Page 81 of Anathema Codex

Don’t lose control.

Show him what you showed Mom.

I reach into my pocket and pull the knife out. The one still stained with Willa’s blood; the one that I’ll soon coat with theirs before I turn it on myself and open my own throat so I can be with my best friend again.

I close my eyes for a moment and tell myself to show him what he’s looking for and a little more.

Using my foot, I swat his hands away from the bed as I push myself up to my elbows and look at the captive next to me.

I run a hand back through my hair and push myself off the bed to take my jacket off. I can smell the fear on her because she thinks she knows what’s going to happen. She thinks I’m just going to fuck her, and maybe Pops, then we’ll let her go, but a witness is never a good thing to leave by the wayside.

I push Lakyn out of the way when I get to the foot of the bed. I want Allisandra’s fear to fuel me as much as I know Willa’s did to Daphne. Not that she had the chance to be afraid. She got attacked when she wasn’t ready for it, because if she had been, it wouldn’t have been her that died.

I take a deep breath and crack my neck, refusing to let another tear fall. Now is the time that I get to avenge my best friend and I’m going to do my darndest to make it happen.

“I’m already bored,” Lakyn deadpans and I turn to glare at him for a moment. It makes him chuckle; everything that seems to bother everyone in this world, makes that bastard smile.

Deep breath.

He’s not important.

Nothing is except for this moment.

I pull my shirt over my head and toss it onto the floor. Behind me, I can hear Lakyn shuffle away. A moment later, I hear the sound of the chair he was sitting in creak as he sits down, followed by the sound of another cigarette being lit.

“Come here, Red,” he says to Daphne. “Come sit with me and let’s see what he’s got.”

Another creak which I’m assuming is the table and all that’s left is for me to follow through. I don’t know why I feel the desperate need inside of me to prove myself to Lakyn, but I know there’s no other option left.

I reach for my belt and undo the buckle. Before I reach for my zipper, I retrieve the knife from my pocket and toss it onto the bed. It’s a dangerous move since either Lakyn or Daphne could easily swipe it and shank me with it, but that would mean that I’d get to be with Willa sooner rather than later, so I wouldn’t give a fuck. My only regret would be that they’d still be standing when I bled out.Focus.

I lean down like my father did and use my fists to push into the mattress. I want Allisandra’s eyes on me. I want her to see the intent in my eyes, I want her to fucking cry for Willa, and I want her to hurt as much as I do.

“Cigarette number two,” Lakyn announces in a bored tone.Flick. Inhale, exhale.

I stand back up to my full height and pull my zipper down, shove my jeans to my ankles, then step out of them.

Slipping a hand into the fly of my boxers, I give my dick a couple of tugs. Fucking with an audience? No problem. Being watched and judged by my father? New territory.

“Are you gonna get this going before I become old or do you need Red here to fluff you up?” Lakyn asks loudly.

Ignore him.

Deep breath.

Nothing matters.

Only Willa.

As soon as my dick starts to get hard, I grab the knife off the bed and climb on. The fair thing to do would be to cut her restraints, to give her a chance, but many late night card games with Wills taught me that fair can be boring.

Some of those nights would turn into us getting high or drunk. She’d let me finger fuck her until she came. I’d let her jerk me off until I blew a load all over her hand. Just the memory has me glancing down at her hair tie around my wrist.

Deep breath.

Inhale.

Exhale.

---