Page 68 of Absentia Mori

Aries sighs again. “I’m activating the tracker on your phone, but that can be tampered with. I need you to send me a text with your location every hour, just in case.”

“I will. I promise… I’ll see you soon, brother.”

“I’m so fucking happy you’re alive, Lib. Deep inside, I knew you were. I would’ve felt your soul leave. I’m sure of it. But hearing your voice… I’m so fucking relieved.”

I wipe away the last of my tears. “Me too… But I-I’ve changed, Aries. I’m not the sister you remember.”

“You’re my twin, Libra. If you change, I change. We’re going to get through this together.”

“I want vengeance.” I can’t hide the iciness of my tone.

“And you’ll have it. I’ll make sure of it. Be careful, Lib. Remember, text me every hour.”

We say our goodbyes and hang up. The weight on my chest feels lifted, knowing I have my brother’s full support. I never doubted it, but it’s still good to hear him say it.

I spend the rest of the day going through all my messages. There’s a few from my teachers at Tenebrose, a couple dozen random messages from people looking to party, but mostly the messages are from Aries, Villette, and Maureen, all frantic to get ahold of me.

Not one single text from my mother or father.

Fucking bastards.

“You ready to go, Lib?” Raithe pops his head in. “Or do you need more time?”

I’m done crying. Done feeling sorry for myself. I don’t want any more secrets between me and my friends.

I stand to face him, warmth filling me as I gaze into his beautiful green eye. He’s not as tortured as he was when I first met him. Not as angry. At least not with me.

I cross the room and place my hand on his chest. “I’m ready. I’ve lost enough time as it is.”

Fabien has already loaded up the hearse with my bags—a small assortment of clothes that don’t make me gag when I look at them. He wedges the two designer duffels in between the cases of Blackwell gin and vials of poison before we hit the road.

I start to feel calmer as we pass the familiar scenery of Raven’s Gate. The trees have lost all their leaves, and the air seems to whisper promises of All Hallow’s Eve. But as soon as we drive past the gates of Tenebrose Academy, my stomach knots.

An unkindness of ravens flocks our vehicle, squawking and pecking at our windows. There aren’t many things that scare me except these fucking birds. They belong to Nocturnus. And as far as they know, I’m strolling into their territory with three of their enemies.

Raithe hisses from the back seat. “Fucking heathens.”

Mordecai stalls the car just as we pass the gates. “Do they know we’re coming?”

I lock eyes with the raven from earlier. The one who glared at me through the window of Aries’s apartment. “They do now.”

He nods. “To Nocturnus House then.”

As we wind our way there, a familiar chant plays in my head, taunting me… Mors vincit omnia.Death always wins.

The scent of poison—hemlock—fills my nostrils as soon as we pull up to Nocturnus House. I breathe it in deeply, relishing the way it burns and soothes my throat at the same time. It grows wild here, thanks to my family.

My heart pounds when I seethemon the front steps, waiting for us, guarding their estate like they aren’t monsters themselves. Riot, Atlas, and Valentin.So self-fucking-righteous. And there’s one more. I squint through the fog to make him out.Is that Felix Crane? What the fuck is he doing here?

Fuck, I missed a lot.

We linger in the hearse for a few minutes before getting out. Ravens gather in the trees, perched on twisted branches. I feel their knowing eyes on me. Goosebumps pebble my skin as they cock their heads from side to side, squawking every time I take a breath.

The tension is so thick between our two groups it’s palpable. Dripping with threats of violence and chaotic energy. I can feel Nocturnus’s power pushing at the edges of my mind, hungry to get in and read my thoughts. I throw up a mental shield, using all of my strength to keep them out.

Mordecai, Raithe, and Fabien surround me like bodyguards with clenched fists and gritted teeth.

We’re locked in a stand-off with Nocturnus, neither group wanting to make the first move. I blow out a deep breath and inch forward.

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