestly, she’d be justified.

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