Chapter 13
Chapter
Thirteen
LIAM KRISS
The icy wind is biting. It’s fucking cold. The wool scarf wrapped around my ears and face doesn’t serve as a thick enough barrier against the chill on the water. I’m not moving quickly because the chill is too biting. Even wrapped up tightly in the warmest clothing I have.
The moon is bright tonight. It illuminates the water as if it’s lighting a path for me that leads right to Dark Island.
The island looms overhead, a blotchy spot in the brilliant moonlight.
As I get closer, I see several lights appear.
The ones at the boathouse, of course. They’re always on.
There are a handful that light up the path to the castle, and then there are a few lights burning inside various windows.
Likely, someone forgot them. It’s a big castle, after all. Forgetting a light here and there isn’t difficult to do.
Paul said that Darwin is upkeeping the castle until the new year, when Paisley and Moll will take up residence until spring. I wonder if Darwin remembers to check in on Matty. Is that on the official list of tasks?
Guilt eats at my stomach as I approach. The engine’s loud whine quiets as I slowly close the distance.
The boathouse grows larger and larger ahead.
The entire island seems to expand in the darkness.
The castle soars overhead. The trees rustle, and I’m pretty sure there are eyes watching me from the trees.
Matty’s dead? Animals? Something else entirely? There were times as a kid that I thought the very shadows themselves lived.
Then again, I was just a kid.
The boathouse is closed tightly, as it should be.
I pull up alongside and tie my boat to the dock.
While technology is advancing faster than any one person can keep up with at their own place, we do our best to bring in the latest tech when we can.
Our boathouses have probably the best security system on the entire island.
It’s a remote island, after all. If you want to dock, we’re going to hear the alarm. The docks are all tricked out with security. We like our solitude, so if you’re arriving here, you’d best have permission to be here.
I decode the security system so I can open the doors of the boathouse.
The back of the boathouse is where most of the visiting boats end up.
The personal boats we use to transport ourselves and whatever else we come with are usually closer to the doors.
When I step inside and flick the lights on, it’s practically empty.
Well, the water is practically empty. There’s the big house boat still floating.
It’s too large to pull out of the water, so we don’t bother.
It’s on the list of property to check frequently during the winter months.
We’ve talked about building a rig just to get the house boat out of the water during the frigid winters.
It’s an antique in perfect working order. We’d like to keep it that way.
So far, it’s been nothing but a discussion. I’m afraid it’s going to take something happening to it before we agree to do something about it.
The rest of the race boats that live in this boathouse are literally hanging from the ceiling. They’ve been rigged up and winter-prepped. There they’ll stay, perfectly safe, until the spring thaw.
I flick the switch to open the big bay doors and head back to my boat. It doesn’t take me long to pull it inside and shut the boathouse down tightly again. With my suitcase in hand, I lock up and reset the alarm again before hiking my way up to the castle.
All the buggies are winterized and locked up for the season, so I’m going to be an icicle by the time I get there. If I had planned ahead, I’d have reached out to Darwin to let him know I was coming so he could leave the one winterized buggy for use down at the docks.
I came on a whim. The longer I sat in my empty apartment, staring at a picture of Matty and me from before I fucked up his life, the more restless I became. It got to the point where I just couldn’t sit there anymore.
I need to be with him. The urge to beg for his forgiveness is always strong. Especially when I’m alone.
It’s been a strange few weeks, though. Matty and I usually talk every single day. I call him often. He calls me sometimes. But lately, he’s been quiet. He answers only every other call, but otherwise, he sends me a text to tell me he’s busy with something or another.
I think about this as I hike my way up the steep drive to the castle, thankful it hasn’t frozen over yet. This is a dangerous slope in the dead of winter when the icy wind whips through here and turns the hill the castle sits on into an icy slope.
After what feels like days in the icy cold, I make it to the castle and let myself in.
As chilly as the stones can be, it’s blessedly warm compared to the outside.
I shut the door behind me, lock it up again, and then lean against it.
