Chapter 25

The scent of poison— hemlock —fills my nostrils as soon as we pull up to Nocturnus House. I breathe it in deeply, relishing the way it burns and soothes my throat at the same time. It grows wild here, thanks to my family.

My heart pounds when I see them on the front steps, waiting for us, guarding their estate like they aren't monsters themselves. Riot, Atlas, and Valentin. So self-fucking-righteous . And there's one more. I squint through the fog to make him out. Is that Felix Crane? What the fuck is he doing here?

Fuck, I missed a lot.

We linger in the hearse for a few minutes before getting out. Ravens gather in the trees, perched on twisted branches. I feel their knowing eyes on me. Goosebumps pebble my skin as they cock their heads from side to side, squawking every time I take a breath.

The tension is so thick between our two groups it's palpable. Dripping with threats of violence and chaotic energy. I can feel Nocturnus's power pushing at the edges of my mind, hungry to get in and read my thoughts. I throw up a mental shield, using all of my strength to keep them out.

Mordecai, Raithe, and Fabien surround me like bodyguards with clenched fists and gritted teeth.

We're locked in a stand-off with Nocturnus, neither group wanting to make the first move. I blow out a deep breath and inch forward.

Riot throws up his hand. "Stop. You have a lot of fucking nerve bringing these traitors here. You remember what happened the last time you defied me?"

Mordecai growls and places a protective hand on my lower back. My stomach knots. I'll never fucking forget the way you humiliated me that day in the ritual room.

"Where've you been, Lib?" Atlas asks. "Maureen's been worried sick about you." For all my cousin's flaws, including his allegiance to Nocturnus, I forgave him a long time ago for taking part in what Riot did to me. I know how seductive this coven can be. Atlas swore an oath, and not even his own flesh and blood could sway him away from them now.

I open my mouth to answer when Valentin cuts me off. "Isn't it obvious? Your cousin's been playing house with the enemy."

My anger flares as I charge forward. "Fuck you, Val. You have no idea what I've been through for the last six months. The fucking horrors I've seen."

"Not another fucking step, Lib, or I'll have the ravens peck out your eyes so you can match your new boyfriend," Riot snarls.

Now it's Raithe's turn to growl as he rushes to my side. "Of course you would have a bird fight your battles for you. Don't want to get your delicate hands dirty?"

Fuck.

Riot smirks as he raises his hand. In seconds Raithe falls to his knees. He clasps his chest, coughing and choking on his own saliva.

I put my hands up to stop Mordecai and Fabien from lashing out too. They cannot win a fight with them. Nocturnus is too powerful. "I just came here to talk, Riot. Please, don't hurt him. There's so much you don't know. Please ," I beg.

With Raithe's life still hanging in the balance, Riot's lips curl into a sadistic smirk. "So talk. You've got about two minutes before I crush his lungs."

Always so fucking stubborn.

My heart races. "They didn't side with Zeke. I swear it on the ravens. Everything that happened the night of the ball was my fault."

"You're not helping your cause, Lib," Valentin hisses.

I put my hands up like a white flag. "It's not what you think. Raithe, Mordecai, and Fabien were sent here by my father to keep tabs on me. They're from the poison fields. When I became friends with Maureen, they had to join Nocturnus to stay close to me. While Zeke was plotting against you, they were too busy following me around."

Atlas nods at Riot. He sighs and lets go of his supernatural hold on Raithe. "You said everything that happened was your fault. Explain."

The guilt threatens to choke me to death. I hang my head, afraid to let them see the tears brimming in my eyes. "I knew what Zeke was planning and didn't tell anyone."

Riot's eyes darken as he turns his rage on me. With a flick of his hand, I feel the air slip from my lungs. I claw at the invisible hands around my throat.

Fuck.

He's going to fucking kill me.

"Enough!" I can barely make out the voice as stars dot my vision.

Air whooshes back into my lungs like a reverse vacuum. My throat burns as I cough for breath.

As I look up from the ground, my heart skips. Dressed in all black, she's a haunting vision of dark hair and amber-colored eyes.

Maureen .

