Page 238 of Like Grim Death: Part One
But Lilith brushes her fingers over my neck. “You can tell me anything. I’m not going to leave you, baby.”
My chest feels so tight. Like it might fucking burst.
I wrap both arms around her hips, holding her even tighter, dropping my head lower, to the crook of her neck, which is a long way down, but god, I love how she feels in my arms. So small but strong andmine. All. Fucking. Mine.
“You’re not?” I ask her, speaking against her bare skin.
She shivers in my arms, but she steps closer, still playing with the hair at the base of my neck. “No.” It sounds real. It soundstrue.“I’m right here. I’m alwaysright here.”She presses a kiss to my heart, over my hoodie, our words muffled because we’re buried in each other. “Tell me anything.” It sounds like a plea. “Tell me everything.”
I think of the rope. The dirt. The circle. Vague memories that keep intruding inside my brain. The place.Shadow Villa.
I can’t get it out, and I wish I could. I wish she could too. I wish we could come clean, vomit up our nightmares to make way for better dreams.
But I can’t speak, and I’m thinking of Sevryn, and where he came from.Moscow,they said. I think they’re lying too. At the very least, I’m not getting the entire story.
I think everyone is a fucking liar.
But not Sid.Not my wife.
So I just give her a truth. “I can’t,” I say, my voice hoarse. “Right now…I can’t.”
And she gives me her own honesty back. “I know.” And she does. “But just stay right here until the wave passes, okay?”
I swallow the knot in my throat, gripping her tighter. Right now, it’s just me and her. It’s just us, burning in our own hell. Tomorrow, we’ll rule over it again. Tomorrow, we’ll take our places back on the throne.
But tonight, we’re just two devils drowning.
“Okay, baby girl.”
“There are other things,Mavy. There are more important things.”
My phone buzzes in my pocket as I lead Ella toward Liber. Everything she told me—and not just about Atlas—is at the forefront of my mind. My anger at Sid grows with every step I fucking take. Ella kept a secret for her then my girl finds me and my sister in the pool together? No wonder she was so hurt. And besides that, Sid should’ve fucking known better. She should’ve told Lucifer, at the very least. And who the fuck told her? Why is she protecting them?
And Atlas giving Ella drugs… yeah, that’s a fucking problem for me. Not to mention the fact maybe I wouldn’t have acted like a total dick last night with the gun if I knew Ella wason fucking drugs.
Cold wind drifts over my neck as I tug Ella to a stop, shoving my free hand into my pocket. I’ll have a lot of shit to deal with inside this mansion but when I see Father Tomas’s name on the screen of my phone, I hold Ella’s green gaze and answer the call.
It’s nearly midnight. He must have something important to fucking say.
“What?” I hiss, darting my gaze to the guards on either side of the door ahead. More, up on the edges of the roof, walking with rifles in hand, barely visible beneath the sliver of moon.
“Maverick.” Tomas whispers my name.
Unease has my teeth clenching together. I tighten my fingers around both my phone and Ella’s hand as she looks at me beneath worried brows.
“Listen to me,” the priest continues. “You need torun.All of you.Now.”
A shudder dips through me, and I turn to glance over my shoulder at the meandering driveway leading away from Liber. “Why?” I ask through gritted teeth.
Tomas’s breath causes static to fill the line. Even so, I don’t pull the phone away from my ear. “Boaz is coming, and he’s bringing the police.”
I don’t believe him for the span of a second. The fuckingcops?I’m not surprised Mikhail would have control over them, but why would he want to involve them with us? Except… it’s payback, isn’t it? For Lucifer leaving Esther alive. Helping Finn escape. Killing his men. It’s fucking revenge in the worst way. We can’t start shooting cops because yeah, sure, we’ll get away with it, but it makes everything incredibly fucking messy. So Mikhail brings them here and we have no choice but to fucking surrender. It’s not the same as firing on one of our own.
And what is Mikhail going to do to me, for not obeying his command to ensure Lucifer follows orders?
“Fuck!”I curse under my breath, still staring out at the rolling, dark lawn of Liber. I think I hear phantom sirens in the air, but I hope it’s only my high mind playing tricks on me.
Ella’s fingers tighten in mine as I close my eyes, chest heaving. I need to talk to Lucifer about what his wife is hiding from him and I need to fuck Atlas up for giving Ella drugs. But first I have to ensure we’re all safe enough to let that showdown happen.
