Chapter 28 Aurora
Aurora
The Cardinal pulses with life tonight—elbows knocking, voices clashing, the air thick with stale nicotine and fried food.
It’s crowded. And loud.
And I’d be lying if I said it didn’t put me on edge. But my best friends are here. That helps.
The moment I walk through the door, the jukebox kicks on, blaring the Skrillex remix of “HUMBLE.” by Kendrick Lamar.
Who the hell keeps lining up bangers in this backwoods bar?
The bass thrums through me, and suddenly I feel untouchable.
For the first time in days, my body settles. I can breathe without bracing for the break. The weight in my chest eases. Even the bugs under my skin finally go still.
I’m nowhere near fine, but fuck, I’ll take this moment of peace.
Ezra packed a few scarves from my closet. Flowy, soft things I rarely wear. But somehow, he knew I’d need them. Knew I’d run to Eve, let her drag me out, and try to crack jokes while quietly panicking about the bruises.
Tonight, one of those scarves wraps tightly around my throat, covering the worst of the bruises. A little concealer masks what peeks through at the edge. I don’t want to spend the night fielding concerned glances or answering drunk questions.
Eve and Thane sit across from me, their elbows brushing, knees bumping, sneaking ridiculous love-struck glances at each other. I take a sip of my drink and smirk.
“So, things seem to be going well for you two. You can’t keep your hands or your eyes off each other.”
Eve turns to Thane, her face soft with something sickeningly sweet.
“Yeah, Thane was so supportive when I couldn’t find you. He stayed with me and helped me make calls. He’s been great.”
Thane presses a soft kiss to her temple, and Eve blushes bright pink. I giggle, but the sound barely leaves my lips before Eve’s gaze snaps to me, suspicion flickering behind her icy blue eyes.
“Well, I guess I could say the same for you and Ezra.” Her eyes narrow. “I mean, does he let just anyone stay at his house after meeting them once? There’s something going on there.”
Shit. She totally knows.
Thane clears his throat. “Ezra let me stay at his house for a few days when I first got to town, and he didn’t know me at all,” he says, his voice smooth and diplomatic.
I flick him a grateful glance. He must sense I’m about to crawl under this fucking table.
Eve waves a dismissive hand. “Okay, fine. We can set aside your daddy kink for now …”
Thane chokes on his drink, while I nearly inhale mine. “Eve!” he wheezes.
She grins, unrepentant … until her smile fades.
“What the hell happened with Jameson?”
Eve goes still. No more teasing, no more jokes. Just that deadly kind of calm she only pulls out when she’s worried.
“I don’t want you to tell me if it’s too much, but … fuck, I should’ve known. The second he sent that Joker meme—‘She broke me, so I became the monster she said I was’—I knew he was a creep.
“Like, are you fucking serious? That’s not self-awareness, that’s a cry for help wrapped in clown makeup. Plus, anyone who memes a picture of Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker with even an iota of pride deserves to be monitored by at least three government agencies.”
She exhales hard, fury sparking off her.
“I already called Joey, the asshole who vouched for him. Tried to act shocked, but I pushed, and guess what? He admitted Jameson always gave off weird vibes. Just didn’t want to say anything.
Said maybe he had ‘a few issues.’ A few issues? Are you kidding me?”
Eve reaches across the table and takes my hands, squeezing them just like she did after my mom died.
“It still feels surreal,” I whisper.
I spend the next half hour telling Eve and Thane about my shitty date and the heroic bibliophile who rescued me. Once again, I leave out the part where I bit Jameson’s dick off.
I’m not sure I’ll ever tell Eve about that.
I also leave out a few other minor details—like the hellhound, the wrakh, the ancient shadow creature, and the Hell-queen bloodline I never signed up for.
Ah, shit.
I wrap up the worst parts, and when I look up? Eve’s crying, Thane’s murmuring something to her, and I suddenly wish I’d sugarcoated the whole goddamn thing.
“Oh, no! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to upset you, E. You just … asked,” I say, picking at my fingernails and staring at my lap.
Eve sniffs, wipes her nose, and stares down at the table, her jaw tight.
“It’s okay, I just hate that this happened to you. What happened to Jameson? What did the police say?”
Motherfucker.
Because that’s what a normal person does when they’re assaulted. They go to the fucking cops.
But what do you do when you find out you’re something else?
Something powerful?
When the man who saved you—who kissed you and held you through nightmares—devoured your attacker whole?
The cops? They feel small and powerless.
“Um … I haven’t spoken to the police yet. Everything’s been so foggy since the attack. So that’s something I guess I’ll have to do, right?”
Eve and I have known each other since we were seven. She knows there’s something else going on. She’s too intuitive for her own good.
