Fatal Vengeance: A Dark Enemies to Lovers Romance

18. Griffin

Prudence doesn’t speak for hours. She’s been stiff on the couch between Creed and I, while Ash curses and stomps around like he’s ready to tear strips off one of us, and Genevieve just about has a panic attack. I guess she isn’t used to having heads dropped off at her door. Creed and I have each tried to pull Prudence into our bodies, tried to comfort her with gentle touches and soft words, but she’s just… gone.

Our Prudence is gone.

The only thing left behind is a beautiful shell of a tragically broken girl.

“We need a plan. No more running, she’s right. We have to go on the offensive and meet them where they stand,” Creed mutters to me over Prudence’s head. He’s sitting as close to her as she’d let him, and even then, I can tell he’s itching to lift her into his lap and try to carry her pain. Or maybe that’s just me.

I nod slowly, giving it some thought, but honestly? It makes me feel sick. I don’t want to fight The Celestials. I’ve been doing it my entire life, it feels like. I just want to run far, far fucking away and never have to think about those sick fucks ever again.

Is that really too much to ask?

Asher plops down on the armchair across from us, watching Prudence carefully, and a little manically. “If she won’t get her stubborn ass in my car, then I guess we have no choice.”

I roll my eyes, because a fight between Prudence and Asher right now is not my idea of a good time.

Asher sees my irritation, his emerald eyes searing into me, and then grits out, “I’m not trying to be a dick, okay? I think running is our best bet, but Prudence doesn’t. Fine.” He pauses, scrubbing a hand through his hair and leaving it in disarray. “But I also don’t think we’ll win this fight. I really don’t. So if she wants to stay here, then… she’s signing our death warrants. I hope you’re all prepared for that.”

The silence is uncomfortable, not one of us speaking against Asher. I don’t know what Creed’s deal is, but for me… Yeah, I gotta say I agree with Asher a hundred and ten percent. This is not a war we can win, no matter how badly we want to. We should have been planning for this, for the inevitable battle looming over us, but between fleeing campus, having to run from the hotel, and then dealing with Irene”s belongings, we really haven”t had a ton of free time to plot out our next moves and figure out how to beat The Celestials.

“I might be able to help,” Genevieve murmurs as she hesitantly walks into the living room, chewing her bottom lip while she flicks her eyes to the table. She looks pale and a little sweaty, and I know she”s been in the bathroom puking more than once in the last couple hours. Guilt eats at me, because this is our doing. Genevieve left her normal life to help us hide in this cabin, and at the time, she had no idea just how bad things could get.

Thankfully, Asher dealt with the head, burying it outside with a makeshift cross in respect for Annie, but that doesn’t mean we’re all suddenly comfortable here. Or that we’ll ever forget the smell. Personally, I think this cabin needs to burn down, but as long as Prudence won’t leave, then I’ll put up with the lingering stench of death and rot.

Prudence looks up at her sister, the first real signs of life in her for the last two hours, but when Genevieve doesn’t rush to explain, Asher raises his brows and snaps, “Well, don’t keep us all waiting in suspense here. I’ve personally had enough of it for one day.”

Wringing her fingers together, looking like she’s about to puke again, Genevieve blurts out, “I have an ex who— Well… she hates my fucking guts, but she’s a reporter and I think she’d be willing to do a piece on The Celestials. No better way of getting a promotion than dragging rich, powerful people’s dirty secrets through the mud on national television.”

“How does that help keep us alive?” Creed asks while Asher just leans forward with his elbows on his knees and buries his face in his hands. Prudence is still silent, watching her sister carefully, but with an eerily blank face that tells me she’s still very much shut down.

I desperately want to curl her up in my arms and coax some life back into her.

Genevieve shrugs one shoulder, toying with the ends of her long hair nervously. “It would keep them all busy, wouldn’t it? If all these influential people are being ousted for their sins, they’d be scrambling to cover their shit up. It’s not a permanent fix, I know that, but…” She trails off, looking defeated as if we’ve all turned her down already. She looks at Prudence, brows furrowed in concern, and mumbles, “It’s the only way I can help. This cabin was supposed to be a safe place for you guys, and I feel like I’ve let you down… I’m sorry.”

Before she can walk away, I speak up. “Get in contact with your ex.” She blinks at me like maybe she misheard me, and Creed and Asher both shoot looks my way, but I can’t be bothered to try and decipher what they’re not saying. Holding Genevieve’s stare, I add, “It’s not enough to win, you’re right, but it’s a good first step. Our first move against them. Let’s get it in motion before any more heads show up.”

Some of the heavy tension in her shoulders deflates, and she gives me the barest nod and smile. “I’ll go call her, then. Hopefully, she’s, um, receptive. This only works if she actually answers the phone.” Then she turns to head down the hall toward her bedroom.

