Page 45 of Shadow

Sighing, I gave her a hug and looked over her head to Church, glaring at us.

“It’s not her fault,” I repeated. “They did it to save Sirena. Not to hurt her.”

“You think I don’t fucking know that?” he snarled back. “I get that fucking part. What I don’t like is the goddamn aftermath and all these fucking tears for shit we can’t change.” He reached out and tugged her roughly away from me and gave her a shake. “Get your motherfucking shit together, Claws. No tears in my house from you. You had ample fucking time to cut ties with Adam, and you didn’t. You kept clinging to him like a bad memory. And now look. Do you see the shit we’re all dealing with now? This is on you. Take fucking responsibility for your bullshit so people don’t have to suffer because of the fallout. I don’t know what you have to do, but put that shit-eating grin back onto your face so my girl doesn’t suffer. Got it?” He shook her once more.

She blubbered for a moment before nodding her head.

“O-OK. F-For Rina.”

“Good,” he said gruffly, releasing her. “Now get the fuck out of my sight.”

She cast me a sad look before darting out of the room.

“You don’t have to be so mean,” I muttered.

“Fuck her. She’s caused a metric shit ton of problems already. I knew she’d be a fucking liability. Was I wrong?” He glared at me.

I sighed and shook my head. “She’s Sirena’s sister. Try to be a little more compassionate, OK? I know you don’t want to hurt Sirena, but hurting and intimidating Cadywillhurt Sirena. Get what I’m saying?”

He grunted at me and looked back to the doorway Cady had run through before he tugged at his hair.

“Whatever. Just get her out of my damn house for the night and make sure nothing happens to her. I have enough shit to worry about. I don’t need more.”

And with those words, he stomped out of my room.

“Fucking hell,” I muttered into the empty room. “God, help us.”

I wasn’t someone who prayed often, but I think it was time I started.

SIRENA

The sound of the front door opening and closing made me pause in my painting as I sat in Church’s room later that evening. Frowning, I looked at the clock to see that it was time for Asylum to pick me up.

Quickly, I got up and ran to the bathroom, where I ran a brush through my hair before cleaning the paint from my fingers. I dotted on cherry lip gloss and added some mascara to my lashes before quickly changing out of my Chapel Crest uniform. I hadn’t changed when I got home because I wanted to get some painting in.

I put on my favorite dress, which Cady had given me. It was purple with spaghetti straps. It was probably not weather-appropriate, but I wanted to feel pretty tonight. I adjusted the cross necklace around my neck before grabbing a white cardigan and pulling it on. I looked good.

The day had been decent. I was on cloud nine because Sin would be home tomorrow. Cady was back at school and trying to work through things. I felt like life was looking up. Inside my head wasn’t such a dark, twisted mess. I felt like I was acclimating to myself a bit more.

I went downstairs to find Asylum standing near the door, talking to Church. My nerves got the better of me as his blue eyes locked on mine. A smile curved his lips upward as he drank me in.

Church looked over his shoulder at me, a muscle thrumming along his jaw as his green eyes skirted up my body.

“You look beautiful, firefly,” Asylum said as I stepped up next to Church, who wasted no time in wrapping a possessive arm around my waist.

I felt my cheeks heat at his compliment. Asylum and I had a complicated relationship. I cared for him even though I knew I shouldn’t. It was messed up and twisted to have feelings for the guy who tried to kill you, yet here we were.

I’d gotten over a lot of my fear with him, but some still lingered. I fought it constantly, proving that even the little things can cause a hell of a lot of damage to someone’s mental state. I was constantly fighting with myself over my feelings regarding him.

“Remember what we discussed,” Church said to Asylum.

Asylum dragged his focus from me and looked at Church.“I don’t make promises I can’t keep. My little firefly is in so deep. I cannot control her urges or her soft lips. But don’t worry, Dante Church, I can control the pace of her hips.”

Church gave him a sour look. “Don’t fuck this up. I mean it.”

Asylum smirked at him. “There will be no fuck-ups. Only fucks.”

“Seth, I fucking mean it?—”

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