My best friend stares at me in pure, unadulterated disbelief. I knew it.
“Something is going on with you. Don’t you think, Thane?”
She swings her gaze to Thane, looking for confirmation, but he just shrugs.
“I don’t know, Eve. She seems normal to me. Well, as normal as one can be after such a traumatic event.” Thane’s brows pull together. “Are you really okay, Aurora?”
His voice is so gentle. His green eyes are warm and open, the concern in them making something twist in my chest.
“I mean, y-yeah. I guess so.” The words tumble out of my mouth. “I have everything I need right now, and I feel pretty safe at Ezra’s house. I just don’t know what’s next, you know?”
And I don’t. Now that things have settled, I feel … adrift.
Thane hums thoughtfully. “The next steps will be difficult, Aurora. I can’t imagine what you’re going through.
” He hesitates, then gives me a small, knowing smile.
“I will say, though, having a man like Ezra on your side should help. He’s a little on the odd side, but it’s not like he’s a monster or anything. ”
The word monster lands too hard, too sharp, making my stomach drop.
Does he know?
About me?
About Ezra?
Is he one of them?
The panic wakes something old and hungry inside me.
Jameson’s ghost breathes against my skin. His hands press into my throat, whispering lies, telling me I can’t trust them, urging me to cut the fucking bugs out—
No!
A violent shudder rips through me, breaking his grip.
“Um, yeah, he’s definitely … intense … but seems like a good guy deep down. Like really deep down.”
I look away from Eve as the hot flush of embarrassment creeps across my face.
Fuck my traitorous body.
“Oh … my … god,” Eve practically screams as her hands fly to her mouth. Her eyes go wide with shock, but they also sparkle with mischief.
This is exactly why I love her so much.
Eve leans in, a smirk already tugging at her mouth. “Aurora Linn Hagan.”
Oh no.
“You didn’t.”
Thane frowns. “Didn’t what?”
Eve’s voice drops to a whisper-scream. “Holy shit. Did you fuck Ezra?”
“What? No!” I yelp.
Eve’s eyes narrow.
My mouth opens before I can stop it. “Okay, define fucking.”
Thane cocks his head, eyes sharp with interest and just a hint of amusement.
Eve’s mischievous grin reminds me of the Cheshire-Cat when Alice asks for directions.
Yep, we’re abso-fucking-lutely all mad here.
“Aury, if you have to ask …”
I groan. “Fine. We may have had a moment or two.”
She gasps dramatically. “So, the dark, brooding book man does have a soft spot.”
I sigh, flopping back in my seat, already regretting everything.
“He’s got one. It’s me. And I hate it. And I love it. And I hate that I love it. Can we move on?”
Eve and Thane both cackle while I grumble angrily at myself. I should’ve never picked up my phone.
As Eve dramatically fans herself, Thane just smiles and shakes his head, like he’s seen this show a hundred times.
That’s when a super drunk guy we passed a few times on our way to the bar plops down beside me and swings his arm over my shoulder.
I feel Thane shift across the table, muscles going tense, ready to intervene.
I don’t look at him. I just raise one hand—barely—and he stills.
This is mine.
“Hey there, beautiful. Wanna get outta here and have some real fun?”
His words slur together, and his breath reeks of cheap beer and pretzels. When he tries to wink at me, he blinks instead, which makes me chuckle.
The man narrows his eyes, clearly angry at my reaction. “You stupid bitch. You think you’re better than me? Won’t be so mouthy when I have my cock shoved down your fucking throat.”
I laugh, because seriously … the audacity. It bubbles up sharp and ugly, something wild clawing at my ribs.
I survived that exact scenario. I lived. And this dumbass is threatening to assault me in a bar full of people like it’s a fucking game.
Okay, guy, let’s do it.
As my laugh grows sharper, something curls along my spine, burrowing deep, whispering violence into my veins.
My skin stings, stretching tight over muscle that doesn’t feel like mine anymore.
Every nerve braces for a tear, right along my unseen seams, spilling what’s underneath onto the filthy floor.
I try to move—can’t.
Try to stop—can’t.
Something, or someone, shoves forward, slipping inside my consciousness, folding itself into the synapses of my mind.
I’m watching myself from inside my own body, trapped behind my own eyes.
I’m me, but I’m more.
Whatever’s in here with me seethes—not just angry, but divine and cruel, ancient in its rage.
“Hey, handsome,” I purr.
But it’s not really me. It’s something else, pulling my strings from somewhere deep inside.
“What type of fun did you have in mind? I have a few ideas myself.”
His smirk wobbles. And beneath it, something stirs. Thick, oil-slick filth seeps from his pores, curling up his throat like it wants to choke him from the inside out.