Page 35 of Pretty Little Psycho

My fingers start to shake around the stem of my glass. I tighten my grip; afraid it will fall from my hands and shatter. “I don’t think the ravens like me very much… Did they give them their powers?”

“Now, she’s catching on,” Libra groans. “For fuck’s sake, Blackwell, do we have to spell it out for you? Nocturnus is untouchable. In over a hundred years, there’s never been a coven like Riot, Atlas, and Valentin. Every day, they get stronger. Soon, the ravens will be serving them.”

This can’t be real. Ghosts are one thing, but covens? I can’t. “I’m hallucinating, right? The toxins from Atlas’s stupid nightshade plant are clouding my mind.”

Villette pours me another glass of wine. “Afraid not, girl. It’s all very real. Nocturnus is out for blood. For revenge. And they want their town back.”

“Ever Graves,” I murmur.

Libra nods. “Yup. And then you walked in like a shiny new toy on Christmas morning. You’re the first Blackwell to set foot in Raven’s Gate since the feud started. Which means the ravens let you in.”

Villette refills her glass. “Which means they want you here for a reason.”

I feel my lip start to quiver. “But… I’m not from Ever Graves. My parents were cut off from the Blackwells when I was conceived. I have nothing to do with this fight.”

The two stunning girls exchange another look.

Fuck.

Libra’s throat bobs as she swallows down the rest of her wine. “That’s because your mother was engaged to someone else… Her indiscretion caused a huge rift between the families and sent another clan here to Raven’s Gate in support of the Graves.”

I’m going to be sick. Should I really be surprised? She’s cheated on my father my whole life. “Who?”

Villette shifts in her seat, hesitant. “Julian Erebus.”

Fuck.

No. How could my mother let me come here not knowing any of this? She must hate me more than I thought. My dizziness fades as a surge of rage shoots through my body. “Professor Erebus? Fuck,” I mutter as I look at Libra. “Earlier, you said I can’t leave. Why not?”

“Because the ravens won’t let you. Riot’s made sacrifices to ensure that you don’t.” She says it so calmly as if it’s perfectly normal to be held captive in a creepy town by a flock of birds.

“Sacrifices?” I ask.

“Blood oaths,” Libra states.

The three of us jump as a raven squawks and pecks at the window. The nerves in my body are shot. “Well, fuck me. So Nocturnus is a cult. Great.” I can’t help but glare at the raven in contempt. Fucking little asshole bird.

Libra nods. “Pretty much.”

As I get up from my chair, I try my best not to collapse. My knees are wobbly, and it feels like my adrenaline is sucking the life out of me. “So, I’m marked for what? Death? Riot kills me and gets his revenge? I still don’t understand what I have to do with this curse.”

Villette’s eyes darken. “No one knows. But something big is coming. I can feel it.”

Chills race up my spine. And yet a part of me still longs for the version of Riot I met in the bathroom on Halloween. The one who was tender and kind. The one I dreamed about for weeks. But that’s before he knew who I was.

I finish the rest of my glass of wine and head for the elevator, my fury building with each step I take.

“Where are you going?” they both cry out in unison.

I push the call button and grit my teeth. “To go let Riot know that he’s fucking with the wrong Blackwell.”

I hear their pleas of protest as the elevator doors close behind me, but I don’t falter. All my life I’ve dealt with people blaming me for my family’s mistakes. I worked twice as hard to forge my own path away from my parents. It’s time for Riot to see what I’m capable of.

Just before the doors open to the ground floor, Jessamine wooshes past me. “If you play with fire, make sure you burn them first.”

I blink and she’s gone.

Oh, I plan on burning it all down.

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