Page 1 of The Black Lotus
ONE
SERENA
It’s been a month since Zephira came, and I moved into Aster’s home. It’s weird not falling asleep in my own bed, but he’s made the transition feel like a breeze.Like I’m right where I was always meant to be.By his side. Sleeping and waking up next to him every day. Even though it’s only been a few weeks, it feels like years; maybe because I’ve been dreaming of him for so long, obsessed with who he is secretly. I’m in love with the monster he hides from the world. I feel incredibly lucky I get to know the realhim.
The last month has been a whirlwind, but Aster was there for me. With my world being completely turned upside down and my life changing in the blink of an eye, he made sure everything went smoothly. The move, getting me settled in, even giving me more than half of his closet for my clothes. The small gestures really made me forget the chaos around me and quieted my dark thoughts.
At first, I didn’t know how to process the fact that his parents were alive, and some of the world's most notorious serial killers. The Patchwork Killers. That was a hard pill to swallow, but after I quickly got over that fact, I had a little fangirl moment.
What are the odds that not only did I fall in love with my favorite serial killer of all time, but his parents are legends. The true crime junkie in me was ecstatic at that thought. But the more rational side, one that, let’s be honest, isn’t as mindful as it should be, was actually afraid. Was it just his mom, or did both of his parents want me dead? Will Aster truly protect me from the two people who raised him? Or will he choose them in the end and I once again become one of his little lambs? I shiver at that haunting thought, and try to shake off the unease of the unknown.
Aster has doubled all the security, upgraded his locks, and holds me close at night when we sleep, just so he knows I’m safe. It is honestly comforting having him protect me every night. Asters smell alone calms my nerves.
Aster has been teaching me everything he knows from fighting, to most importantly, not getting caught. He hasn’t taught me how to dispose of a body properly yet, but that is something he said needs to be taught when it happens. I’m assuming that will be when we kill the first assassin, if they ever come that is.
I’m exhausted and my muscles ache from the amount of training Aster has me doing, waking up parts of my body I have neglected for so long. Drinking more coffee than I have ever consumed just to stay awake, but the stress of it all is slowly making me go more insane than I already am.I still can’t believe she views me being with her son as a threat.She doesn’t even know me, or what I’m capable of. But if she wants a fight, then a war is what she will receive. My teeth grate at the thought of her disturbing the life me and Aster are trying to create. If she thinks sending serial killers after me is going to extinguish my existence, then I’ll show her that her son fell in love with the killer forged from nightmares.
Aster stands in front of me, shirtless, in the gray sweatpants he knows drive me wild. My eyes travel his body as he points to the newest suspect. We go over potential killers three times, to get them engraved in my brain. The way they kill, how they operate, what to do if either of us gets caught. This is the first lesson I’m hearing about this killer, but the way his abs constrict everytime he lifts his arm higher distracts me from his teachings, and I mindlessly bite my bottom lip, a quiet groan escaping me. The sound of the marker I hear, even in my sleep, stops.
“Serena,” he warns, eyes never leaving the board.He only calls me by my name when it’s serious and not paying attention to the people who want me dead is a punishable offense.My body heats at the thought. I reluctantly tear my gaze away meeting his heated stare, my breath catching in my throat.
I cross my arms, moving restlessly against the island countertop I’m sitting on, calming the heat rising in me. “It’s not my fault you decided to look like a snack during our lessons knowing damn well I’m hungry.” He turns to face me, and I look down at Asters growing erection, his appetite as evident as mine.
Aster smirks. “If you’re a good girl and can tell me what you learned proving you were in fact paying attention, I might be inclined to… reward you. If you're bad, then I will tie your hands behind your naked back, stroke my cock inches from your face, and come all over your chest. Never letting you feel or taste what your greedy cunt craves.”
My mouth clamps shut, a whimper falls from my throat, and I pull my legs underneath me. Aster’s eyes dip to my chest, my cut up shirt distracting him from continuing. His throat bobs, body leaning towards mine before he tears his gaze from his favorite stress reliever. Reluctantly turning back to the board to finish the lesson.
