12. Asylum
ASYLUM
“I want to come back,” Mirage said.
I stared into the mirror, looking at myself.
“Soon.”
“Not soon. What the fuck? You can’t just goddamn keep taking over, man. I deserve to be with her, too.”
“I’m not with her,” I snarled, raking my fingers through my black hair. “I’m trying to get shit sorted. You know what we’ve seen. It has to be this way. I know you want to be here, but you have to be there . OK?”
Mirage let out a frustrated sigh.
The door to my dorm opened, and Shadow stomped into the room.
“Who are you talking to?” he called out. “Do you have company?”
“We’ll talk later,” I murmured, pushing away from the sink and mirror and going into the bedroom area to see Shadow sitting on the edge of his bed.
“I was talking to Mirage,” I said, flopping onto my bed and putting my hands behind my head.
Shadow grunted and toed off his shoes.
“No baking class tonight?”
“No,” he answered, mimicking my position on his bed. I smiled at that.
Shadow, indeed.
“I talked to Sin after I spoke to Sirena today,” he murmured.
I rolled over to look at him. “And?”
He was quiet for a moment before speaking. “And something happened with Sin and Cady.”
“Did he say that?”
“No,” he answered. “Just a feeling I got.”
I frowned at that. I didn’t see everything, and that made life hard sometimes. This was one of those times. Typically, I saw enough, though, that I could continue to work my magic.
“I invited Sirena over for Friday. I know Ashes needs to burn, and the guys are busy ensuring Sin is safe. I figured we’d be a good place for her to be since Church won’t let her within ten feet of the med facility.”
I raised my eyebrows at that. “That’s bold of you. I like the initiative. What did she say?” I snorted at my joke.
He let out a sigh and rolled his eyes.
“Jokes aside, I like that you did that. I was going to do it if you didn’t, so bravo.”
“I told her about your shitty movie fest.”
“My movies aren’t shitty,” I muttered, moving onto my back again so I could stare at the ceiling. “Zombies From Planet Zebar is a fucking cult classic.”
“I’d rather watch a chick flick than a B movie, man.”
“We could compromise and watch weird porn. Or make our own.”
“I fucking hope you’re not suggesting you suck my dick.”
I scoffed at him. “Absolutely not. It would be more like you suck mine. I could break that virgin ass in for you.”
His pillow smacked me hard in the face, making me laugh wildly. I threw it back at him, which ignited a war in which various things were thrown at one another.
I knew he’d be a good roommate. He was almost as fun as Sinclair was. The only difference was Sinclair was a fucking grouch and liked to beat himself.
I’d probably get Shadow to that point eventually.
* * *
“Dante.” I waved him down as he walked across campus Friday morning. He’d been scarce, and I’d been busy the last few days. As far as I knew, we weren’t getting Sirena since I’d heard next to dick on the subject.
He paused and waited for me, his green eyes tracking my every movement, just like the fucking predator he was.
“Will Stitches or you go with Ashes tonight to burn?” I asked as I stopped in front of him. My head had been foggy again, something I fucking hated. I thought a few days off from thinking would help. It was my fault for smoking weed as an escape. It seemed to happen whenever I overindulged. Sometimes a guy just needed a fucking break though.
“Why?” Church narrowed his eyes at me. “And why don’t you already know?”
“Come on, man. I told you before sometimes shit gets cloudy. You’ve seen what happens when it does.”
He bristled at my words, knowing I was speaking about the night Adam took Sirena and raped her in the woods. I’d had a hell of a time locating her then, or even knowing shit was going down. I’d smoked some weed prior, and it was something I constantly blamed myself for. Had I not, then she may not have been hurt. On the flip side, had she not been hurt, my little monster may not have come out to play. It was a slippery slope, and I tried not to overthink it.
“Stitches is going. I’m staying behind with Sin.”
“Then I’ll watch Sirena,” I said immediately. “You haven’t worked that out just yet.”
“Not happening.” He started walking again.
I moved to match his pace. “Is she going out with Ashes? She doesn’t like the dark.”
“She doesn’t seem to mind it so much when we’re with her,” Church said. “She’s way better than she used to be.”
That I did know.
“What did we discuss on the patio the night Stitches lost his shit on Shadow?” I asked.
Church stopped in his tracks and turned to face me, his eyes narrowed again.
“She doesn’t want you. She wants him .” He spat the words out like they were bitter and unpleasant on his tongue.
“She wants me. She’s fucking had me,” I answered back.
His eyes flashed at my words, and he took a step closer to me. He knew what we’d been through in the facility after she was locked in the cement coffin with me in old man Morse’s mausoleum.
“I’m not the enemy, Dante,” I continued softly. “You fucking know I’m not. You know she matters to me.”
His nostrils flared as he stared me down.
“I will take care of her while you’re with Sin. While Ashes and Stitches are burning. Let me take care of her.”
He licked his lips for a moment. “No Bryce.
“Shadow is my new roommate.”
He let out a snort and started walking again.
“You fucking know it’s inevitable. Stop fighting fucking fate,” I said, catching up to him. “I’ve seen it!”