I whimper as I run to her, not caring how stupid or desperate I must look.

Her eyes widen before filling with tears. She opens her arms, and I collapse into them. The sounds of the sobs that leave my throat are wild, inhuman. She's one of only a few people I still trust in this fucked up world. I know everything will be okay as soon as I melt into her embrace.

"Oh, Lib," she soothes. "I've got you, bitch. You're safe now."

We gather in the parlor room, both sets of guys on opposite sides. Maureen and I have to work hard to keep them from killing each other. But we seem to be the only ones they'll listen to despite their lust for bloodshed.

Positioned across a small table from one another, with our men standing respectfully behind us, we look like two mob wives having an organized sit-down.

"You look different, Lib. What happened to you?" Maureen asks.

I take a deep breath and wring my hands in my lap to keep them from shaking. Recounting everything to Aries over the phone was hard enough but staring at this goddess in front of me with all of her beauty and strength, I feel my resolve crumbling.

I was drawn to her from the beginning. To her confidence and sass. She's the only girl I've ever met who wasn't intimidated by me. She saw through my act and loved me anyway.

She reaches for my hand. " Libra Thorn , don't forget who you are. This is a safe space." She shoots a warning glare at Riot as he snickers.

I nod and swallow down my apprehension. I don't know where to even start. "You're going to hate me after this."

Maureen squeezes my hand. "We've all made mistakes, Lib. Whatever it is you think you did, I'm sure you had your reasons."

My stomach knots under the heavy weight of Riot, Atlas, Valentin, and now Felix Crane's expectant glares. I still don't understand why Villette's brother is here. But judging by the possessive way he looks at my sassy friend, I'm guessing he's a part of this now.

Mordecai places a hand on my shoulder. "Speak your truth, little freak."

Maureen arches an eyebrow at him. "I'm going to need details on that too, bitch."

I let a nervous chuckle free. Fuck, I missed that sharp wit of hers. "There's a lot about my past that I don't talk about. But in the last six months, I've had to deal with it. And it's made me understand why I've been such a horrible person to so many people. Including you, Firecracker."

Maureen smirks at me using her guys' pet name for her. "You don't have to get into that now, Lib. Not in front of all of them."

I shake my head. "No, I have to." I take another deep breath, so I don't vomit. "Shortly after I turned sixteen, my father started parading me around in front of potential business partners. He made sure I always looked perfect for them. I was flattered by the attention at first. I actually felt special. Like my father was finally including me in his world. Until the night he let one of them take me back home with him. He told me to be a good little princess and behave for her king. That if I did good, he'd get the money he needed from them."

Mordecai's hand on my arm tenses. "Fuck," he breathes.

Maureen's eyes darken. "That fucking bastard."

Saying it out loud for the second time today makes it hurt a little less. I wipe the tears from my cheeks and force a smile. "It doesn't excuse the things I've done since, but at least you know now why I'm so fucked up."

I tell her about my eating disorder, the stint I did in rehab, and the sneaky way I applied to Tenebrose Academy just to get away from my father and his sick games.

Riot's gaze softens on me slightly. "You should've told me, Lib… I would have gone easier on you."

I give him my forgiveness in that moment. "I didn't tell anyone. Not even Aries. I was too ashamed. I shoved it all down, refusing to deal with it. So when I came here to Tenebrose, I became unhinged. I was finally free from my father's hold. But I'm still my father's daughter."

I pull my hands away from Maureen and look down in shame again. This part is the one I've been dreading.

She snatches them back. "No, you don't get to shut me out now. I trust you, Lib. No matter what you say next."

"Villette is on her way. I texted her," Felix interjects. "She cares about you too, Libra."

I nod. "Good. I miss that queen."

Valentin hands me a snifter of whiskey before giving my shoulder a light squeeze. "I know all too well about paying for the sins of our fathers. He'll get his in the end. Mine did."

I gasp mid-sip. "I feel like you all have a lot to catch me up on too."

Maureen's amber-flecked eyes glow, a swirl of light circling her pupils. "Yes," she breathes. "A lot has happened."