He’s currently tracking a female killer, who uses a katana as her preferred weapon. The media calls her the DishonoredBushi. I scan the crime scene photos Aster placed up. Each victim's body was hunched over, their hands holding the katana that they used to end their own lives. Under the motive section Aster writes in big red letters,seppuku, a ritual suicide. She only attacks in the dead of night, and the body of her victims is found a week after they go missing at the exact time she took them. Dishonored Bushi’s body count is only five, the strikes she makes with the blade are precise, meant to torture and cause maximum pain but not kill. How she gets them to end themselves is a big mystery. One thing is for certain, she is one of the killers I don’t want to cross paths with. My body erupts with goosebumps, a shiver racking up my spine with the thought of being caught by her crosses my mind. I rub my arms, wrapping them around myself in a protective way, as I read over all of Aster's notes.
“Can my little vixen tell me what she has learned?” Aster turns around, tucking his thumbs into the waistband of his sweats, pulling them down slightly, waiting for my answer.
“I could, but then I wouldn’t be getting the punishment I love,” I tease, jumping off the island and taking slow, sultry steps toward him.
He doesn’t move a muscle, seemingly unaffected at my attempts to taunt him. I bite my lip, ignoring Aster's feeble attempt to hide his want for me. My fingers walk slowly up his chest, his heart beating steadily. Once I reach his chin, I pull his lower lip, feeling his breath ghosting over my finger. I shiver with anticipation, knowing I got him right where I want him, I lean my body against his chest, his gaze dipping to the opening of my shirt.
“Careful, little vixen, if you don’t behave, I might not be inclined to show you the surprise I’ve been working on.”
“Surprise?” I step back, a Cheshire like smile creeping across my lips.
He steps to the side, the cards being turned against me, and I follow Aster out of the kitchen then up the stairs.
Staying on his trail, I pester him about the surprise. “Did you get me a flamethrower?” Silence greets me, “Is it a new toy to test on my victims?” I poke at his back, my steps in sync with his. “Hmm, I know!” I say tapping my finger against my lip, “A new toy for the bedroom.” Still nothing, knowing he has this round, I give into what he wants and tell him what I learned. “You were teaching me about the Dishonored Bushi.” I say, stopping him in his tracks at our bedroom door. His foot begins to hover over the step and the words fly out of me. “She always attacks at night and kills within a week.” His foot hits the step in front of him and I spew the rest of what was splayed on the board. “She somehow has them kill themselves and is a bad ass bitch I don’t want to come after me. But if she ever did come after me there is no way she would ever get me to kill myself, or you for that matter, no matter the type of torture she puts me throu-”
His finger silences my ramble. “Very good, little vixen.” He locks his arms around my legs and throws me over his shoulder. I lift my head slightly, Aster side eying me as I ask excitedly, “Are you taking me to my surprise?”
He doesn’t answer, simply turning forward and proceeding to walk back down the stairs, my body bouncing with each step. He doesn’t pause or lose his grip as he slips his boots on, striding through our yard towards the direction of the kill shed, a place neither of us have been since I killed Bradley. Excitement courses through me from the memory of that fateful evening, the night everything changed.
The night I finally accepted the darkness and became who I was always meant to be.
As we walk, my mind races with what my surprise could be.
“Have you finally decided to dispose of your little lamb?” I tease, despite knowing I won’t get an answer.
It’s funny, how the one person who meant to kill me is the one who showed me I am just like him. I was upset when Aster told me the truth, showing me who he really is. But I didn’t have much time to process it before the truth of who I really am was revealed to me. The memories of what I did consumed me entirely. I accepted it. Embraced it. Reveled in it. That’s what makes moving on easy. There was a monster dormant inside me for so long, being set free wasn’t difficult. It was welcomed. Wanted. A part of me finally became whole, the darkness lurking beneath the surface fully exposed to the harsh light of reality. Now my beast is awake, and it’ll never be put back to sleep.
I don’t want it to.
For so long I have been fascinated by serial killers. Their methods. Their kills. Their desires. What are the odds I fall in love with my favorite killer?