When Genevieve is gone, Asher sighs and pushes to his feet. “I’m going to sort out some security for the cabin. I won’t be able to sleep in this place until there are motion sensors and proper cameras on every goddamn inch of the property, ones that can”t be hacked so easily.”

I watch as he stalks off, rage still radiating from his every muscle, and I’m torn. Do I stay with Prudence while she’s so totally broken? Or do I go after Asher and offer him my company and support?

Creed sees the indecision in my expression and he jerks his head after Asher, mumbling, “Go on, Griff. He needs you. I’ve got Prudence.”

I dart my eyes down to my girl, and she swallows roughly as she meets my gaze. She tries to give me a soft smile, but it looks more heartbroken than anything. “I’m fine, Griffin. Go,” she assures me in a soft whisper.

I hesitate, hating the thought of leaving her and also hating the thought of Asher being alone right now. But when Prudence sighs and finally, finally leans into Creed’s side, letting him wrap an arm around her and hold her tight, something in my chest eases.

She isn’t broken beyond repair. She’s not shutting us out. She’ll get through this, because she’s the strongest fucking woman I’ve ever met.

Testing my luck, I press a tender kiss to her forehead, aching when she closes her eyes and a single tear rolls down her cheek. I swipe it away with my thumb, give Creed a look that says take care of her, and then I stand and head off after Asher.

I find him pacing outside, one hand rubbing the back of his neck while he speaks to someone on the new burner phone he purchased after his dad texted the last one. There’s no reason The Celestials can’t somehow find this one too, but Asher refused to not have a phone in case of emergency. He glances at me, a deep frown marring his handsome face, and then turns away and paces some more.

I wait patiently, hands shoved in my pockets, while Asher talks. I’m not necessarily trying to eavesdrop, but I manage to hear enough snippets to gather he’s grilling someone about getting cameras out here today. Whoever he’s speaking to must be a security professional, someone not tied into The Celestials. Asher barks orders and makes pissy demands, and by the time he’s finished on the phone, I actually feel sorry for whoever he was talking to.

When he pockets the cell, Asher finally stops pacing and faces me. “We’ll have a full security set up out here in an hour. I’m going to keep an eye on the girls until it’s done.” That’s it, that’s all he says, and then he tries to walk past me and back into the house.

I step into his path, putting my hand on his shoulder. “What did that cost you?” I mutter, shifting a little uncomfortably on my feet. When he raises a brow at me, I quickly add, “I can help. I have a bit of cash I packed when we left school. This isn’t your burden to shoulder alone, Asher.”

Asher closes his eyes, pushing a hand through his hair and tugging on the roots. “He’s taking my Hellcat as payment,” he rasps, shrugging like it’s no big deal, but I know it’s killing him. Asher got that car on his sixteenth birthday, and he’s treated it like his baby ever since. Prudence popping the tires just about started world war three.

I take a step closer, shaking my head at him even though his eyes are still closed. “No. Let me help. Creed has a bit too, I’m sure he does. We’ll cover the cost between the three of us. You don’t need to get rid of your car.”

“We can’t cover the cost, Griff. There’s no way you and Creed both brought ten grand with you,” he says with a humorless, helpless laugh. Asher peers over his shoulder at his beloved car, a deep, troubled sigh leaving him. “It’s just a car. What’s that compared to our lives? If trading it for cameras and alarms and shit helps keep us all safe while Prudence refuses to leave this goddamn cabin, then I’ll do it… I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe. It”s the least I can offer after…” He doesn”t finish, but I know he means after the way he tormented her for months. I don”t know if that guilt will ever leave him, even if he manages to gain her forgiveness.

I nod because I understand that sentiment. I’d slaughter, maim, and torture for Prudence, leaving a bloody trail behind me if it was the only way to keep her safe. And fuck, I’d do it with a goddamn smile.

“Have you told her that?” I press gently. I’m aware that he’s all sorts of triggered and terrified right now and he’s not really thinking straight, so I don’t want to piss him off even more, but I feel like this needs to be said.

Asher’s lip curls in a small scowl, his eyes hard and flat on me. “She knows.”

I roll my eyes without even meaning to. “Does she? Because you’ve been a snarling dick all day, Ash. How would Prudence know that’s coming from a deep sense of protection and fear if you haven’t explicitly told her as much? I mean, for all she knows, you’re slipping back into your asshole ways and snapping at her every time she even breathes wrong.”

A flicker of realization flashes in his green eyes, and I could almost laugh if I didn’t think it would piss him off. Clueless. That”s all he is when it comes to her.

“Fuck,” he breathes out, tipping his head back to stare at the sky. “I don’t know how to be the perfect guy for her. I don’t even know if she wants that from me. We had that one heated moment in the hall, but she’s hardly looked at me since. I’m sure I’ve fucked something else up without even meaning to, because I’m apparently an asshole caveman who can’t just speak to her. And now all this today, me snapping at everyone… I’m an idiot. A scared idiot, and that”s only made it worse. I should just leave her to you and Creed, so I can’t hurt her again.”