It takes me a few minutes to catch my breath and feel my toes again.
I should have made this trek in the daylight at least. But it was last-minute.
The decision to see Matty was late in the day, and instead of properly making plans, I simply left.
I don’t bother to take off my outdoor clothes as I make my way to the nearest door into the tunnels. The tapping of my feet on stone and the rolling of my suitcase wheels are the only sounds as I weave my way through the tunnels, getting nearer and nearer to Matty’s room.
The day I moved him into the newly finished room lingers.
He was a trembling mess, raving about the dead moving bodies and that they’re going to find out.
I’ve worked out over the years that he’s referring to the authorities.
In this scenario, the authorities are the ‘they’ who’s going to find the bodies.
His fear, his rambling about the dead and the authorities and how he could eerily recount the murders No Face has committed over the years, is why he’s sentenced to life on Dark Island.
He can’t seem to keep the words in when the ghosts barrage him.
I begged for his life, and Matty was spared.
But in return for not joining the dead, he can’t be out in the world where he can inadvertently spill our secrets.
I get it. I understand the decision. Most of the time, I even agree with it. That doesn’t mean I don’t hate it.
This isn’t a life for him. This isn’t fair. He’s here because I insisted he join No Face. I insisted he share every single detail of my life so that when we’re married, there wouldn’t be even the tiniest secret.
Just as my parents shared before me. And theirs before them. I wanted that with my spouse. I wanted to share everything with Matty. I wanted that closeness.
I’d insisted that he could handle this. The secrets aren’t that big a deal. You simply don’t think about them when you’re not here or involved in something. I assured him that his target deserved to die.
I should have known better. Matty is too good, too gentle for this kind of life.
My thoughts stop short when I stand at the edge of Matty’s room. For a second, it feels as if time stands still. At first glance, there’s nothing different.
Except that Matty isn’t here.
Then I see the details that aren’t necessarily readily obvious. Matty’s bed is stripped. His pillows are even gone. One of the dresser drawers is open and empty. There’s nothing on the table—no games, no books. Nothing.
Matty isn’t here.
Fear grips my chest. Tears sting my eyes. “No,” I whisper as dread fills me.
Worst-case scenarios fill my head. Did someone change their mind and determine that Matty can’t handle the secrets? Did he escape the tunnels and… I didn’t think to look to see if a boat was gone!
Turning on my heels, I race back to the castle. Leaving my suitcase behind, I rush up to the third floor and to my bedroom, thinking that maybe he went there. I turn the light on and no. He’s not here.
Maybe he didn’t remember where my room was? I go down the hall, flicking on the light in every single room as I go.
Empty. Empty.
Empty.
Terror fills me. I’ll never forgive myself if something has happened to him and I wasn’t here. I won’t be able to live with it. Wherever he is, I’ll join him.
I’ll joi—
My thoughts pause as I stand in the threshold of the first room I come across that isn’t empty. At first, I see no one but Matty. Relief floods me. Thank fuck. He’s okay.
Then I take in the rest of the surroundings. He’s not alone. He’s in bed with… Darwin and Zephyr? I stare, unsure of what I’m seeing—a whole lot of details that I don’t want to see. He’s in bed with other men.
But then I manage to convince myself to look closer.
Matty is fully dressed. Darwin is on top of Zephyr, but they’re both gripping Matty to them closely.
The room is warm with the fire burning in the grate, so the blankets are shoved down at their waists.
Darwin’s skin glows in the dim light. Matty is bundled up in a set of sweats that are far too big for him.
Taking a breath, I step into the room. I don’t touch the bed but lean over to murmur, “Matty?”
He mumbles something, but he doesn’t appear to hear me. Not at first. Then his eyes open, and while it’s subtle since he’s lying down, I can see him stiffen. He doesn’t look at me at first. He stares unblinking at nothing.
Maybe listening to his ghosts. His eyes flash to me, and yes, that’s what I think is happening.
Matty is suddenly up and leaping into my arms. “Liam!” he cries, hugging me tightly like a koala.
