Page 69 of Dirty Little Saint

We lie still for a while. I’m afraid to move and make more of a mess than we already have. Finally, after what seems like forever, Atlas pulls out and flashes me the wickedest smile I’ve ever seen.

“That was fucking perfect.” He threads one of the towels between my legs and wraps me up in it. I let him scoop me off the floor and carry me to the bathroom. “I’m going to clean you up now, pretty girl.”

The hot water feels amazing on my poison-fueled skin. Atlas is surprisingly gentle with me in the shower, taking his time to wash the blood off both of us. I almost cry tears of joy when he shampoos my hair, the way he massages his fingers into my scalp like a professional. I whimper and moan at every touch.

After, he gives me some privacy so I can put in another tampon before I get dressed. I wrap a towel around my wet hair and come out to find him already in my bed.

As I crawl in next to him, he wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me close. “Anything you fucking want, love. Just name it.”

A skitter of nerves flutters through my belly. There are many things that I want. I’d like to see Bailey, and to go to Ever Graves to meet my grandmother. I also really want to kill the Nocturnus elders. But all that will have to wait.

“I don’t know…”

Atlas kisses my neck. “What you want and need are not different things anymore, Maur. You need to accept who you are. Show us how naughty you can be.”

I bite my lip, and my cheeks heat as I think about the ritual at the Graves’s estate. The memories flood me one by one like a fever dream. Felix’s eyes flash in between them. The way he hungered for me as he watched the dirty things they did to me at the bar.

“I want to be in control,” I murmur.

“Mmm, I know, baby. Don’t worry about a fucking thing. We’re going to give you exactly what you want and need.”

My heart races for a bit longer as the idea of it all sinks in. The thrill of having someone watch us again is all I can think about as I drift off to sleep.

Riot

My firecracker is safe for now. I still wish sometimes that I’d never made that sacrifice to the ravens to get her here. But I’m too selfish to live without her. We all are. I hit the throttle and let the machine between my legs soothe my anxiety. There are many pieces to this puzzle that we need to make fit. One of them is adding another pawn to the chessboard.

As I ride through the forest, my muscles relax. This is my favorite time of day, that space when night starts morphing into morning. The sky is a pale gray, the ravens sleep, and the air is so crisp you can practically cut it with a knife. No one is awake yet except me and my bike.

Well, and the man meeting me in the graveyard before class.

Through the glare of my headlights, I spot Felix Crane sitting on top of a faded headstone, his legs so long they touch the ground. The mist makes his black hair curl even more. From this viewpoint, he looks like an ethereal dark prince reigning over his kingdom of death. His eyes glow like mine. I noticed it that night at Swallow. It was subtle, but I definitely caught it.

The Cranes are also one of the founding families of Ever Graves. Which means they, too, were born with curses and darkness in their blood. But they never wanted to be a part of Nocturnus. The Cranes are wanderers, nomads, not ever craving the comforts of a coven. Yet his power simmers underneath his pressed suits and schoolboy charm. He’s a monster, just like us. And I can’t have him roaming around causing havoc.

I hop off my bike and stalk toward him. “You’re early.”

He flashes a toothy grin. “Am I? You didn’t really think I’d let you get the jump on me, did you?”

I roll my eyes. “Cut the fucking banter, Crane. I’m in a really bad mood.”

He shrugs and slides off the headstone. “Is this the part where you tell me to stay away from your girl?”

I’ll give Maureen anything she wants. So will Atlas and Val. What they don’t realize is we all need each other. It’s not just about making our girl happy; this move is about survival.

I unzip my jacket and pull up my shirt. “See these marks? They connect us to each other and the ravens. They tether us to a source of power so great we don’t even fully know where it comes from.”

Felix tilts his head. “Go on.”

“We were strong before she came, but now, we are nearly untouchable. Each sigil carved into our flesh strengthens the bonds between us. The source no longer matters because the power comes from us instead of to us. Do you understand?”

He crosses his arms. “While this is all very poetic and macabre, I have no fucking idea what any of this has to do with me.”

I sigh and point to his face. “Your eyes. Your name. Where you come from. You have power to. It’s in your blood. My sigils flare every time you come around. I’m betting Atlas and Val’s do too. We could be even stronger if you joined us.”

Felix bursts out laughing. “This is not at all how I thought this conversation was going to go… So, you wanna carve me up and boss me around like you do everyone else?”

This man is testing my fucking patience and almost making me regret bringing him out here. “I’m not asking you to be a fucking initiate, Felix. I’m offering you a spot in the coven—as an equal. I’m not blind or stupid. I see the way you look at Maureen. You could help us protect her. I think you want to.”

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