16. Sirena
SIRENA
T he sound of the front door opening and closing made me pause in my painting as I sat in Church’s room later that evening. Frowning, I looked at the clock to see that it was time for Asylum to pick me up.
Quickly, I got up and ran to the bathroom, where I ran a brush through my hair before cleaning the paint from my fingers. I dotted on cherry lip gloss and added some mascara to my lashes before quickly changing out of my Chapel Crest uniform. I hadn’t changed when I got home because I wanted to get some painting in.
I put on my favorite dress, which Cady had given me. It was purple with spaghetti straps. It was probably not weather-appropriate, but I wanted to feel pretty tonight. I adjusted the cross necklace around my neck before grabbing a white cardigan and pulling it on. I looked good.
The day had been decent. I was on cloud nine because Sin would be home tomorrow. Cady was back at school and trying to work through things. I felt like life was looking up. Inside my head wasn’t such a dark, twisted mess. I felt like I was acclimating to myself a bit more.
I went downstairs to find Asylum standing near the door, talking to Church. My nerves got the better of me as his blue eyes locked on mine. A smile curved his lips upward as he drank me in.
Church looked over his shoulder at me, a muscle thrumming along his jaw as his green eyes skirted up my body.
“You look beautiful, firefly,” Asylum said as I stepped up next to Church, who wasted no time in wrapping a possessive arm around my waist.
I felt my cheeks heat at his compliment. Asylum and I had a complicated relationship. I cared for him even though I knew I shouldn’t. It was messed up and twisted to have feelings for the guy who tried to kill you, yet here we were.
I’d gotten over a lot of my fear with him, but some still lingered. I fought it constantly, proving that even the little things can cause a hell of a lot of damage to someone’s mental state. I was constantly fighting with myself over my feelings regarding him.
“Remember what we discussed,” Church said to Asylum.
Asylum dragged his focus from me and looked at Church. “I don’t make promises I can’t keep. My little firefly is in so deep. I cannot control her urges or her soft lips. But don’t worry, Dante Church, I can control the pace of her hips.”
Church gave him a sour look. “Don’t fuck this up. I mean it.”
Asylum smirked at him. “There will be no fuck-ups. Only fucks.”
“Seth, I fucking mean it?—”
“Sylar, if you please,” Asylum said, cocking his head to the left. “That’s my name.”
“Your name will be fucking dead if you don’t pay the fuck attention to what I’m telling you.”
Asylum waved him off. “I got it. Shadow isn’t allowed to fuck her. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen. I’m good at being a cockblock.”
I looked at Church and frowned.
“Don’t look at me like that, specter,” Church murmured when he noticed me. “I love you. I want you to be safe. I don’t like you being away from me.”
I pressed a finger to his lips to silence him.
He closed his eyes for a moment before exhaling and staring at me.
“Please be good,” he said softly.
I went up on my tiptoes and kissed him. He fell into it easily, dragging me against his body and crushing his lips harder against mine. When he pulled away, my lips were swollen from his kiss, and my breath came in soft gasps.
“Be good,” Church whispered again, his words feathering across my lips. “Please, be fucking safe, baby. I worry.”
I kissed him again before backing away, his eyes locked on my every move. Asylum held my coat out for me, and I slipped into the thick layers before he moved around in front of me to zip it. It was my long jacket, so I’d definitely be warm in my dress.
“Looks like you’re wearing a comfy blanket,” Asylum mused, smirking at me as he tugged a hat over my head. “Cute.” He chucked my chin before turning to Church.
“I assume Ashes and Stitches will come get her?” he asked.
Church nodded, his eyes on me. “Yeah. I don’t know what time. They’ll message you.”
“Mm, around midnight. Just after the third movie ends.” Asylum grabbed my mittens, and I held my hands out for him to put them on me. “I can’t see past that. Brain is still a bit messy from all the drugs.”
I winced at him, making him wink at me.
“Specter,” Church called out as Asylum opened the front door.
I turned to him to see his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. Immediately, I went to him and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around me and held me back, his lips at my ear.
