Chapter 18 #2
I start at the beginning, or as far back as it is relevant.
I tell him about how we used the raven’s blade to strike a deal with the devil for Nox.
I tell him about Mia’s nightmares, the voices in her head, and how only copious amounts of poison can silence them.
I tell him about the shadows that follow Draven and the things we’ve learned from Nox about the Wild Hunt and the original Bishop sisters.
He listens quietly. They all do. All I hear is the rush of liquid being poured into crystal glasses.
And the crackle of burning paper, followed by dramatic inhales.
Felix always did have a penchant for smoking weed.
Although, I wonder what he’d think of these poison-dipped cigarettes.
They would definitely fit the whole poetic professor vibe he’s got going on.
Felix and his lovers remain quiet as I go into detail, leaving no stone unturned. It’s important that they understand everything before I drop the final bomb.
“This Skelker, the one who’s been terrorizing Mia, he wasn’t always the devil’s soldier. He was human once. A very long fucking time ago. He revealed to her who he was…”
Lettie squeezes my hand. Tears stream down her face, leaving streaks through her makeup.
The tension is so thick I can practically feel how fast Felix’s heart is beating through the phone. He clears his throat. “Say it,” he rasps.
“He knew about the river, Felix… He told her to ask us about la bestia.”
“Say. It.” Felix’s voice is so low, so dark, it’s beyond a growl. It’s almost demonic.
I’m spiraling, my anxiety feels like fire in my chest, burning me alive. I can’t breathe. Fuck. Lettie sobs next to me, her nails digging into my palm. “We need more proof. I-I can’t be sure yet. It could be a trick.”
“Say his fucking name, Bones!” Felix screams.
“Sonny!” I scream back. “He told her he used to be our brother. Sonny,” I murmur, my heart hammering. I bolt up from the floor and almost collapse into the open hood of the muscle car I’ve been working on. The sting of motor oil hits my nostrils. “Felix?”
“I’m here. Just… processing.” He tries his best to cover the phone, but I can hear him sobbing. The sound of his lovers’ coos and coaxing follows.
Fuck. I’m the worst fucking older brother ever.
I failed to protect Sonny all those years ago, and I’m failing Lettie and Felix now.
Maybe I shouldn’t have told them until I knew more.
Felix and I have carried the darkness of missing our brother for years, but we always managed to keep Lettie pure.
It’s killing me to see her heart break like this now.
“Take your time, little brother. I’m still in shock myself.”
“Felix, come home,” Lettie cries. “Please. We should all be together.” She pulls her long black hair into a high bun on the top of her head, revealing a dark red splotch on the side of her neck.
What the fuck? I grab her and pull her closer to get a better look. It’s a fucking hickey. I side-eye her, momentarily distracted by why she has that intimate of a mark on her body. I know she’s a grown woman, but she’s still my baby sister. I wasn’t even aware that she was seeing anyone.
She shakes her head and frowns at me before mouthing, not now.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can, princessa.
I just need to get my classes covered, but I promise you, I’m coming.
I’ll text you when we get on the road.” In just a little over a year, Felix has become the most sought-after poetry professor at Tenebrose Academy.
I’m happy for him. Which is why it makes all of this even worse.
He’s worked really hard to keep the darkness away. He’s happy now. Well, as happy as a Crane can be.
“I’m proud of you, Felix. I don’t tell you that enough.”
“Thanks, Bones. I love you both. Be careful and don’t do anything stupid. At least not until I get there.”
“Te quiero más, hermano.” I love you more.
I turn back toward Lettie as I hang up the phone and arch an eyebrow. “Who did that to your neck?”
Her mouth drops open. “None of your business.”
“Lettie, we don’t keep secrets from each other. You know who I’m fucking. I think it’s only fair you give me the same courtesy.” I wipe my hands against my jeans. Some of the engine grease smudged on my palms when I gripped the hood.
“I’m not fucking anyone. It-it was a one-time thing. For old time’s sake. Just drop it. Por favor.” Please. She pleads with her eyes and her words.
“Does this have something to do with why you left Hemlock Prep? You’ve not been yourself since.”
“You don’t know everything about me, Bones. I’m allowed to have some secrets for fuck’s sake. And yes, for the record, it does. Sky is in town visiting family. I went to see her at her old studio. We got carried away, and I told her it would never happen again. End of story.”
Her cheeks are bright red. She’s fucking fuming.
“All right. Fuck. I’m sorry. I’m just on edge right now. This stuff with the Skelker… Sonny. I’m just worried about you. About all of us. I would burn this whole fucking world down if anything happened to you too.”
Her face softens. “I know you’re scared, and that is a new emotion for you, but I promise I can take care of myself. I may be your baby sister, but I’m not as innocent as you think.”
Fuck. I don’t even want to know what she means by that.
I need to mind my own business and respect her space.
She’s right. She is a grown woman. “Fair enough. I’m sorry I acted like an overbearing father.
” Not even our own father cares as much as I do.
While he was busy amassing more wealth than future generations could ever spend, I was the one looking after Felix and Lettie.
Our mother never got over the loss of Sonny, so she became cold and distant toward all of us. The only other saving grace was our abuela. We were as thick as thieves back then.
She gives me a hug. “It’s okay. I know you love me, and you’re just worried. Let’s just focus on Sonny. Are you sure you want to let Mia lure him out? I don’t like the idea of her being bait.”
I pinch my brows together. “It was her idea. Besides, it’s not like she has to lure him. He’s in her head. All she has to do is not drown him out with poison. Then he’ll come to her, face-to-face. She’ll be able to check his leg for the scar.”
The idea makes me sick for many reasons.
My little brother is now a grown man, well, half man, half beast. He’s been touching her and making her cum as if he has some kind of fucking right to her.
But she’s just as drawn to him. And so we can’t fault her.
There’s a connection between them. And we need to use it to figure out if he really is Sonny and what the fuck he actually wants from her.
Lettie squeezes my hand. “Mia loves you. She loves all of you. Don’t doubt that. Even if that means you have to let her go to him.”
I nod. “How did you get so smart about these things?”
Her eyelids flutter, and her throat bobs as if she’s reliving a moment that unnerves her. “Like I said, there’s a lot you don’t know about me. I have my own dance card filling up with demons.”
“Well, maybe some time you can tell me about it. If you want. I’m here for you, and I promise I’ll listen without judgment. That’s the least I can do considering all the unhinged shit you’ve seen me go through.”
She giggles, and she’s my little princessa again, sweet and innocent and pure. “Yeah, you are a lot.” She playfully punches me in the gut. I flinch and pretend it actually hurt. “But like in the best way.”
I watch her go to her car and drive away before pulling my attention away from the horizon. I light up one of those cigarettes that Draven gave me and prop myself up on the back of the baby-blue vintage truck I’ve been restoring for Duff’s son.
He’s gonna give it to him on his sixteenth birthday next year. This sweetheart was on her deathbed when he first towed her to the garage, but I’ve yet to get my hands on a beauty that I couldn’t bring back to life.
I hope that remains true for Sonny too. Because the one thing I keep mulling over and over again in my mind is what I’m willing to do. How many lines will I cross? Because, Skelker or not, he’s still my little brother. If I somehow get him back… I’m not willing to lose him again.