Page 111 of Priest and his Anarchist

“I don’t care.” Priest’s voice is hard, dripping with something far more unhinged than even I know. That same beast that lives within him is the very reason why I feel so safe. “I’ll kill Bas for this.”

The car stops but I remain still, buried in the warmth of his familiar scent.

“You shouldn’t kill Bas. She knows him, trained with him at Del Morts. A part of her liked him.”

“Yeah?” Priest’s arms turn rigid around me. “Then I’ll make sure she closes her eyes before I blow his brains out.”

The woman sighs. “You’ve spent a great deal of the past fixing her messes, you know. You need to allow me”—someone clears their throat—“us to do our part too, as we’ve all allowed you to blend her into yours.”

“The reason why she’s here is because of me.” My heart fractures in my chest. Why do I have to love a man who will never love me?

“That’s not true, Priest. She’s here for two reasons. One was, yes, you. You wanted her back, you wanted her. You tried. But when you tried to send her to Archer, if Nate hadn’t stepped in, we wouldn’t have found out the things we have today.”

“Which is?” Priest asks, his grip around me tightening.

There’s another pull of silence before a car door opens and I’m being lifted in the air by a strong set of hands.

“There’s a possibility that we’ve had it wrong.” My mind spins and as much as I try, I still can’t manage to open my eyes. Lost in the maze of my own consciousness.

“Everyone get the fuck out.”

“Priest.” Another familiar voice. River? All movement stops. “She needs me.”

Dear Darlings

Dear Darlings,

Luna Nox Hayes is dead. Wanna know how I know?

Because I killed her.

There. I step back, admiring my work as music drifts through the room.

“Get the fuck up and go downstairs. Now.”

Rolling my eyes, I drag my finger across his chin as I dance down the hall, laughing at the pictures on the wall. “Let me guess!” I wail over my shoulder, knowing he won’t be far behind. “Each picture represents a stage of your feelings for Little Luna Nox!”

I finally hear the lyrics to the song playing. A smile touches the corner of my mouth when voices echo through. The pen had long since left ink stains on my fingers.

“Swell,” I announce, rounding the corner to the kitchen. “You’re all here, as suspected.” A simple chandelier hangs from the middle of the room, raining the reflection of diamonds downon everyone. I hum along to the song playing—one I don’t recognize.

“Well now…” I tease, burying my fingers in the mane of Priest’s locks when I pass where he’s sitting at the head of the table. “Are you going to tell all of your friends what I did to your sweet”—I swoop up his glass of whiskey, inhaling deeply until the notes buried in the liquor sting the tip of my nose—“little wife?”

“What the fuck is going on?” The dark-haired one at the end of the table glares at Priest as if he’s just dragged a new girl home.

He has.

Maybe she was close to Luna, so she’s annoyed that I’m here. Either way, sounds like a her problem and not one for me.

He shakes his head, his finger tapping against the tabletop as if he is counting down inside his head. Maybe he is.

I don’t think I’ll ever know him the same way that she did.

I don’t need to though. I need him to love me.

Which he will.

“I want to play a game.”

---