I chuckle under my breath at his dramatics. ”You are an idiot caveman with no manners or charm, but that’s okay, man. Prudence doesn’t want perfection from any of us. She just wants us, however we come.” Asher frowns, his brows furrowed as he looks at me like that doesn’t make any sense. I smile softly, adding, ”She just wants to feel important. Cared for and precious. I guarantee she doesn’t even mind you being a dick most of the time, as long as she knows that she matters to you. She spent most of her life feeling alone and neglected, lost and guarded. Think about that, Ash. And once you have your shit figured out, go to her. Talk. No snarling, no attitude, don’t be a bully. And don’t fuck her.” I give him a pointed, stern look at that last bit.

Asher rolls his eyes with a teasing, cocky little smirk, shoving my shoulder as he drawls, “What? Only you and Creed can sleep with her then?”

Shaking my head, I rasp, “I just mean that… look, things have been rocky between you two. Don’t push things until she’s sure of her place in your life. Don’t fuck her and leave her to wonder if you’re playing another game to hurt her. Wait until she knows how you feel. That’s all I’m saying, okay?”

Asher’s face sobers again, and with a rough swallow, he nods slowly. “Right. So, don’t be myself, basically.”

“No,” I reply softly, taking his hand in mine and threading our fingers. “That’s exactly what you need to do, Ash. Be yourself. The real you. Give Prudence a chance to get to know the Asher that I’ve been obsessed with for years. I think you might surprise her.”

He huffs out a breath, turning away, but not before I see the faint blush creeping over his cheeks. I could rib him about it, but I’m not pressing my luck here. This moment, despite the head showing up and the security issues and the constant fear, feels so fucking right. Just me and Asher, holding hands outside like two lovers whose lives aren’t crumbling down around them.

I could get used to this.

We stand together in silence for a long while, just soaking in the fresh air and nature and the knowledge that we”ve survived up to this point. I rub my thumb over his hand mindlessly while I envision a future for us all that doesn”t involve constant threats from the only people in this world who were supposed to love and protect us; our fucking parents. I picture barbeques on warm summer days. Late nights curled in front of a fireplace during vicious storms. I imagine Asher smiling easier than he ever has, Prudence laughing without any pain in her eyes, and Creed feeling truly free for the first time in his life. I see myself happy and safe, surrounded by the people I”ve chosen as family.

If nothing else, those images of a possible future are going to keep me fighting, even when it seems like The Celestials have the upper hand. I won”t stop until I make that future my reality.

Eventually, Asher looks at me with a vulnerable expression, his eyes flicking across my face before he mutters, “You know that I love you, right? You’ve always been my safe place, Griff. My voice of reason. When you were attacked, when you laid in that hospital bed with stitches and gauze keeping your neck together, deathly pale and asleep for fucking days, I…” He pauses when his voice breaks, his eyes slamming closed, and I can’t take a second longer of his pain.

I lean in and seal my lips over his, speaking a thousand things with my tongue that my throat is too raw to admit. That I love him too, always fucking have. That I’d kill for him just as much as I’d kill for Prudence. And that this thing between all of us is messy and complicated and might not work, but fuck, I’m willing to give it my all and try to keep this screwed up little family of ours all together.

Asher breaks the kiss far too quick, and drags his lips across my bearded jaw and down my throat, where he kisses the ugly scar there. There’s nothing innately sexual in it, just a tender kiss like he’s thankful that the wound healed and didn’t kill me, but my cock springs to life in my jeans anyway.

I want his lips on me, his hands roaming, our hips crashing together in desperation. I want that so fiercely that I have half a mind to beg for it. But then I hear the faint sound of tires rolling over gravel, and I know whoever Asher called for security is here, and annoyingly early.

With a tortured groan, I step back from Asher, even though it takes every ounce of my willpower. He meets my gaze and smirks, licking his bottom lip as if he knows the effect he has on me and my dick.

“As much as I want to fuck you against your car in a farewell to the damn thing, we’re out of time,” I say, clearing my throat to rid myself of the husky, turned on tone my voice has. I hook my thumb over my shoulder right as some black supped up truck pulls up, saying, “I’ll make everyone something to eat while you get this taken care of. Let me know if you need me.”

Asher nods, shoving his hands in his pockets, and I turn to head back inside. “I need you,” he calls out, halting my steps. When I turn back to face him, he adds, “I don’t mean right now, with the security bullshit, but every day. Always. I need you, Griffin. And I”m sorry if you ever believed otherwise. I”m trying to fix it, though. Fix everything I”ve fucked up. Just… don”t give up on me. Don”t ever stop being my voice of reason.”

Something warm and tingly unfurls in my stomach, and I’m sure my answering grin is all boyish and sappy, but I can’t help it. “I could never give you up,” I promise before ducking inside the cabin and praying my cheeks aren’t as red as my girl’s hair.