Chapter 14

Sneaking into Dr. Hall's office to steal candy for a creepy set of ghost twins was not what I had on my agenda when I woke up this morning.

And yet here I am, lurking in the shadows as I wait for the orderlies to change guard. There's about a three-minute window from what I've gathered between when one leaves and another appears. That's not a lot of time when you don't know where to even look.

This could also be a trick. Ghosts are good at playing games. They do it for amusement. I don't blame them. I'd be bored as hell after hundreds of years of being tied to a place. The sad part is they could leave if they wanted. But oftentimes, they don't know any better. Especially if their deaths were tragic.

Maureen's best friend, Bailey, didn't even know she was dead until another ghost told her. But Bailey's connection to the living is strong. She roams around wherever she wants, still clinging to her human life.

The ghosts are different here. They've been traumatized and forgotten. Which is how I'm going to end up if I don't get this candy. I have to trust them because I need to get into those fucking locked rooms.

The door to her office is propped open, and from what I've witnessed for the past three hours, the door is heavy, it swings slowly, and the orderlies don't bother waiting for it to shut before they stalk off. This gives me about ten seconds.

The short, stocky, nameless orderly glances at his watch for the tenth time in thirty minutes, and his eyes light up as he's clearly looking forward to a break. My heart thumps wildly in my chest as I slide my back against the wall, careful to stay out from under the fluorescent lights.

Sweat slides down my back as he yanks on the door, springing it forward. He doesn't even bother to look up from his phone as he makes a mad dash down the hall. Clutching my shoes to my chest, I prance toward the office on the tips of my toes. All those ballet lessons are finally good for something useful.

I take a deep breath and slip inside with seconds to spare. My adrenaline kicks up as I crouch on the floor until the door fully shuts, and I hear the lock slide into place. I breathe out a sigh of relief and spring into action.

Three minutes, Lib. Three fucking minutes.

I count the seconds in my head as I begin rifling through Dr. Hall's desk. If I had more time, I'd try to find my file but that will have to be a mission for another day.

Her desk is basically all for show. There's an unnecessary amount of pens, stacks of blank notepads, and crisp new manilla folders that don't look like they've ever been touched.

I open every drawer and find more of the same—endless office supplies. Nothing personal. Other than the Dr. Hall plaque in the corner, there's no indication that this desk belongs to anyone in particular.

Super fucking weird.

One hundred and twenty seconds left.

Sweat pours down my back, soaking my shirt as I scurry over to the filing cabinets. I yank open each one, desperate for anything. Please just give me one fucking candy bar. Something.

But the cabinets are stark and devoid of anything other than manila folders. I don't pay attention to the names on their labels. That will only distract me. I keep going, one by one. Nothing.

I spin around, glancing around the room in a panic.

Sixty seconds.

Fuck.

There's not enough time.

On my way back toward the door, I spot a vase with fake flowers.

The creepy twins' voices echo in my head. She hides them from us .

Fuck it.

I pull out the flowers and peer inside. My stomach flips. Yes . I reach in, grab a handful of lollipops, and stuff them into my pockets.

Twenty seconds.

I dash toward the door, yanking it open as the last seconds count down in my head. My heart is beating so fast I can barely breathe. I hear the orderly's footsteps down the hall, the faint sound of him whistling that annoying song I've had to hear for the last three hours.

I pull hard on the door, forcing it to close faster and dip around the corner, back into the shadows.

Fuck. I'm so happy I could cry. But I can't wipe the grin off my face. I fucking did it. Shit.

I back up slowly, careful not to blow my cover now that I've come this far, and I walk right into a wall of solid muscle. My stomach flips. No. Please, for fuck's sake, no.

"Going somewhere, little freak?"

I turn around and lock eyes with Fabien. "Shhh," I whisper and motion behind me.

His blue eyes flash with amusement as he pins me back against the wall. "And what do I get for my silence?" he whispers back.

Fuck. Not now. He's going to get us both sedated and restrained. "What do you want?"

He reaches into my pocket and pulls out one of the lollipops. "I want this."

I almost laugh in his face. "That's it? Fine. Take it. Now let me go before someone catches us."

