Page 54 of Dirty Little Saint

My pulse ticks when I spot Atlas and Val on the terrace. “Villette, I’ll be right back. I have to go do something. You’ll be okay?”

The corners of her lips turn up into a smirk. “You mean you gotta go do someone,” she teases. “I’ll be fine. Go get your guys.”

I give her another hug. “Thanks, babe. See you in a bit.”

A burst of cold air sends goosebumps across my skin when I open the terrace doors. Val’s eyes are hooded, dark, and venomous as he listens to whatever Atlas is saying to him. I take a deep breath and waltz over.

“Care to fill me in?” I hug my arms to my belly as the wind whips through my hair.

Atlas takes off his leather jacket and drapes it over my shoulders. “Hey, pretty girl.”

I look at Val. “One of you needs to start talking.”

He flexes his jaw. “Atlas got the fucker who’s been stalking you.”

My heart skips. “Who is he?”

“Barnaby Withers.” Atlas’s blue-green eyes fill with a venom that matches Val’s.

As I rack my brain, I can’t for the life of me picture who they’re talking about. “I don’t understand. That name means nothing to me.”

Atlas snickers. “That’s what I said too. But Professor Harker let me in on a little secret. And Firecracker, you’re not going to fucking like it.”

Val curses under his breath, and I feel all the blood rush to my feet. I swallow hard, my mouth running as dry as sandpaper. “What’s going on?” Fuck I should have brought another shot of whiskey out here with me.

“Barnaby Withers is an errand boy for Pisces Thorn,” Riot grumbles as he walks up behind me.

Fuck.

I turn to Atlas. “Your father? Why would he hire someone to terrorize me?”

He shrugs before downing one of his many vials of poison. “We’re trying to figure that out.”

Val lights up a joint, takes a long puff, and passes it to Riot. “We’ve got the fucker chained up below in the catacombs.”

I snatch the joint before Riot can grab it. “Why didn’t you cancel the party?” The sigil on the back of my neck prickles. That dark, sinister energy creeps into my bones as I think of all the ways I want to hurt this fucker for violating me. “That asshole went into my room and touched my panties.”

“Yeah, he said as much,” Atlas quips.

“I’m going to break every bone in his body,” Val snaps.

I take a long hit off the joint before passing it back. “Not if I break them all first.” The rage within me is becoming a sickness. An addiction that I don’t want to curb. The more I feed it, the more alive I feel.

Riot nods. “I recruited a few new initiates. Tonight will be their first test. Let’s see if they can keep an eye on our house while we go mutilate Barnaby Withers.”

I raise an eyebrow at him. “And after, I want to meet these new initiates. They need to know that they answer to me too now.”

His blue eyes glow back at me. “Agreed. We will not have another incident like what happened with Zeke.”

I nod, satisfied and kind of impressed with myself for demanding instead of asking. I’m their equal now. I may not have as many sigils as they do, but I will soon. And my power is growing faster than I think any of us are prepared for.

“Shall we then?” Riot holds out his hand to me.

A rush of adrenaline shoots through my fingertips as I clasp his hand. “I need to grab my knife first.”

Valentin

Our descent into darkness is blurring every line Maureen has ever crossed. The sigil of Erebus carved into her neck will be her undoing. My shadows call to hers. And tonight, they want to come out and play.

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