Page 266 of Quinlan

Behind us, Rex’s muffled screams and groans are a background noise. The last of the flames are taking care of Aria’s remains. My friends are breathing.

Fuck,I’mbreathing. I’m smiling.

I let the knife stay pressed between us and touch her. Quinlan’s chin feels right in my grasp, her hair soft in my fist.

“You have no idea what you do to me.” My teeth bite into her bottom lip so hard I taste blood. I taste war. Survival. Revenge. I lick it off her. Suck it into my mouth, taking it for myself. “No goddamn idea, darling.”

“Let’s do it.” Her eyes sparkle. Alive. So alive. Even—fuck, no,especially—when I yank harder on her hair. “He has to pay for what he’s done. To you, to your friends.”

“This is for you, more than anyone else.” Kissing her is as inevitable as breathing. “He won’t apologize. Won’t mean it, that’s for sure. You’re owed this.”

“Wedo,” she insists.

“Okay. Okay. We do.”

Her teeth are white and perfect as her face splits into a wide smile. A deviant one. She knows what I’m waiting for.

That damn word.

She makes me wait.

Her hand on my chest flips carefully, brings the knife up between us. Asking me to take it from her. I remove my fingers from her chin, and she shoves the knife into my hand.

Still, nothing. Even when I tug on her hair.

I. Need. To. Hear. It.

“Quinlan,” I warn. I’m back to being this beast. The man behind the suit smirks.

Hell-bent on revenge. Hard on torturing her. The man who’s finally got the girl.

Her free hand hikes her shirt up, revealing her marked belly. Her scars are gorgeous. Three stripes for the three men who’ll love her to their dying breath.

“Put your hands on me.” Quinlan completely ignores her half-brother’s muted protests.

My two best friends gather around us. Their support is as strong as it’s ever been.

All the things we wrote in our notebook. All the plans we’ve made. The support we’ve given each other through the years.

This isn’t ideal, our situation. We’ll never have a fairytale ending. Our starting point was rotten to the core. Our souls will forever be dark and twisted.

There’s no changing that.

I’m not sure either of us wants that.

Quinlan included. Her depraved sense of justice is as violent and unapologetic as ours.

With three right hands flattened on her toned stomach, we’re on the path to closure. The scars on our fingers cover the ones on her skin.

Yeah. Full motherfucking circle.

“Quinlan.” I need the word from her. Need the approval.

She’ll give it to me. Or she’ll be punished until she does.

Either works for me.

Quinlan’s head twists slowly so the three of us can see the sincerity in her eyes. The madness. What a beautiful fucking mess she’s turned into.

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