The evilest smirk I've ever seen stretches across his face. "You don't understand. I want to eat it out of your pussy. And I want to eat it now ."

Oh, fuck. My adrenaline spikes as a tiny little spasm flutters in my core. He's fucking crazy. I shake my head. "Someone will hear us. I'm not about to get strapped to my bed again just so you can indulge in one of your weird fantasies."

His eyes darken. "You'll let me, or else I'll call for help. I'll tell them that you attacked me after I caught you breaking into Dr. Hall's office. What do you think they'll do to you then?"

My cheeks flush with heat as the rage in my chest rises up. "You wouldn't fucking dare."

He waves the lollipop in front of my face. "Try me."

Fuck. He's not bluffing. This psycho never does.

I let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine. You win. But don't you make a fucking sound."

His devilish smirk returns. "You'll need to heed your own advice after I'm done with you." He nuzzles the side of my face. "You know I lick your pussy the best."

Despite the absolute inconvenience of this and the fact that he's playing a dangerous game right now, I can't deny the way my belly quivers. The way my heart skips at the thought of his merciless tongue in between my thighs again.

My eyes flutter as I lean my head back against the wall. "You wish," I lie.

He chuckles and puts his finger to his lips, a reminder to keep quiet, as he slowly pulls my pants down to my ankles.

Fuck, I'm already wet.

I lean on his shoulder as I step out of my pants. He lightly slaps the inside of my thigh and arches an eyebrow up at me. An unspoken command.

I widen my stance, parting my legs for him. I shiver as he takes his time unwrapping the bright red sucker.

My heart races. " Hurry ," I mouth to him. We are so fucking screwed if one of the orderlies hears us.

Fabien flashes me a wicked grin. "You're going to want me to savor this." He strokes the outside of my pussy so gently that tingles reverberate to the back of my spine.

He spreads my folds apart, holding them open to be devoured. My knees tremble in anticipation. I have no idea what he's going to do next.

"Fabien… Someone's going to come."

"Yeah, you are." He winks and inserts the stick of the lollipop into my pussy.

I let out a gasp and then quickly cover my mouth. He's more fucking depraved than I thought.

His grin widens as he pushes it farther in, all the way in, until the only thing that's visible is the bright red candy knob. He starts at the bottom and licks in an upward motion, his tongue grazing the sides of my pussy. The stick shifts inside me, pressing against my G-spot.

I whimper into my own hand. Oh, sweet fucking raven.

"Mmm." He licks around the sides, twirling his tongue in circles around its base.

A deep spasm shatters my core, and I almost fall to my knees. I grip the wall behind me with my free hand, too afraid to uncover my mouth with the other. This man is going to be the fucking death of me.

"Break for me," he whispers against my pussy.

My juices leak down my legs. "Fabien… fuck. You're killing me."

He chuckles as he wraps his whole mouth around the lollipop.

I bite down hard on my lower lip as he sucks. His thick lips brush against my clit while his tongue darts everywhere. I can't even tell where my pussy ends and the sucker begins. I am one with a fucking piece of candy.

I look down, and all I see is him. With each bob of his head, each thrust of his tongue, he wedges the stick deeper inside me.

"Oh, fuck…" I whine.

The pressure builds in my nub, threatening to consume me. I forget that we're supposed to be quiet. I forget where we're even fucking at.

He growls as he sucks harder. I feel his teeth scrape against my folds. "I'm going to devour you." He pulls back only to pick up my leg and lift it up, pinning my thigh against the wall.

I stifle a moan into the crook of my arm as he takes the entire sucker into his mouth again. He digs his fingers into my flesh as he slides the stick part in and out.

Holy… I can't breathe. I can barely even stand.

His eyes glaze with lust and brutality as he thrusts faster, urging me to lose control. Daring me to scream.

The stifling only drives me wilder, intensifying every spasm that tingles through my core. And he fucking knows it. That was his whole fucking plan when he ambushed me.

Oh, fuck. I can't hold it anymore. The tingling explodes like murdered stars. I grab the back of his buzzed head and press his face into my pussy.

The stick drives in harder, and I ride it. I ride his face, dripping my juices onto his lips. Those beautiful fucking lips.

