Page 83 of Absentia Mori

I press my lips to his and suck in a deep breath as our tongues collide. The sweetness of his mouth reminds me of lollipops. Moisture seeps out of my pussy, soaking my panties. I clench my thighs together as his kisses deepen.

He pulls back to gaze into my eyes. “I want to fuck you in the room I almost died in. To replace the memory of that fucked up night with a new one of you.”

I nod. “Whatever you need.”

We continue walking through the halls, relieved every time we turn a corner and no one is there to drag us back to our rooms. And the more we explore, the less my chest constricts with fear. The only unsavory element left is the smell of rotting corpses. But even without Dr. Hall or Gorman, this place still creeps me the fuck out. The walls here tell no lies. I feel every horrific thing that’s taken place in my bones.

I will have to change all that.

After a few hours of roaming the different wings, my heart skips a beat when we enter the cafeteria and find Kitty, the Terror Twins, and Rowena sat at one of the tables.

Kitty doesn’t scream when she sees us. She smiles. Thank fuck. Her voice is as shrill as a banshee’s.

“What’s going on creeps?” I tease as I approach their table. Fabien tosses the Terror Twins a bag full of lollipops.

They shriek with excitement and dive in without hesitating.

A bubble of laughter erupts from my throat. “It’s a good thing ghosts can’t get cavities.”

Rowena beams back at me, sharing my elation. “You came back.”

I nod. “I said I would… where’s the doctor from hell?” I glance around, half-expecting her to lunge at me like a fucking deranged phantom.

Rowena motions toward the window. “In the courtyard. She doesn’t come inside. A part of her still thinks she’s getting out of here.”

I snicker. “Hmm, I wonder what that feels like?” A taste of her own fucking medicine. I love full-circle moments.

Fabien tenses as he points his knife toward the buffet of slop. I follow his gaze to find a pale-faced Cook gawking back at us as if we were ghosts ourselves. He throws his hands up, his fingers trembling. “Pl-please. Don’t kill me.”

I sigh. “If we wanted you dead, we would’ve killed you that night. Relax. Although, this slop you are still serving makes me second guess my decision.”

Fabien laughs and puts the knife down. “Seriously, bro. It’s fucking disgusting.”

He shrugs. “They didn’t give me many ingredients to work with.”

A new sense of purpose hits me like a ton of bricks as I hang off his last sentence. Holy fuck. Chills race up the back of my arms. I spin in a circle and look around the room with fresh eyes. I take note of the chipped paint, the rusty tables, and broken light fixtures.

“You okay, Lib?” Fabien asks, his brows pinched.

I can’t stop the grin from taking over my face. “I’m going to buy Absentia Asylum.”

His mouth drops open. “Um, what?”

The more I thought about my trust fund, money I didn’t actually earn, the sicker it made me. I only accepted it because it made Aries happy. But now I know what I can do with it that will make an actual difference.

Rowena claps her hands together in delight. “What will it become?”

Goosebumps pebble my flesh. “A rehabilitation center for those who need to heal their minds and bodies. I’ll renovate the whole place and hire real doctors. There will be a spa and a state of the art fitness center.Healthy food.No more restraints on the beds, no more drugs, and no more monsters.”

Fabien grins back at me. “Saint Libra,” he teases. “This looks good on you.”

I snort-laugh again. “Don’t get carried away now.”

We say our goodbyes again, this time with the promise of hope and rebirth.

Before we leave, Fabien leads me to the infirmary. The one he fought for his life in when they were first brought in here after the night of the Winter Solstice.

The bed sheets are still stained with blood despite the smell of bleach and chlorine that hangs in the air. His grip tightens on my arm.

---