Fuck it. I've stalled long enough. Time to rip the bandage off. I take another long swig of whiskey before launching into my confession. "Zeke was blackmailing me. He found out about my teenage indiscretions. About what my father made me do. He said if I didn't give him information about you, Maur, then he'd expose my past. He even had pictures."

Maureen gasps, her mouth twisting in horror. "Fucking hell… So it wasn't all Jessamine."

I shake my head while I take another sip of whiskey. The burn down my throat comforts me. "He tricked her too… I never gave Zeke too much. Just little things to keep him satisfied. But then, when I really got to know you, when you became one of my best friends, I begged him to leave you alone. He said he would back off if I fucked him. So I did. Many times. But it was all a lie. A trick. He still went after you… you could've died that night, and it would've all been my fault."

She springs from the table and throws her arms around me. "It was not your fault, Lib. Zeke was a monster. He manipulated all of us. I'm so sorry you had to go through that with him."

"I'm just glad you killed him," I sneer.

Raithe steps forward. "When you all were fighting the initiates who sided with Zeke, the three of us were frantically looking for Libra."

"Must've been hard to do with only one eye," Valentin taunts.

" Val ," Maureen warns, her nostrils flaring.

Raithe just shrugs. "Whatever, man."

"I was locked in the basement of the ballroom with Villette," I murmur.

Fabien paces in front of me, his blue eyes wild. "We ended up finding you all instead. We tried to stop the fighting." He glares at Riot. "But you didn't want to hear what we had to say."

"That night was chaos," Riot rasps. "Utter fucking chaos."

"Is that your formal apology?" Mordecai snickers.

Atlas downs a vial of poison as sweat beads on his forehead. "We took your sigils and stuck you in Absentia Asylum, for fuck's sake. I think an apology is almost insulting at this point."

"Speaking of that evil place, how the fuck did you end up there, Lib?" Maureen asks.

I hold up my snifter, motioning to Val to pour me another. I fixate on the golden liquid sloshing into the glass as he pours with a steady hand.

I take a few more sips while they wait patiently. "I woke up there after a night of partying in Hemlock. They strapped me to a bed. Told me that I was mentally ill. That I wasn't who I claimed I was. The doctor called me a Jane Doe . Said I was delusional. But she was in on it too. They kept me in an induced coma for six months."

Maureen downs the rest of her drink, and for a second, I think she's going to shatter the glass with her furious grip. "Do you know who did this to you?"

I nod, my stomach twisting in knots again. "I found a bottle of Blackwell gin in the doctor's office. The private reserve label. Dr. Hall confirmed it was your grandmother's doing… right before I killed her."

Riot's gaze flits over Raithe, Mordecai, and Fabien, taking notice of their blood-stained clothes. "You helped Lib get out?"

Mordecai tightens his grip on my arm. "We blamed her at first. If we hadn't been tasked to watch her at Tenebrose then we'd still be safe in our beds back in Hemlock. But things change. We realized she's a victim of this world, the same as us."

Fabien grips my other shoulder. "We slaughtered every last one of them."

"She helped us get out," Raithe adds.

Maureen actually shatters the glass for real. Glass shards explode from her palm. "You have my blessing to take whatever revenge you see fit."

"Maur," I gasp. "Your hand… how are you not bleeding?" Not a single piece of glass has punctured her skin. What the fuck?

Light swirls in her eyes again. I can't believe it's taken me this long to notice the power emanating from her. She commands the room like a queen on her throne. Nocturnus serves her now. I can sense it in every gesture they make around her. It's beautiful.

"We're the elders of Nocturnus now," she starts. "It's a long story. A painful one… I'm still processing everything that happened, but I'm okay. I know why you and Villette weren't born in Ever Graves. Your mothers gave birth to you here to avoid the curse, to keep you from the nightmare men. My mother wasn't so lucky. Her nightmare man is my real father. And the reason Penny Blackwell disowned us. So yeah, you have my fucking blessing to reign hell upon her house."

Fuck. "The nightmare men are real? I thought that was just a myth. Like to scare the fuck out of us when we were kids. So that means you are… half nightmare?"

