Page 190 of Shadow

“You’ve never looked more beautiful,” I murmured, kissing her lips gently.

She bit my bottom lip, drawing blood before she sucked gently against it.

“Careful, cupcake. You’re making my cock hard again,” I warned softly when she pulled away.

She let out a breathy laugh before jumping onto Sin’s back. He laughed, hefted her up, and carried her piggyback style as we all walked Sister Esther’s remains to where Mirage fed the wolves.

Speaking of the devil…

“Where’s Asylum?” I asked, looking around to find that he was gone.

“Probably talking to that fucking eyeball like it’s his precious,” Stitches said, dropping his end of the body bag at the feed zone.

Sin unzipped the bag, and we dumped everything into a pile and backed away. The wolves howled in the distance, the scent of their food on the air.

“Come,” Church said gruffly, backing away.

We followed him deeper into the thick Michigan trees and waited. Within thirty minutes, the wolves arrived and began to feed.

“He really does feed the wolves. I thought he might be fucking with us,” Ashes murmured.

“Come on. We need to go to the cemetery,” Church said, backing away.

We followed, finally removing our masks.

“Why?” Stitches asked.

“New traditions,” Church murmured, taking Sirena’s hand in his while I held her other hand.

We made it to the cemetery, and Church pushed Sirena to Sin.

“Dance with her, brother. She said she missed you last time.”

Sin smiled and hauled Sirena against him before dancing with her through the tombstones, her laughter on the night air.

Stitches pulled out a joint, and we all smoked while we watched. Church soon joined Sirena and Sin before Stitches and Ashes did.

I stood by, watching like I always did, a smile on my face.

When Sirena came to me and took my hand in hers, I moved.

“You’re one of us… Shadow,” she said softly, wrapping her blood-stained arms around my neck.

“I am,” I answered, grinning down at her before I swept her through the tombstones, her laughter just for me.

I’d spent so much of my life in the shadows that it felt good to finally be seen. It took me years to find people who understood me and to realize it wasn’t just a roof over your head that made a home. It wasn’t furniture or a bed. It wasn’t clothes and food.

It was the people you loved and who loved you back.

The ones who accepted you.

The ones who would kill and bleed for you.

The watchers and my cupcake…they were my home.

And there was no place like home.

ASYLUM

---