“Come back to me,” he whispered.
“Always,” I whispered back.
He hugged me tighter for a moment before releasing me. I took Asylum’s hand and cast a final look at Church, noticing a pained expression on his face. I knew this was hard for him, but I also knew he’d never leave me home alone, especially now. Plus, I wanted this time to be with Asylum and Shadow. If I were going to make a decision about this, I needed to be around them to do it.
I walked in silence with Asylum through the cool evening air. Night had fallen long ago. It typically gets dark around five in the evening these days. The days were short and the nights long. And cold. I hated how cold it got here.
“Hope you’re hungry,” Asylum said as we walked. His breath puffed out in a cloud of white. Per my usual, I said nothing, but I was definitely hungry.
“It’s a bit odd to be alone with one another,” he mused. “No one around to hear you scream.”
I cast an uneasy look over at him. He’d not hurt me since the coffin situation, and even then, he’d only scared me with the talk of us dying together.
He chuckled when he caught me staring at him and reached for my hand again. I didn’t pull away from him as he clutched my mitten in his mitten.
“You scare too easily, firefly. We need to work on that.” He began to hum softly, the same song I’d known for years, as we walked through the night. He didn’t say another word as we continued on the path.
When we got to his dorm, he led me inside, and I took off my boots while he helped me with my jacket, hat, and mittens.
I looked around his space as he hung my items. As far as dorms went, his really was immaculate. I had no doubt it was a gift based on his history with Everett Church. It seemed one was rewarded when under his wing.
It didn’t make Everett any less of a scumbag, though.
Asylum had a big-screen TV, gaming consoles, two beds, and a small kitchenette area with an attached bathroom. I’d stayed here before. As always, his space was tidy. He had a single poster hanging on the wall of a fantasy forest. No context to it or anything, but it was pretty.
“Have a seat,” he said, gesturing to his bed.
Cautiously, I moved to it, settled on the edge, and watched as he bustled to his fridge, pulled out some sodas, and brought them over.
He came back and offered me one, which I nervously took. I cracked the top and took a sip before looking at the empty bed where Bryce slept.
Shadow.
“He had therapy and then stopped to grab some snacks,” Asylum said, breaking into my thoughts. “He’ll be here soon.”
I sipped my drink again. There was a knock on his door, and he rose to answer it. I watched as his friend Coby stood on the other side.
“Not tonight. I have company,” Asylum said.
Coby peeked over Asylum’s shoulder and widened his eyes at me.
“That’s the fucking Watchers’ girl. Are you nuts , man? That’s the kind of girl that can get you murdered?—”
“I assure you it’s fine, and yes, I am nuts. So are you. That’s why we’re here. Tell Riley we’ll hang out another time.”
“If you’re still alive,” Coby muttered. “Good luck, man. You’ll need it.”
Asylum chuckled and bid him farewell before shutting the door and returning to sit beside me on the bed.
“Sorry. He’s a bit odd,” he said with a gentle laugh. “I'm odd too, so I guess it balances out.”
I studied his handsome face as he took another sip of his drink.
“You’re uncomfortable,” he said, his voice low and serious after a moment. He took my drink from me and set it on the bedside table next to his. “And you know what, firefly? You should be. I’m not a safe guy to be around.” Everything about his demeanor shifted, making me widen my eyes as I stared at him. My heart pounded as his fresh scent enveloped me.
“Do you know who I am?” he whispered, leaning toward me. He shifted, forcing me to lean back as he caged me in with his arms. “Say my name, little bug. I want to hear it.”
I swallowed hard as he leaned in closer.
“Tell me, or I'll kiss the pink from that pretty mouth of yours,” he continued softly. “I’ve missed the way you taste. Fuck the rules.”
I licked my lips. His eyes darted to the action, the heat from his body warming me.
“Use your words,” he murmured. “I know you can.”
“A-Asylum,” I rasped.
“Mm, it sounds so pretty on your lips. I like that.” He closed the distance between us and lightly traced his nose up my jaw. “I appreciate how you tremble for me. Are you afraid of me, firefly?”