She shrugs. "Yup. Like I said, still processing."

I shake my head in disbelief. How could so much happen in such a short time? "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you for all that."

"Fuck no, Lib, I'm sorry that my crazy family locked you up. I think the only part I don't understand is the why." She crinkles her nose as Val hands her a fresh glass of whiskey. "Try not to break this one, love," he teases.

I sigh as I try to piece together my thoughts. "It all leads back to Jessamine. She died from poison. Thorn poison. Penny couldn't go after Atlas because he's Nocturnus. And my brother Aries is her grandson's best friend. So she decided to punish me instead. To fuck with my family. The joke's on her, though, I don't have one single text from either of my parents." I wave my phone in the air.

Maureen's eyes glaze with tears. "That's so fucked up."

Mordecai nudges me. "Tell her about the rest."

I nod as all eyes fixate on me. "Years ago, during one of my binges, I broke into my father's office to mess with him. I was angry and wanted to fuck everything up. Stupid teenager stuff. As if some ruffled files were going to make up for what he did to me…" I knock back the rest of my whiskey.

"Fuck," Val murmurs, clearly recounting his own memories of abuse at the hands of his father.

"So, there I am, fucking shit up, pulling out drawers and throwing his papers all over the floor when I spot an old book. It was hidden in a false bottom in one of the cabinets. I was drawn to it for some reason. I knew it was important, so I took it and hid it. To this day, I still have it. Not even Aries knows."

Riot crosses his arms and shifts forward. "What's in the book, Lib?"

My heart races. "Everything. Including the reason why some pass over to the After while others remain stuck here as ghosts."

"You've known this whole time?" Atlas shouts, poison rings swirling like lightning bolts in his eyes.

"Relax," Mordecai growls. "Did you really think she was going to trust you with this after you humiliated her in front of all your initiates?"

Atlas snickers. "Wait, weren't you three supposed to be keeping tabs on her? I don't recall seeing you in the ritual room that day."

Fabien clenches his fists. "We weren't allowed in. Senior members only. You know this ."

Maureen slams her fists on the table and everyone collectively flinches. There's a storm simmering below the surface. Her power is too much. I'm suddenly worried about her.

"Enough," she hisses. "Lib doesn't owe us anything. We should be grateful she's telling us now." Her gaze softens when she looks back at me. "Go on."

I blow out a deep breath. "Okay, bear with me. The Poison War was bloody and cutthroat. In order to win, my family made a bargain with the devil. A deal that we are all still paying for now. Because of this, when someone dies from poison, they don't cross over to the After. Their soul remains here forever."

Maureen's breath hitches. She shakes her head. "No, that can't be right. Bailey didn't die from poison, and she's a ghost. And what about Silas? He passed on after he and Jessamine ingested it. Even Daisy Thorn passed on to the After, after poisoning Poe, Grim, Saint, Raine, and herself."

I knew these questions would come. It's taken me a long time to figure it out myself. "Thorns aren't affected. Daisy was able to pass on because of that. It was part of our bargain. Bailey is a Bishop. Her ancestors have their own curses. Bishop women are forbidden to enter the After. And as far as Silas goes… I don't think he passed on. I think he's hiding."

Everyone stares at me in stunned silence.

A shrill cry startles us as Villette comes barreling into the parlor room. Before I can turn my head, she knocks Mordecai out of the way and throws her arms around me. "Lib! You're alive. Thank the raven, you're alive."

"Lettie," I breathe as I hug her back. Her sweet scent envelops me, reminding us all that there are still some good people left in our world. This beautiful girl wouldn't hurt a fucking fly.

Before she can fire her questions at me, Maureen stands from the table. "We'll bring you up to speed later tonight, Lettie. Right now, I want all you boys to agree to a truce. No one leaves this house unless we leave as friends."

My heart flutters. I'm so grateful for my raven-haired friend. If anyone can turn enemies into friends, it's her.

But I'm terrified that it won't be enough this time. Mordecai, Raithe, and Fabien aren't as quick to forgive. I wouldn't blame them if they didn't.