Page 69 of Absentia Mori

Riot throws up his hand. “Stop. You have a lot of fucking nerve bringing these traitors here. You remember what happened the last time you defied me?”

Mordecai growls and places a protective hand on my lower back. My stomach knots.I’ll never fucking forget the way you humiliated me that day in the ritual room.

“Where’ve you been, Lib?” Atlas asks. “Maureen’s been worried sick about you.” For all my cousin’s flaws, including his allegiance to Nocturnus, I forgave him a long time ago for taking part in what Riot did to me. I know how seductive this coven can be. Atlas swore an oath, and not even his own flesh and blood could sway him away from them now.

I open my mouth to answer when Valentin cuts me off. “Isn’t it obvious? Your cousin’s been playing house with the enemy.”

My anger flares as I charge forward. “Fuck you, Val. You have no idea what I’ve been through for the last six months. The fucking horrors I’ve seen.”

“Not another fucking step, Lib, or I’ll have the ravens peck out your eyes so you can match your new boyfriend,” Riot snarls.

Now it’s Raithe’s turn to growl as he rushes to my side. “Of course you would have a bird fight your battles for you. Don’t want to get your delicate hands dirty?”

Fuck.

Riot smirks as he raises his hand. In seconds Raithe falls to his knees. He clasps his chest, coughing and choking on his own saliva.

I put my hands up to stop Mordecai and Fabien from lashing out too. They cannot win a fight with them. Nocturnus is too powerful. “I just came here to talk, Riot. Please, don’t hurt him. There’s so much you don’t know.Please,” I beg.

With Raithe’s life still hanging in the balance, Riot’s lips curl into a sadistic smirk. “So talk. You’ve got about two minutes before I crush his lungs.”

Always so fucking stubborn.

My heart races. “They didn’t side with Zeke. I swear it on the ravens. Everything that happened the night of the ball was my fault.”

“You’re not helping your cause, Lib,” Valentin hisses.

I put my hands up like a white flag. “It’s not what you think. Raithe, Mordecai, and Fabien were sent here by my father to keep tabs on me. They’re from the poison fields. When I became friends with Maureen, they had to join Nocturnus to stay close to me. While Zeke was plotting against you, they were too busy followingmearound.”

Atlas nods at Riot. He sighs and lets go of his supernatural hold on Raithe. “You said everything that happened wasyourfault. Explain.”

The guilt threatens to choke me to death. I hang my head, afraid to let them see the tears brimming in my eyes. “I knew what Zeke was planning and didn’t tell anyone.”

Riot’s eyes darken as he turns his rage on me. With a flick of his hand, I feel the air slip from my lungs. I claw at the invisible hands around my throat.

Fuck.

He’s going to fucking kill me.

“Enough!” I can barely make out the voice as stars dot my vision.

Air whooshes back into my lungs like a reverse vacuum. My throat burns as I cough for breath.

As I look up from the ground, my heart skips. Dressed in all black, she’s a haunting vision of dark hair and amber-colored eyes.

Maureen.

I whimper as I run to her, not caring how stupid or desperate I must look.

Her eyes widen before filling with tears. She opens her arms, and I collapse into them. The sounds of the sobs that leave my throat are wild, inhuman. She’s one of only a few people I still trust in this fucked up world. I know everything will be okay as soon as I melt into her embrace.

“Oh, Lib,” she soothes. “I’ve got you, bitch. You’re safe now.”

We gather in the parlor room, both sets of guys on opposite sides. Maureen and I have to work hard to keep them from killing each other. But we seem to be the only ones they’ll listen to despite their lust for bloodshed.

Positioned across a small table from one another, with our men standing respectfully behind us, we look like two mob wives having an organized sit-down.

“You look different, Lib. What happened to you?” Maureen asks.

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