“Just because the fucking voices in your head keep spouting off bullshit, doesn’t mean it’s fate. It’s means you’re here at Chapel Crest with the rest of us fucked up monsters. It means you’re just as crazy as we are. That’s it. You get lucky sometimes. So do I. Tomorrow, it’s going to snow. See? I can fucking do it too.”
“You know it’s not like that for me. You know I’m the real fucking deal.” I grabbed his arm to stop him from walking. He glared at me, but I didn’t give a shit. “Do you want me to predict something for you right now?”
“Thought it didn’t work like that.”
“It fucking doesn’t, but I do know things. Do you want to know them too?”
He continued to glare at me. When he didn’t protest, I plowed on.
“A one-night mistake sealed in silence and shame. Now stuck in a bond with only one to blame. He rues every word, she curses the bed, where passion once flared, now bitterness spread. No kindness between them, just duty and pain, their sacrifice made, and now they’re insane. They can't stand the sight, yet live with the cost, two hearts grown colder for the one they lost.”
Church’s hands shot out, and he shoved me against the science building.
“Motherfucker,” he snarled.
I broke his hands off me. “Motherfucker yourself. I know they fucked, Dante. You fucking know they did too. What do you think is going to happen when all the ugly little truths come pouring out? Nothing is fucking OK.”
His Adam’s apple visibly bobbed as he stared back at me. Finally, he raked his fingers through his blond hair before tugging it and cursing. He paced wildly in front of me.
“You already knew,” I murmured, seeing him straddling Cady in my firefly’s bedroom. “She told you.”
He stopped in front of me. “They were forced. Neither wanted it.”
“Been there,” I said, thinking about how I was forced to fuck my firefly in the facility. I knew the feelings all too well. To be fair, I actually wanted Sirena. Sin, however, didn’t want Cady, and the feeling was mutual on her end. She respected Sirena. This was just a shitty situation stemming from her just not goddamn listening.
“Will everything be OK? With Sirena and Sinclair? Once she knows?” Church asked.
I frowned. “She already knows, she just doesn’t want to admit it to herself. The truth will come out. It’s just a matter of time at this point.” Something else niggled at me, but I couldn’t quite pinpoint it. Another little tidbit. The thought that I needed not to smoke so much crossed my mind, but if I didn’t get a break now and then, I’d go even more insane.
“That’s not a very good fucking answer,” he said.
“OK.” I clicked my tongue. “How’s this? Let me have her Friday night, and I’ll ensure everything is OK.”
He slightly shook his head before sighing and looked across the campus, where Shadow was walking with his head down.
“You fucking make sure Bryce doesn’t touch her.”
“I’m sure he’ll touch her, but I’ll ensure it’s not as enjoyable as you think.”
He shot me an ugly glare. “I’m serious. I don’t trust him. I gave her the option to have him, but I’m really fucking hoping she figures out he’s not right to join us.”
“She chooses? Hmm.” I nodded.
“I’ll kill him, Seth. Fucking dead. And I’ll feast when I’m done. That’s how fucking serious I am about this. He hasn’t proved himself. He doesn’t belong.”
“I bet he has juicy thighs.” I nodded. “Kind of like a turkey, you know?”
“Fuck off,” he muttered.
“All joking aside, I have two things for you,” I continued. “Number one, I’m not Seth. And number two, I assure you, he’s worth it.”
Church surveyed me for a moment. “How do you know?”
I tapped my head and cocked my head to the left. “Some things one just… knows. You know? Trust me, Dante. Bryce Andrews is an asset. I call him Shadow for a reason.”
He looked over to Bryce, who was now at the vending machine. We watched him give it a violent kick before his items popped out. As if not bothered at all, he reached down and pulled them out before carrying on his way.
“Why won’t you tell me?” he asked.
“Because this isn’t my story.” I shrugged. “I’m the next volume.” I gave him a big grin that made him snort. “You’re pretty when you smile.”
The smile fell away, giving way to his sneer and middle finger. I chuckled at that.
“I actually have three things to tell you.”
He raised his brows at me.
“Bryce Andrews is a virgin. He’s never had his dick wet by a girl before. I mean, he did spend some time in the Underground, and unfortunately, he has had mouths on him, but he’s never had his cock inside a human body before. Weird, huh? I mean, considering we’ve all been to the Underground. I’ve had my dick in a few of the bodies.”
“You fuck the dead?” Church shook his head at me.
“I’m an equal opportunist.” I shrugged. “Can’t help myself. Some of those corpses are just fucking stellar. Plus, Everett gives a bonus if he can watch.”
A muscle thrummed along Church’s jaw.
“You’ve done it before,” I murmured, cocking my head to the left again. “He tried to get you to do it to your mo--”
“Shut the fuck up,” Church snarled, nothing but violence in his eyes. “Never fucking speak about my mother.”
“I know you didn’t,” I said softly. “I know you didn’t do it, but you have done it before. You did it to save that little boy that one time--”
“Pick Sirena up at seven. Don’t be fucking late,” he snapped, cutting off my words. I knew when enough was enough. It was still a touchy subject.
“And just… make sure Bryce doesn’t touch my girl. I really will fucking kill him and add him to my collection.” With those words, he stormed away from me. He wasn’t going to classes. No, Dante Church was pissed. He would go into the woods and take that anger out on the poor creatures.
I guess that meant new home décor.
That was a win, at least.