Page 97 of Dirty Little Saint

Val grabs my hand. “Let’s fucking hope he didn’t fail…”

I step into the room to see Atlas lounging across the altar. I breathe out a sigh of relief as I look around the room and see all the dead initiates.

I stagger farther in, dropping Val’s hand. These fucking bastards. Hysterical laughter bubbles up in my throat. My hands shake as I step over each one of them.

“FUCK YOU,” I scream. I no longer want to contain my rage. I rip off one of their masks and spit in his face. I do the same to the next one and the next until I’m flailing around the ritual room like a crazed maniac, stripping them of their masks and their robes.

When I get to the last one, I recognize his hands, his build. He’s one of the ones who held me down. I rip off my stiletto and drive the pointy heel into his throat. A gurgling scream leaves my body as I stab him again and again. Until there’s nothing left to stab.

I lean over his ear, hoping his soul can still hear me. “Fuck you.”

I toss the heel and hobble over to Atlas. His eyes glow, and he looks slightly terrified of me for the first time. I grab his face with bloody hands and kiss his lips. “Thank you.”

He licks the blood from my fingers. “I’m your angel of death, pretty girl. This is just a taste of what I’d do for you.”

I kick off my other heel. “Now it’s my turn. I’m fucking ready.” I close my eyes and call for the ravens. My sigils burn as I awaken them. As I draw on their power.

Val nods and takes off his shirt. “They’ll be here soon.” The marks on his body glow with light as his sigils seem to connect like constellations.

Atlas howls as he removes his shirt too. “Mors vincit omnia!” Death always wins.

The tunnels rumble from where Atlas first came in. The ground shakes underneath my feet. I close my eyes, guiding them to me. “For the raven,” I whisper to myself. “For Nocturnus.”

“Oh, fuck. Here we go,” Atlas calls.

Over thirty ravens fly into the cavern, squawking. They woosh around me, crying to me. Begging for me. I raise my hands. “Shhh, be still for me.”

The ravens fall silent and settle on the ground, flanking me on all sides like a small army.

Val stands tall, his shoulders pressed back. “You did it, Firecracker. Fuck. You control the ravens.”

Felix

I understand now why my parents hate Nocturnus. Because these ubiquitous monsters have been running it from a place of greed and perversity. I also get how Riot and the others want to change that. But I’m here for her. For my little raven. I’ll tell Holden Graves whatever he wants to hear just so I can watch her cut his heart out.

Riot snaps open the door to the library, and we barrel in. I try not to become distracted by the bookshelves that line the walls, spotting a first edition of Frankenstein to my left.

We charge toward the three old men in the center of the room. With vicious snarls on their lips, they break their conversation mid-stride.

“What the fuck are you doing here? This is a private meeting,” the one who looks like an older, meaner version of Riot snaps. Holden Graves.

“I brought you a new initiate.” Riot points to me.

A blond man with blue-green eyes looks up at me over his spectacles. “Aren’t you Edgar Crane’s son? Does he know you’re here?” Fuck, he even sounds like Atlas. I wonder if people think that about me when they see my father.

“He’s also the new poetry professor at Tenebrose,” the third man grumbles. I’m guessing he must be Laurent Erebus. I can see where Valentin gets his death stares from.

Riot stalks toward them like a lion, fearless. He was raised around these men. While he knows what they’re capable of, he also knows their weaknesses. Ego.

“Father, my apologies for barging in, but I realize you are right about everything. I fucked up. So… meet Felix Crane. My peace offering.”

They eye me suspiciously as I stick out my hand. “Not hand shakers, eh?” I chuckle. I’d rather break their hands than shake them anyway.

Holden tries to get a read on his son. “This doesn’t even begin to make up for the mess you made. But it’s a start.”

Laurent nods. “Well, since we’re all here, I vote to initiate him tonight.”

Pisces Thorn’s eyes light up. “Are there any dolls here for us to play with?”

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