Page 55 of Anathema Codex

Ichabod nudges the boy forward, and I grin at him as Red and the kid walk out the front door. He taps one of his shoes on the floor beside the steadily spreading pool of blood, staring down for a moment before he finds his balls again and looks up at me. "Promise me I'll get to see Bea, Lakyn."

"Don't I always keep my word?" I reply, winking at him as I point at the body with the hatchet. "Make sure you handle that, or it's going to suck in here in a day or two."

Slamming the door before Ichabod can start to get emotional over me leaving, I walk out into the sunlight, whistling to myself as I watch the kid dig out a pair of duffel bags from the back of the SUV. I’m about to toss my shit in my car, when I look over at the SUV and grin. Why should I put the miles on my car when the kid has something shiny and new.

Heading across the road, I shove my keys in my pocket and grin when the kid freezes near the open back. “We’ll take your car. It’s spacious, better for road trips. Keys?”

I hold out my hand and he grinds his teeth for a few seconds, but I’m not above breaking a few of them if it means he won’t waste any more of my time. Lucky for him, he digs them out and shoves them into my hand with a muttered phrase I don’t bother trying to make out.

“Smart move.” Turning on my heel, I hop into the driver’s seat and toss my shit inside, making sure the hatchet is within reach in the back floorboard before I tuck my current pack of cigarettes in the visor.

Lighting up, I crank the car on and roll the window down before I start tapping the horn when the kid is taking his sweet time rearranging the bags in the back.

"The devil waits for no one!" I shout over my shoulder and angle the rearview mirror to watch the kid glaring at me just as Daphne starts to get in the backseat. I shake my head and tap the passenger headrest. "Up here. I don't want the kid getting too attached."

She smiles at me as she climbs in the front seat and I know this was the right choice. The kid is just going to glare at me for a while, and I'd much rather be worshiped by the person in my peripheral vision.

Next stop, Satan's doorstep.

THREE

Replacements and Resentments

AFTYN

I have my eyes closed and my back so firmly planted in the seat that I could almost swear I’m trying to become one with it.

It smells mostly like Daphne, but like Dexter too. The one scent I never want to lose is the one that belonged to my best friend, Willa, but I know that Lakyn’s constant smoking will blot that out just like Daphne did her life.

‘I fed her to the fucking wolves,’I think miserably, and I feel angry as a tear rolls down my cheek. We loved each other—even if not in the way I knew we could—but in the way that best friends often do.

And I guess karma played her hand earlier than I would have imagined.

I took out Dexter for trying to keep Wills to himself and Daphne killed her to keep Lakyn to herself.

All because I didn’t want to stand down on a dare.

“Crying again?” The amused, disapproving tone of Lakyn floats back toward me and I open my eyes to meet his in the rearview mirror.

I wipe my sweaty palms against my jeans and clear my throat. He’s nothing like I’d hoped he would be. He’s cruel, clearly doesn’t give two shits about anything other than himself, and maybe Daphne.

Maybe Mom wasn’t so bad after all.

“My best friend was just murdered in front of me. You’ll have to forgive me if—”

Lakyn lets out a loud, fake snoring sound and I grit my teeth when he turns his eyes toward Daphne and smirks.

The urge to lean forward and pull the steering wheel is starting to build inside of me. I doubt that anyone would mourn either of us if I managed to flip the SUV, unless…

“Didn’t mean to bore you,” I begin in a clipped, conversational tone. “Your boyfriend is a hell of a lot more interesting, anyway.”

Lakyn stiffens.

A small smile begins to creep across my lips as he turns his eyes back toward the road and I watch his knuckles turn white. It seems that the great Lakyn Meyer has a switch that’s easily flipped and I think it’ll be fun to play with it.

“Ease up on the steering wheel, Pops,” I continue breezily. “Wills loved this fucking truck.”

If he wants to be malicious, two can play this fucking game.

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