Page 66 of Absentia Mori

Fuck.

I suppressed so many emotions for so long. Until I got to Absentia. Until I met my monsters. Maybe Penny Blackwell did me a favor. The bitch is still gonna pay, though. Fuck that old crazy bitch. She sits on her throne in Ever Graves, pulling all our strings like we’re fucking puppets. I just hope Maureen doesn’t object.

I need her blessing. And her forgiveness.

A plain white sweater catches my eye. I slip that over my bare breasts, wincing as the fabric rubs against my nipples. “Holy fuck.”

After going through every drawer, I finally find a pair of ripped jeans that are definitely not mine. One of Aries’s one-night stands must’ve left them. I sigh and try not to think about my twin. I defiled his bed, his sex toys, and his fucking camera. I still need to convince Mordecai to burn that tape. He couldn’t really be serious about sending that to my brother…

I slip into a pair of black boots and then face the mirror. Holy shit. I don’t look like the old me at all. My face is makeup-free except for a little dab of lip gloss and a thin layer of mascara.

Even my perfumes don’t smell like me anymore. I opt for Aries’s cologne instead. It’s earthy and fresh, like the woods of Raven’s Gate.

I finish by throwing my blonde hair up into a messy bun.

The guys are quiet this morning. We woke up tangled in each other’s limbs, but they didn’t protest when I got up to shower by myself. I guess they figured I’d been through enough last night. As much as I welcomed the alone time, a part of me craved their presence in the hot steam.

How have I gone so long without them?

There are secrets only we share. Things that no one else can understand. And not just because of our time in Absentia Asylum. No. We have given our blood, sweat, tears, and cum tothe poison fields. We know secrets about our world. About my family. Secrets that have stayed buried long enough.

I enter the dining room to find the three of them sipping coffee around the table. My breath hitches at the sight of them, showered and looking like angelic demons in their blood-stained clothes from the asylum.

I get it now. It was an innocent gesture, offering them Aries’s clothes. But now I understand why it offended them so much. They are proud men. They earned every single stain and scar. Dressing in clothes that don’t belong to them is blasphemy. I feel it even in mine. They are so much more than clothes. They represent your identity. They show the world your status, how much money you possess. And it means nothing in the end. Because none of it can protect us. Only we can protect each other.

They scramble to stand up when they see me, like gentlemen, a gesture I’m not expecting. It makes me smirk. “How can a girl get a cup of coffee?”

As Raithe pours me one, he snickers. “Be careful, Lib. I might actually demand you do something despicable for it.”

I shoot him a playful look. “I might do something despicable anyway.”

Mordecai leans back in his chair, his gaze feral as he focuses on me. “You look beautiful. Different than you used to though.”

I shrug. “I’m still trying to figure it all out.”

Fabien passes me the sugar but holds onto it when I try to wrench it from his grip. “Some might even say you’re camera-ready.”

I roll my eyes at him. Some sugar spills onto the table when I yank the jar away. “Yeah, about that. I’m going to need that tape.”

Raithe arches an eyebrow at me. “You realize he wasn’t actually recording, right?”

My mouth drops open. “I don’t believe you.”

“I’m notthatkind of monster, Libra,” Mordecai adds with a smirk. “But it was fun watching you get riled up about it.”

My head spins for a second, torn between relief and disappointment. As the two emotions fuck me up, I burst out laughing.

Fabien chuckles. “Looks like someone was hoping she had starred in her own porno last night.”

I slap him on the arm as my cheeks flush. “No. That’s not what I was hoping,” I lie.

Mordecai gazes at me over the rim of his coffee cup. My pussy tingles at the sight of his throat bobbing as he swallows. “If you want us to film you, little freak, we will. But you’ll have to ask for it. Own what you want, beautiful.”

I feel the heat in my cheeks rising even more. I don’t know why when less than twenty-four hours ago, I had two chains as leashes attached to my nipples, and I let them treat me like a pet as I crawled around on all fours. But now, I’m suddenly shy? I have so many issues I haven’t even begun to unpack.

Raithe cuts the warmth when he blurts out, “I charged your phone. You have a lot of fucking messages.”

I shoot him a glare.

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