Sighing, I close my eyes and hold him securely. We don’t speak as I hold him. For many long minutes, we stay just like this. When I open my eyes, both Darwin and Zephyr are watching me. I’m a little surprised to see that neither appears to be happy.
“I was so scared when you weren’t in your room,” I tell Matty.
“It’s cold and scary down there,” he says. “Darwin and Zephyr said I don’t have to stay in the tunnels if I don’t want to. I’m not responsible for anyone else’s comfort.”
I grin, despite the way the two men are staring at me. “You don’t have to, and you’re not.”
Matty sits back to look at me. “Why are you here? Is everything okay? You didn’t tell me you were coming.”
“I missed you,” I answer. “I couldn’t stay away anymore. Is that okay?”
He beams. “Yes.” His legs fall, and I set him on the floor, but he climbs back onto the bed. “Come on. I’m tired. Come to bed, but no outside clothes.”
I watch, somewhat surprised, when he burrows himself into Darwin and Zephyr’s hold again. I’m startled further when both men wrap an arm around Matty, and I don’t miss the clear message there. Possession.
Not a chance. Matty is mine. I’m not giving him up.
Eyes locked with theirs, I strip down to my underwear like they are and climb into bed behind Matty.
Not awkward in the least. I maintain eye contact as I curl in behind Matty.
Zephyr can keep his arm there if he wants, but that’s not going to keep me away from the man I love more than life.
Nor is Darwin’s hand tangled in the curls at the back of Matty’s head going to prevent me from burying my face in his hair.
This is fine. In the morning, we’ll work out the problem. I’ll assuage their hostility. I’ll take Matty back to my room. Everything will return to normal.
The next morning, I wake up when the bed shifts. The sunlight is blinding, which I think is unusual for this time of the year. Usually, it seems like the sun takes a bit to wake up before it manages to brighten the sky.
This morning is different. I bury my face in Matty’s hair. His sigh makes me smile, and I curl in a little tighter.
Even though it’s been months since I last woke up to Matty, it’s the only place I ever want to be. It’s home when I wake up beside him, with him in my arms, where he fits so perfectly.
The bed continues to move, but Matty is still. My eyes open, and I remember that this is not my room. Not my apartment. For a split second, I’m disoriented. I glance over Matty, and last night comes back to me.
Both men are still not happy with me. Their expressions are hard. Zephyr leans forward and presses his lips to Matty’s forehead.
Is that a threat? Is he silently telling me something?
Matty murmurs in his sleep. When Zephyr moves away, Matty reaches for him.
“We’re heading into the shower. Meet you for breakfast, okay, doll?”
Matty sighs. “Okay.” Darwin runs his fingers through Matty’s hair, and a smile curls over Matty’s lips, though he doesn’t open his eyes.
I watch them go. Neither looks at me. The door closes, and I swear there’s a chilly snap in that sound.
My arms tighten around Matty, and he hums quietly. “I love you, Matty,” I whisper, kissing the shell of his ear.
“Love you too, Liam,” he says.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask him why he’s in bed with Darwin and Zephyr, but he rolls over and wraps around me, his mouth landing on mine. “Take me to my new room and fuck me,” he demands. “I’m soooo horny, Liam. Please.”
A shiver races along my spine and deposits straight into my balls. I nearly groan. With him in my hold, I roll over, bringing him with me. My hands remain firmly on his ass as I haul myself from the bed and onto my feet, not letting him go.
“So strong,” he says, grinning. His mouth, wet and needy, trails along my jaw and neck. “Hurry. I’m so horny, and I want to come on your dick, Liam.”
I move into the hall and then pause. “You said your new room. Where is that?”
He points across the hall, and I turn. Should I be upset that he chose a room close to Zephyr and Darwin instead of by mine? No. I decide he’s here because they’re the ones in the castle right now. That makes sense.
My thoughts concerning those two men vanish when I set him on the bed, and his hand wraps around my cock in my underwear. I’m suddenly very aware of how horny I am, too.