Chapter 43
FORTY-THREE
LEVIATHAN
It’s with an unnatural skip in my step that I make my way downstairs.
My beautiful little lamb overexerted himself tonight. Fuck, he was so sexy, so fucking perfect, and he deserves the deep sleep he’s in right now. Just like he deserves some treats and sustenance when I wake him up with my cock in a few hours.
I’m shirtless as I enter the kitchen, wearing his name on my skin proudly. It aches, but it’s a reminder of the pact we made tonight, a pact that makes me feel fulfilled in a way I never was before. The acknowledgement that he’s as twisted as I am, that he’s willing to end his life when mine ends…
Fuck, I can’t wait to be inside him again and give him a matching scar. The word ‘Levi’ would look so pretty on his ass.
I rifle through the fridge, picking out the things I know Aiden likes, and things that he might not enjoy but that’ll give him enough energy. Because I plan on spending the next week locked in that room with him if I have any say in it.
“Is that what I think it is?”
I’m in such a good fucking mood, I don’t even groan at the sound of Asi’s voice. I know exactly what he’s referring to and, honestly, it’s none of his goddamn business.
“Leviathan,” he starts. “What have you done?”
I sigh, turning with a smile on my face as I grab a tin of cookies from the center of the kitchen island and put it on the tray. “I don’t think I know what you’re asking.”
“Really? You want to play it like that?” When I meet his eyes, all the disinterest they usually hold is lost. He looks… Mad? I can never tell, really. “His name is carved into your fucking skin.”
“And?” I ask passively, sidestepping him so I can grab a couple of bottles of water.
He snorts, shaking his head in disbelief. “I thought you learned your lesson.”
I turn and take a second to look at Asi. Furrowing my brows, I wonder what he must be thinking. Asi has always been a mystery. Always apathetic, always bored, always acting like it’s a hardship to even live. Even though we were raised together and he’s only a few years younger than me, I never really pinned down where he stood with the lives we live.
Mammon is a die-hard believer in Master and his wisdom. He’s his right hand. Gore and Bel, well, they just live for chaos, no matter what form it comes in. I always thought of myself as a non-believer. I never did buy into Master’s sermons and lessons about the end of days and all that bullshit. I never questioned it because it wasn’t my place. I needed someone to keep me in check, and through Mammon, Master was able to do that.
Ugh, even calling him Master now feels wrong .
But Asi… I never know. Does he truly believe? Is he loyal to Master above all? He is Master’s only true born son. Raised since birth by him, and then years later Mammon, to be what he is now. So, I wonder what he’s really mad at.
That I’ve let a bounty into my mind and soul or that he’s never been given that choice?
“What are you going to do?” he asks, clenching his fists. “The Winter Solstice is coming soon. You don’t have much time to deliver your bounty.”
I raise a brow. “And where’s yours and Mammon’s?”
“Our ceremonies are scheduled for this week,” he says quickly. “You’ve been putting yours off. There’s only two weeks left, Leviathan.”
I choose my words very carefully because—after everything that’s happened—I have no fucking intention of sacrificing Aiden for a false master. They’d have to rip him out of my bare hands for that to happen. I’d die before he became a pawn in anybody’s bullshit games. I’m the only one that gets to play with him like that.
But I’ve let my cock and my soul lead me. I haven’t thought about the consequences. I don’t know what I was thinking. There’s no way they’re going to let me just live my life with my Aiden, not when Master has commanded that he be one of the five sacrifices.
“Don’t worry, brother. He’ll be dead by the Winter Solstice,” I lie easily. Because even though I’m loyal to my brothers, Aiden trumps them all, and I’d kill every single one of them for him. “Just worry about your own ceremony.”
Asi looks at me skeptically, suspiciously, and that’s when the clarity finally hits me.
Aiden and I don’t belong here anymore. If we want to live our lives together—forever—we can’t stay in Juniper Ridge. We need to leave and do so soon.
I’ve never been much of a planner, but my little lamb has always been able to get me to do just about anything I never considered doing before, including abandoning the cult, and my brothers along with it.
His name on my skin burns, reminding me of our pact. Forever. Together. Just the two of us matter. That’s it.
As I walk away from Asi before he has the chance to say anything else, I keep those words in my head. I use them as fuel as I start to think of what we need to do and where we should go. The thought… It’s surprisingly unsettling thinking of a life so different then the one I’ve been bred to live.
I enter my room and see Aiden sleeping peacefully, and I smile.
I’ll live whatever life I need to if it means being with him.