Page 67 of Absentia Mori

He slides the phone to me. “I didn’t read any of them, I swear.”

My stomach knots. I’m anxious to see who was worried about me and who wasn’t. I’ve been missing for six months. I’m not sure if I’m ready to see who actually gives a fuck. The fact that my father didn’t shut off my cell service should make me happy he still believes I’m alive. But in reality, he probably just got busy and forgot.

Mordecai puts his hand on mine. “Take your time, Lib. We’ll wait. And then let us know who you want us to kill.”

There’s something so strange and satisfying about having this gorgeous man offer to spill blood for me. No matter what happens, his eyes and voice will forever haunt me.

I nod and go into the living room. I take a deep breath as I plop down on one of the leather couches. I don’t look at the phone yet, instead I gaze out the window. My heart skips a beat when I spot the raven. It stares back at me through the glass. For a split second, its eyes look like Maureen’s. Chills race up my back.I wonder how much I’ve missed.

I look down at the device in my hands.

Four hundred and fifty-seven messages.

Fuck.

But there’s one thing I have to do before I read them.

I click on my brother’s avatar. My stomach knots as the phone rings.

“Holy fucking shit. Lib?” Aries answers in a panic.

The sound of his voice unravels me. I burst into tears. “Aries…”

“Are you okay? Where the fuck are you? I’ll come get you right now.”

I choke back my sobs, trying to form sentences. “I’m okay. I wasn’t. But I am now. I have so much to tell you. About what’s happened to me. About dad. And what I’ve been through our whole lives.” I break off in a sob again. My brother is my rock. I didn’t realize how much I needed him until now.

He sighs into the phone. “It’s going to be okay. I’m here. Where are you?”

I sniffle. “I’m at your place in Raven’s Gate. But I’m not alone. These guys… they helped me break out of Absentia. I’m going to fucking kill her, Aries. You tell Draven to stay out of my way because I’m not going to stop until Penny Blackwell is dead.”

“Whoa, slow down. You were in Absentia Asylum? What guys? I have so many questions, Lib. You need to bring me up to speed. Tell me everything, and I swear I will help you kill her myself.”

I nod into the phone even though he can’t see me. “The last thing I remember was dancing on a table at a party in Hemlock. I did a bunch of coke and passed out. When I came to, I was trapped in a room in Absentia Asylum.”

I spend the next two hours telling my brother everything. From the first days in the asylum all the way to the massacre we committed on our way out. I tell him about Gormon and the bottle of Blackwell gin and Dr. Hall’s confession, confirming my suspicions. I leave out the dirty details, but I do also tell him about my relationship with Raithe, Mordecai, and Fabien.

Aries and I have never judged each other for our indiscretions. He’s the only one who will understand my addiction to these feral men.

After listening quietly to me, he lets out a deep breath. “I’m so sorry this has happened to you, Lib. You don’t fucking deserve this.” I can hear my brother sobbing through the phone, and my heart breaks over what I’m about to tell him next.

“There’s more, Aries… Remember all those shopping trips I went on after I turned sixteen? It was all a lie. Dad was trading me for money.”

“What?” Aries yells.

“That’s why I stopped eating. I thought that if I wasn’t pretty anymore, they wouldn’t want me. But it didn’t work. The things they did to me, Aries…”

I can feel his rage through the phone. “I want a list, Libra. Every single one of their fucking names. Dead. All of them are fucking dead. And so fucking help me, I will kill our father too.”

More tears stream down my cheeks. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I was ashamed. I didn’t want you to look at me differently.”

“Shhh, it’s okay, Lib. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I love you so fucking much. I can be in Raven’s Gate by tomorrow night. Are you safe until then? If not, I’ll send Atlas over right now.”

“I love you too… You don’t need to come here. I’m going to Nocturnus House tonight. There are things we need to clear up. After that, I’m heading to you. To Ever Graves.”

“Are you sure, Lib? I will get in the car right now and drive all night.”

“I’m sure. Raithe, Mordecai, and Fabien will protect me. They swore an oath to. It was a fucked up oath, but they are honoring it all the same.”

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