Page 34 of Pretty Little Psycho

I pull her to my chest and look down into her golden amber eyes. It’s like staring into the sun and all I want is for her to burn me. “When you stop lying to yourself, you will enjoy every second of our depravity. And you can come to me when their darkness suffocates you.”

She shakes her head. “That’s not what I came to Tenebrose for. You don’t understand the things I’ve… I don’t want to be that girl anymore.”

So many nightmares plague her during the day, I want to fuck them all out of her. “This isn’t a drunken night in the bathroom at a Halloween party, pretty girl. It’s not a fucking game. You belong to us.”

She sighs and turns to leave but pauses at the greenhouse door. “No. I need the three of you to stay the fuck away from me.”

Her resistance makes me hard again. I charge forward and pin her against the door. “That’s never going to happen.”

She whimpers and stumbles back when I release her.

“Come to me after they hurt you, pretty girl. I’ll be waiting.”

Maureen is like a roll of the dice. She’s impulsive, stubborn, and unpredictable. Which is why none of us are letting her go.

Maureen

“You did what?” Villette’s eyes widen after I tell her about me and Atlas in the greenhouse.

My head is pounding, and my nipple is still tingling from the nightshade leaf. “Every time I get around them, something strange happens to me. It’s like I’m under some kind of spell.”

She flops down onto my couch and sighs. “That’s because they’ve marked you. You have no idea what you’re a part of now. If I were you, I’d leave town. Get far away from here.”

What the fuck?

“She can’t,” Libra murmurs. I didn’t even see her come in.

My throat is scratchy like I haven’t drank water in days. “Okay, one or both of you need to start talking right now.”

They exchange a look between them that makes my stomach drop.

Libra goes to the kitchen and comes back with a bottle of wine and three glasses. After pouring one for each of us, she nestles down on the couch next to Villette. The two of them sitting side by side look like a designer perfume ad.

“Listen, Blackwell, I realize that your naivety is genuine, so I’m going to level with you. Your family is very powerful. They’re fucking scary actually. When I found out that I’d be rooming with you… I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t thrilled.” Libra purses her lips onto her glass and takes a small sip of the pink rosé.

Villette rolls her eyes. “When are we going to stop paying for the sins of our ancestors? What happened to Riot’s family is not her fault.”

Libra groans. “Tell that to Riot. What I can’t figure out is how she came through the gate.”

“Um, hi. Still in the room. What the fuck are you both talking about?” I’m beyond frustrated. Everyone seems to know about my life but me.

Villette flashes me a look of pity. “Sorry, girl. There’s bad blood between the Blackwells and the Graves. No one really knows how it started, but basically, your family drove Riot’s family out of Ever Graves like a century ago or something.”

“That’s when Nocturnus was born,” Libra adds. “They sold their souls to the devil, so to speak, and are bound to Raven’s Gate forever. My brother, Aries, wants nothing to do with it, but Atlas… he got sucked in by Riot’s spell just like the rest of us.”

It feels like the room is spinning again. I’m no stranger to dark and spooky things, I come from a town full of fucking ghosts. My best friend is a ghost. But devils and oaths and sinister family feuds? That’s not what I signed up for.

I take a hit off my vape and exhale slowly. “Are you saying they have powers or something? What is the deal with the ravens? Wait, why can’t I leave?”

Villette jumps from the couch and grabs my hands, guiding me to the nearest chair. “Whoa, just breathe. You look like you’re about to have a panic attack.”

“She should have a panic attack,” Libra hisses. “Blackwells aren’t allowed in Raven’s Gate. Yet somehow, poof, here she is. I had a feeling this year was going to be fucked.”

I take a deep breath and glare at her. “Stop talking like I’m not right in front of you.”

She shrugs and takes another big swig of wine. “Just stating the facts.”

Villette shoots her a glare before turning back to me. “Yes, they have powers. When the feud started, all the families took sides. The Thorns sided with the Graves. My family, the Cranes, do our best to stay neutral. The ravens are hard to explain… Think of them as messengers, watchers, harbingers of darkness. They take more than they give. Nocturnus has served them for decades.”

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