"Mmm," he hums. He moans into my pussy, the heat from his breath only making me cum harder.

I pull up the edge of my tank top and gnaw on it like a feral animal. I grunt into it as I ride out my orgasm. My pussy twitches as he continues to suck and lick and scrape his teeth against my swollen nub.

" Fuck ," I whisper.

He drops my leg and stands up to face me, his eyes amused at the state I'm in. With my shirt still in my mouth and cum streaming down my legs, I must look like a fucking wildling.

"Good girl." His lips and tongue are stained red from the candy.

I pant for air as another wave of tremors ripples through my core. I stay pressed against the wall, afraid to move lest I collapse onto my knees. I think I've literally forgotten how to walk.

He pulls the lollipop out of my pussy in the slowest, most agonizing manner. I shudder when it's all the way out. He puts the stick in his mouth and licks it clean. "I won't be able to enjoy a lollipop any other way again."

Neither will I.

Fuck.

My fingers shake as I gather my pants and put them back on. I can't take my eyes off him.

"Libra Thorn speechless? I impress myself. If I knew this was how to get you to shut the fuck up, I would've done it sooner."

I roll my eyes at him. "Don't let this go to your head, Fabien. I'm quiet because there is an orderly right around the corner."

"Whatever you say, little freak." He rolls his tongue over the sucker, and my pussy quivers, knowing what he can do with that tongue. "A word to the wise, Lib, don't give the Terror Twins all of them at once. Make them earn each one."

How in the hell does he know? Wait, of course, he knows. He and Raithe and Mordecai have been here for months. I shouldn't be surprised that they know how to navigate this place and everyone in it.

"You call them the Terror Twins?"

He cracks the sucker open with his teeth, revealing a chewy center, and shrugs.

" You let them in my room the other night," I snicker. "I should've known. Well, the joke's on you. They don't scare me."

He finishes the candy until there's nothing left but the stick. He slips it into my pants. "In case you get nostalgic later."

My mouth gapes open. I yank it out and toss it at him. "I think you need it more than I do."

With just a few inches between us, he bridges that gap and steps into me, pressing me back against the wall. "I have the real thing right here. I can suck on your pussy any time I want."

My cheeks flush. I have no comeback. No witty retort. Because he's right. I'm obsessed with how he devours me. Addicted to his magical fucking tongue.

He tucks the stick back into the waistband of my pants. "That's what I thought."

Fuck.

He fucking broke me.

My thighs stick to the fabric of my pants on the walk back to the Terror Twins. I wrap my hands around the lollipops in my pockets and try to disassociate. But the harder I try to shove them back into visions of carnival booths and candy shops, the more I think about Fabien licking one out of my pussy.

What has he turned me into? Fuck. Get it together, Lib.

I find the Terror Twins jumping up and down on the blue faded couches, tearing the fabric even more than it already is.

"You have no idea what I did to get you these suckers." I hand one to each of them, heeding Fabien's advice, and leave four more in my pockets.

They squeal in delight. " We saw you got a sweet treat too ."

I almost puke in my mouth. "You were there?"

They ignore me and dive into their candy. I look away as they devour them. I can't even look at lollipops anymore without my cheeks heating. Fucking Fabien.

"All right, little psychos. Hand over the key." I need to be done with them.

" Empty your pockets ." I will never get used to the shrill of their voices, uttering every word at the same time. I guess they had plenty of time to practice nailing that parlor trick.

I sigh. "I'm not giving you any more candy. We had a deal. Give me the key."

They giggle and disappear before my eyes.

What the actual fuck? I'm going to stab them with these fucking lollipops the next time I see them. I shove my hands back into my pockets and gasp when I find them empty except for something cold and metal.

Those sneaky little bitches.

But I can't stop the grin from taking over my face as I gaze upon the ornate skeleton key in my hand. "Thank you," I whisper.

I turn the key, and as it unlocks the door, I brace myself. It could be another storage room or a torture chamber. Anything is possible inside this asylum.

I breathe out a sigh of relief. It's just another sleeping room. It's dark, but I can see there's a bed and a desk similar to the one in my room and a small bathroom with a toilet and shower off to the left. The bed is neatly made with no creases or indents, like it hasn't been slept on for years. The antique desk gathers dust around a small stack of parchment paper and a set of dried paints. Interesting .