“S-Sometimes,” I managed to say.
He laughed softly at my words. “I fucking love that too.” He paused for a moment, his lips at my ear. “Tonight, you belong to me. The Watchers fail to retrieve. Lie in this bed, with my arms around you tight, or is it another you wish to hold you tonight? Say a Shadow from a world beyond to hold you until the dawn?”
The door to the room opened. I thought he’d snap away from me. Instead, he chuckled softly into my ear, his hand on my waist.
“He knows you’re already mine. I just haven’t officially laid claims. But when I do? It’ll be my name you scream, firefly. Remember that.”
The door clicked shut, and Asylum finally drifted away from me. I swallowed hard as Bryce stepped into the room. His hazel eyes darted to me before they moved to Asylum, a strange look on his face.
“You were almost too late,” Asylum said easily. “I suspect therapy went well?”
“It was fine,” Bryce mumbled, glancing at me again.
I gathered myself and stood. He watched as I approached him. When I stopped in front of him, he stared down at me.
“Hey, sweet cupcake,” he murmured, his voice holding a slight shake to it. “How is my girl?”
I answered by wrapping my arms around him and hugging him tightly. His body relaxed, and he let the bag he was holding fall to the floor before he hugged me back.
“God, I’ve missed you,” he said. “It’s been hell, Sirena.”
I gave him a gentle squeeze, breathing in the sweet smell wafting off him. He placed a fierce kiss on the top of my head as we clung to one another.
He finally pulled away and stared down at me. “Have you been OK? I don’t get to see you as much as I want to.” His voice trailed off. I took his hand and led him to his bed, where we both sat.
I caught Asylum’s eye. He winked at me before getting to his feet.
“Would you look at the time? I need to be going,” he said.
I frowned in confusion at him.
“Uh, we’re supposed to be watching your garbage movies. Are you canceling?” Bryce asked.
“For a bit. I need to go grab our takeout I scheduled for delivery, and then I need to frolic through the woods for a few. Maybe not in that order.” He went to the closet, grabbed his jacket, and put it on, followed by his hat and gloves.
“Firefly, my sweet forever girl, Shadow is a virgin. Go easy on him, baby.” And with those words, he left us alone.
I turned to look at Bryce, whose cheeks were red.
“He’s such a dick,” he muttered.
I already knew Bryce had never been with anyone before. He’d told me he’d messed around, but nothing ever went further than that.
I gave his hand a squeeze in the hopes I’d offer him some assurance.
“I made you some cupcakes,” he said, getting to his feet. I watched him rifle around in his bag for a moment before he came back with a container in his hands. He sat beside me again and handed over the box.
I took it and opened it to find chocolate cupcakes with my favorite cherry frosting. I smiled at him before putting the lid back on. Carefully, I stood and placed it on the bedside table before moving to stand in front of him.
He stared up at me, his hazel eyes filled with curiosity.
“What do you want to do tonight?” he asked, his voice wavering. “I’m sure Asylum won’t be gone long. We could just lie with each other while we wait…” He winced at his words. “Unless there’s something else you want to do. I-I can tell you some stories if you want.”
I smiled at that. I liked Bryce’s stories.
He visibly relaxed and slid back on the bed.
I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing. Maybe testing the waters to see what sort of energy we had. I already knew I cared deeply for him, and he for me, but we’d never had a chance to be alone with one another like this since we both realized those feelings. With Church giving me permission to feel things out, it felt like I should get to it.
His eyes locked on me as I moved onto the bed. I crawled right over him and straddled his lap, planting my ass on his thighs.
His breath caught as he stared at me.
“What are you doing?” he murmured, his voice shaking.
I reached out, took his hands, and placed them on my waist. His eyes locked on my midsection, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“Sirena…I….” his words faltered.
I cradled his face and rested my forehead against his.
We were both shy, it seemed. Maybe him more than me.
It was really perfect. Knowing this about him and me made me that much more eager to have these moments.
It felt real, and I liked that.