Page 40 of Absentia Mori

And my family tried to ruin him for it. Like I needed another fucking reason to hate them.

“What’s your name?” I ask her.

She grins wide. “No one has asked me that in a long time. I write it down every day, so I don’t forget… It’s Rowena.”

“Nice to meet you.” I stick out my hand. “I’m Libra Thorn.”

She arches an eyebrow. “You make the poison.” Her tone isn’t accusatory, just that she’s stating a fact.

I snicker. “My father does. All I make is mess after mess of my hot mess of a life.”

Rowena smiles. “You’re going to get out of here, Libra Thorn. You’ve got a fire in you.”

Her flattery falls on deaf ears as I’m reminded of the fact that she’s dead. That she’ll never get out. Her hope is gone. I’m overwhelmed with sadness for her but also resolve.

“When I do get out, I’m coming back for all of you. I’ll find a way to set you free from this place.”

She bows her head and closes her eyes. A soft whisper leaves her lips, inaudible. When she lifts up to look back at me, she has tears in her eyes. “I have no doubt… We have your back in here, Libra Thorn.”

I nod, a renewed spark of determination rising in me. “I will find a way out.”

Rowena moves closer and whispers, “All the doors are sealed shut, and the windows are barred. But there’s a service entrance that’s unmarked. It’s how the staff used to come in and out for their shifts.”

Chills snake up my back. “Used to?”

She nods. “Dr. Hall and her orderlies have barricaded themselves in here. They use the service entrance for deliveries only—food, supplies, and… poison.”

I pace around the room, my mind racing. “How do I find this entrance? Is there another key for it?”

She nods again. “Only Dr. Hall has the key. I know where it is, but it’s heavily guarded at all times. You’ll have to fight.”

I blow out a deep breath and crack my knuckles. “Fighting is the one thing I’m good at.”

My lips still tingle. Still taste like candy and her pretty pink pussy. Mmm. That woman has no idea how good she fucking tastes. The harder she resists, the sweeter the climax. And I just love fucking cornering her, stalking her, tormenting her with my tongue and my words. She can deny it all she wants, but she and I both know that it drives her wild in a way that nothing else ever has.

“What’s put that shit grin on your face?” Raithe asks.

I plop down on my bed with an extra bounce. “Just caught our little freak sneaking around Dr. Hall’s office. Don’t worry, I made herpayfor my silence.”

He lets out a snort. “What’s our little whore up to?”

I shrug. “Who the fuck cares?”

“She’s trying to get out of here,” Mordecai growls. “We can’t let that happen until we’re ready.”

I haven’t forgotten my scars or the humiliation Libra’s family caused us. But the longer I’m around her, the more I want to bury my face between her legs and whisper dirty lullabies into her eager pussy. The more I want to carve up her flesh to match mine.

“And when will that be, Mordecai?” I ask my voice on edge. “She’s not going to break. Girls like her aren’t built to.”

“She will,” he grits back.

Raithe sits next to me on the bed. He slides his palm over my cock. “You’re hard just thinking about her. Looks like she brokeyou.”

I feel the heat in my cheeks rise, my pride insulted. I brush his hand away. “Fuck that. That bitch could never break me. And you know it.”

Despite my craving for her, I won’t hesitate to skin her alive. We’re playing games in here. Dangerous games. Mordecai’s right. I need to remember what they did to us.

We spent three weeks in the infirmary when they first brought us in. I felt like I’d been burned alive. Every inch of my flesh was shredded, torn, ripped nearly off the bone. And just when I thought I’d numbed to it, the sickness set in. The infection. Every night, another one of us died. Until only the three of us remained. And by some miracle of the ravens, we were spared. We healed. We got stronger. And we were convinced it was a blessing. A gift that we were given so we could find a way out of here. To find Libra Thorn and make her life hell.

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