I flip on the light switch and shudder. What in the fuck is that?

Above the bed hangs a massive painting. I creep forward, chills racing down my arms, to get a better look. A pit of dread stirs in my belly. The image is mostly swirls of black and red. There's a figure in the center. He has a forked tongue and claws. He stares out as if he's looking directly at me.

It's horrific, but I can't look away. This thing… whatever he is… looks like a nightmare brought to life. I lean in even closer to read the signature that's scribbled in the corner. I brush my fingers over it, removing some of the dust.

Mia Harker.

Well, that's fucking weird. I don't know much about the Harkers other than there aren't very many of them left. Maybe this is why. This must've been her room. Fuck. She's probably haunting the place too. And now I'm in her space, fucking with her shit.

The door creaks behind me just as a cold draft wafts in. Fuck. Yup, time to go. I turn around and stop dead in my tracks.

Another fucking ghost. Fuck, this is probably her, pissed off that I've invaded her space.

"She's the only one who's ever gotten out of here alive."

My adrenaline is racing, but my curiosity overrules it. "You mean… Mia Harker?" I point to the painting.

The ghost before me is tall and lanky, a blonde woman with green eyes and ruby-red lips. She looks about my age. Or at least she was when she died. "Mia was a sweet girl. But plagued by terrible nightmares."

We both gaze at the artwork, fixating on it. If she was creating shit like that it's no wonder the energy in this room is disturbing. "How did she get out?"

"She was here for a few years. Until one day, an uncle she'd never met showed up. He paid his weight in poison for her release… I liked her. I'm happy she didn't die in here like the rest of us."

Poison is a form of currency in here. Good to know.

"How long ago did she leave?" I doubt she even remembers.

The woman smiles in remembrance. "Last winter solstice I think. Her grandmother died and left everything to her."

Mia Harker was just here? That can't be right. This room looks like it's been abandoned for years. "I don't understand…"

"Mia was here but not here. She lived in her nightmares. It's hard to explain."

Something else is gnawing at me.

He paid his weight in poison…

Mia Harker… Harker.

Oh, fuck.

Dorian Harker must be her uncle. Professor Harker.

He was in debt to Pisces Thorn. All this time, we thought he was a poison addict. Atlas tormented him, blackmailed him , for years.

Fuck, I feel sick.

Professor Harker did it all for her. For Mia.

And my family tried to ruin him for it. Like I needed another fucking reason to hate them.

"What's your name?" I ask her.

She grins wide. "No one has asked me that in a long time. I write it down every day, so I don't forget… It's Rowena."

"Nice to meet you." I stick out my hand. "I'm Libra Thorn."

She arches an eyebrow. "You make the poison." Her tone isn't accusatory, just that she's stating a fact.

I snicker. "My father does. All I make is mess after mess of my hot mess of a life."

Rowena smiles. "You're going to get out of here, Libra Thorn. You've got a fire in you."

Her flattery falls on deaf ears as I'm reminded of the fact that she's dead. That she'll never get out. Her hope is gone. I'm overwhelmed with sadness for her but also resolve.

"When I do get out, I'm coming back for all of you. I'll find a way to set you free from this place."

She bows her head and closes her eyes. A soft whisper leaves her lips, inaudible. When she lifts up to look back at me, she has tears in her eyes. "I have no doubt… We have your back in here, Libra Thorn."

I nod, a renewed spark of determination rising in me. "I will find a way out."

Rowena moves closer and whispers, "All the doors are sealed shut, and the windows are barred. But there's a service entrance that's unmarked. It's how the staff used to come in and out for their shifts."

Chills snake up my back. "Used to?"

She nods. "Dr. Hall and her orderlies have barricaded themselves in here. They use the service entrance for deliveries only—food, supplies, and… poison."

I pace around the room, my mind racing. "How do I find this entrance? Is there another key for it?"

She nods again. "Only Dr. Hall has the key. I know where it is, but it's heavily guarded at all times. You'll have to fight."

I blow out a deep breath and crack my knuckles. "Fighting is the one thing I'm good at."