Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ash
We made the decision to take out Cal’s uncle first, since that cunt was out there trying to reprogram poor gay kids with this brutal ‘conversion therapy’, and that shit had to stop now.
I couldn’t wait to torture the fucker to death.
I hadn’t actually killed anyone before, which was kind embarrassing for a member of the Cross family.
I mean, hell, Blaze was involved in his first murder and fire as a baby!
I had serious catching up to do, and I was ready to start.
It couldn’t be that hard to do. It only takes a few seconds to end a life, only, as a Cross, we like to drag it out.
Even Cal had murdered someone before me. I was so behind.
“Ash, for fuck’s sake, I called you three times!
” Cal smacked the back of my head, and I spun on my heel to catch his arm before he lowered it, slamming him back against the wall, and crashing my lips against his.
Our kiss was aggressive, and had us rubbing our cocks against each other, even fully clothed, because I was always horny around him, and I think he was getting less inhibited about being out, and proud enough to kill for it.
“What the fuck, Ash,” he gasped out as I pulled back to gaze into his hazel eyes. Today they seemed to flash more green than brown at me, and I loved that they seemed to fluctuate like that.
“Ash!”
“Jesus, stop yelling at me, baby. What?”
“What are you doing?”
I grinned slowly at him. “You hit me, baby, and that’s foreplay.”
He groaned, pushing me away as he straightened up again, smoothing his t-shirt down, and by his, I mean mine. All my clothes were here now, after we moved us both in yesterday, and I promptly hid most of his clothes, because I wanted him wearing only mine.
“What the fuck does ‘Falling in Reverse’ mean, anyway. That’s standing still, right?” He’d stared at the t-shirt I’d tossed to him, like it was that hard to figure out.
“I’ll play you some of their songs, Cal, you’ll fucking love them. Ronnie Radke is my god, only he’s fucking real.”
He still flinched when I blasphemed so blatantly, but he hadn’t had one of his freak outs again when I’d touched him, which was a fucking relief. We hadn’t fucked again, but I was kinda hoping we’d do that in front of his uncle, just to mess him up.
Anyway, back to right now, and us heading off on our murder tour.
My dads had offered to come with, as had Blaze, and Ethan had practically begged to help us, so we’d eventually agreed to Blaze and Ethan coming along, but they knew it had to be Cal’s kill, because he needed to put an end to the fucker himself, and know he’d stopped him for good.
“They just pulled up outside,” Cal said, just as a horn started blaring obnoxiously outside, “that’s what I was trying to tell you while you zoned out.” I nodded and started to move, but Cal caught my wrist, stepping close to me again.
“Ash?”
I forced myself to focus on him, when my mind was already racing ahead to what we were heading out to achieve.
“Yeah?”
“Are you okay?”
I hesitated, because I hadn’t expected those words from him. He cared, I knew he did, and I think we’d been heading to some kind of obsessive love since we were teens, but this was like he genuinely wanted to check on my wellbeing.
“Me? It’s not my family we’re going to massacre. Spoiler alert, that’d never happen. My family is fucking awesome.”
He nodded, stroking my cheek. “Yeah, I think they probably are, but this is a big deal, what we’re about to do. Hell, I’m still borderline terrified at the prospect of even seeing him again, but you’re going through this too. I need you to be honest with me if you’re struggling with it.”
I swallowed hard, actually kinda choked up by his words, and his considerate nature.
“Uh… yeah, I mean, of course I am. I… it’s just…
” I glanced at the closed door, the sound of the car horn filling the air for the tenth time, “I guess it’s just a new thing for me.
I mean, the rest of my family wouldn’t even blink at this, but I think I’m just realising that ending a life isn’t something I thought I’d be doing. ”
“Even me?” Cal’s lips twitched a little, and I grinned, reaching up to rub my thumb over them.
“I was pissed as hell at you, and I guess I am at all of them, but it was more personal for me with you. I don’t think I could have.
That’s probably why I tried leaving it up to fate with the two of you.
Thank fuck you were the one who survived, because she had to die either way.
They all do.” I cleared my throat, and pasted on a smirk.
“Besides, I need to catch up with you, killer. You’re ahead by one right now, so I gotta find some bodies to drop too.”
