Page 27 of Absentia Mori

I forget that I came in here to hurt her. I forget everything except the fact that I want to hear everything she has to say. “Yeah? Like what?”

She smiles. “Like wind.”

I can’t help but chuckle. A simple answer for a complicated question.

“Put this on your marks before you go to bed.” I hand her a bottle of alcohol and a few cotton pads. “You don’t want to get an infection in this place.” I pray that she doesn’t tell the others that I gave her aftercare. I spent enough time scolding Fabien for giving her a knife for protection.

She nods and takes it without a smart-ass response for once.

As we head out the door, I shield her behind me, peering down the hall before we walk out. No one comes to this wing of the asylum at this hour, but I’m still careful.

Once I confirm the corridor is clear, I motion for her to follow.

I try to ignore the post-coital glow on her face and pray to the ravens that I don’t have one as well. “So what doesyourname mean?”

She snickers. “Oh, we’re back to acknowledging my name again?”

I shrug.

“It means air. Wind and balance and air.” She throws me a wink before trotting up ahead of me.

My stomach flips, and a chill races down my spine.

Clever girl, indeed.

But I might be irrevocably fucked.

There’s something a bit satisfying about having my skin marked by them.I’m not your perfect little girl anymore.

A tingle shoots through my core as I finger his name on my thigh. Raithe is a fuckingman. He took what he wanted from me like it was owed to him. And I loved it. None of the guys at Tenebrose know what to do with me. They fuck like jackrabbits and slop all over my pussy like puppy dogs. My vibrator used to make me cum harder.

But ever since I gothere… fucking hell. If I had known, I would’ve given them the time of day back then. Shit, I would’ve given them all the time in the world. It serves me right for being such a shallow bitch. It’s pathetic that I finally find three men who can handle my pussy, and they fucking hate me.Andwe’re all stuck here together in the devil’s asshole.

When I find out who locked me up… when I get out of here,and I will get out, whoever did this better run like hell.

I don’t see the guys this morning as I make my way to the cafeteria. In fact, I don’t see anyone. The halls are eerily quiet, with a permanent green tint from the fluorescent lighting. But despite the empty corridors, it feels like someone is watching me, following me with every step. It sends goose pimples across my skin.

I’m no stranger to sinister things. Tenebrose Academy has its share of shadows and dark entities. But it was the devil I knew. The ravens, Nocturnus, the ghost of Jessamine—all things I’m used to. Absentia Asylum is different. The air is thick here, heavy. It threatens to suffocate me as if the actual walls are crying and aching for release.

I pick up my pace as dark thoughts and scenarios start to mess with my mind. It’s easy to get lost in here. And even easier to go mad. I can’t let myself succumb. I need to stay sharp so I can get the fuck out.

I pass the window, looking out to the courtyard, and pause for a second to see the two Terror Twins laughing on the swings.Those psycho little demon brats. But I can’t help but wonder how they died. How they ended up here…

A cold draft flutters past me, chilling my bones. I spin around and gasp as a waif-like girl stretches her mouth open and screams in my face.

“Fuck!” I lurch back and press against the window.

Her mouth twists into a sadistic smile. “You hear me now, don’t you?”

I nod, my mouth dry. “The whole fucking asylum heard you,” I mutter.

The girl wears an old hospital gown, and her bare feet are bruised. “No.” She charges toward me so fast I don’t have time to dodge her.

I hold my breath and cover my ears as she unleashes another mind-numbing scream. Fuck.

“Who-who did this to you?” I pant.

Her smile fades. “I don’t remember.”

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