Page 137 of Stitches

I made the executive decision to go out the balcony off Church’s room.

Carefully, I crept inside and opened the French doors. It led out to a small balcony that I knew I’d be able to shimmy down as long as it wasn’t icy.

In my pants and hoodie, I managed to get my leg over the edge and slide down, falling near the end, but not hard enough to cause issue.

Quickly, I got to my feet and ran to the woods, heading straight for the clearing. When I got there, it was empty like it always was. But he said he’d be here, so I waited patiently for him. The wait wasn’t long.

Warm hands squeezed my arms from behind.

I turned and gasped, taking in the guy before me who certainly wasn’t Mirage.

“Hello, Sirena,” Adam said, smiling at me from beneath a black rabbit mask. “I heard you like rabbits.”

I tried to push him off me, but he was far stronger. He shoved me hard, and I fell to the cold ground with a cry. I wasted no time in trying to scramble away from him, but he was on me in an instant.

I managed to get a hold of his hand when he reached for me and twist it like Mirage had shown me. It worked, and I kicked at him, knocking him sideways.

Stumbling, I got up and ran as fast as I could, his laughter echoing behind me.

I had no idea where I was. I’d never been this far into the woods before. It didn’t matter anyway.

I was taken to the ground when Adam tackled me, my face slamming off a fallen branch.

The ground was unforgiving as we tumbled to it.

“I fucked your sister to get to you,” Adam snarled, pinning me down, his eyes wild in the moonlight. “She’s a fantastic lay, but I bet you’re better. You know why? Because you can’t tell me no.”

Words failed me. Terror took over. He was right. I couldn’t tell him no with my words, but he knew well enough that everything else about me was screaming it.

“The watchers think they’re untouchable. That their girl is untouchable. I’m about to show them exactly how fucking touchable you are, Sirena.”

No. No. NO! PLEASE GOD. NO.

“When you see Dante again, tell him to enjoy my leftovers. If there’s anything left of you that is.” He tore my pants down, cackling as he burrowed inside my body.

The scream on my lips was silent.

So were the tears as they dripped from my face.

But the pain. Unreal.

I scurried to my safe place. The dark place where no one could hurt me. The place where Seth knew how to find me.

I didn’t move an inch when he cut me, the blade digging deep into my skin. Or when he bit my lip so hard it bled.

When he came.

Or when he stood to leave, spitting on me and kicking me in the ribs several times before he fisted my hair and slammed my head against the cold forest ground, calling me a worthless whore the entire time. Telling me he hoped Church saw me this way because he hated him.

Or even when he punched me in the face.

And definitely not when the darkness finally settled, his boots becoming blurry.

I lay in the mess he’d made, staring into the darkness, my breathing shallow and my tears frozen on my face.

Asylum was right.

All roads led to the same place.

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