“Don’t try that shit with me. Just promise me that you’ll talk to me if this gets too much. I know I’m acting strong right now, but I’m freaking out on the inside.”
“I know a cure for that, baby-”
“Come on, you fuckers! These assholes won’t kill themselves!” Ethan yelled from outside the door, banging his fist on it several times. Since the car horn was silent, we both knew exactly who’d been leaning on it this whole time.
“I swear he’s more insane than all of us. He was normal once. Kinda like you,” I whispered as I leaned forward and kissed Cal once more, “now let’s go massacre a whole bunch of fuckers who thought they could constrain you, and keep your dick from me.”
Yep. My walls were firmly back up where they belonged. This shit had to happen, and I was ready for it. I just hoped I wouldn’t pussy out in front of my family, and the man I loved.
Cal
You can call me a lot of things, but I never thought murderer would be one of them, and now look at me.
Ethan was driving the car, with Blaze in the front with him, and Ash and I were sitting in the back, and conversation washed over me now and then, but I wasn’t really paying attention to it.
I was already mentally back at my uncle’s compound, trying to figure out what I’d say, and how things would play out.
Would I have the balls to do this once we were there, faced with his sharp gaze, and his disdain, and his righteous belief that he’s all knowing, and all fucking powerful?
The monster had some kind of power over me, over people like me, those too weak to stick to their convictions, and who have no self-belief. How the hell was I supposed to stand up in front of him, and be strong, and… gay… and proud?
“Hey, wanna get out of your head, and talk to us, baby? We’re about to get our kill on!
” Ash’s enthusiasm was more endearing than I’d expected, but maybe that was because I could see and feel how nervous he was too.
The rest of his family was fucking certifiable, but Ash seemed vulnerable in a way I don’t think even he’d realised.
“What… what if I can’t?” I whispered, clinging to his hand like a fucking lifeboat, because I was suddenly so afraid he’d be disappointed in me, or ashamed of me.
I couldn’t handle another person seeing me as something to look down on, or reject.
I couldn’t be discarded or deemed unworthy by him too. Not him.
“It’s easy, you just do what you did to that bitch you killed.”
“Shut the fuck up, Ethan,” Ash yelled, ignoring the bastard’s laughter, while turning to face me, pulling on his seatbelt to allow the twisted position.
“Look, this is going to be hard, and I understand that. I know I seem like this dickish asshole who doesn’t get that normal people have feelings and stuff, but I get it.
He had some kind of power over you, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to coerce you into anything.
That’s how he fucks with kids like you were…
I mean, Cal, you were a kid, and they fucking let her rape you.
She might have been a monster, but he’s worse, because he’s doing this over and over to try and fix kids who weren’t broken in the first fucking place! ”
“He’s right, you know,” Blaze said, leaning around to stare at me from the front seat, “the fucker needs to die, but if he starts to brainfuck you, we’ll be there, and I love stabbing fuckers like him. I’ll make him bleed so much, he’ll paint the fucking room with it.”
“Hell yeah, I’m up for that,” Ethan fell silent for a moment, then sighed, “I used to be a normie, but Em really fucked with my head, didn’t she?”
“No shit. I mean, I prefer you now, since you’re not so fucking uptight, but yeah, you’re worse than me now,” Blaze said with a dark chuckle.
Ash laughed, leaning close to bump my shoulder with his. “He’s not kidding. See, we’re all completely fucking mental in our family, but if someone breaks, they’re worse. That’ll be you too, but that’s okay. I find it really hot when you get all predatory and growly. Gives me such a boner.”
“Gross,” Blaze murmured, turning back to face the road, while Ethan chuckled.
“Yeah, like you don’t say the same damn shit where we can all hear it.”
“Yeah, but he’s my little brother, and that’s not the kinda shit I wanna hear from him.”
I knew it should have been freaking me out, but in some ways this felt like the family I’d never had and had always yearned for.
They might be crazy motherfuckers, but they were more of a family than I’d ever experienced, and I was really starting to enjoy being around them.
I had a feeling if I put a step wrong, one or more of them would relish gutting me like a pig, but it still didn’t scare me.
What scared me was what was going to happen when we reached the compound.