Chapter 27

The weight that's been lifted from my shoulders makes me feel light and airy. Like anything is possible. I'm free from Absentia, Maur and Lettie don't hate me, and my three monsters proved they aren't going anywhere without me. There's just one more fire to put out. The fire that started it all.

Mordecai, Raithe, and Fabien climb into the hearse and wait for me to say my final goodbyes. I hug Maur and Lettie tight, the way I should have hugged them last spring before we all parted ways. I know now that nothing in this life is guaranteed. Something or someone can snatch it all away in a heartbeat.

"Your inheritance is about to get a lot bigger," I say to Maureen. "I can't let her get away with this."

She nods. "I know. There is no love lost between me and Penny Blackwell. Her reign of terror needs to end."

I'm grateful Maur's on my side, but others won't be. "What about your cousin Draven? Do you think he'll stand in my way?"

She bites her lip. "I don't know him well enough to say. But you do what you have to."

"I would text Bones, but I don't want to give them the heads up you're coming," Villette says as she tugs at her sleeves.

I adore this girl. "That's okay, Lettie. Aries won't let anything bad happen to them or me."

"Call us when it's done," Maureen says.

We give each other one more final embrace before I slide into the passenger seat next to Mordecai. Maur and Lettie cling to each other in the fog as they watch us drive away. I wave back until we pull out of the long driveway, and I can't see them anymore.

Mordecai grips the steering wheel tightly. "Ever Graves or bust?"

I nod. "Yeah, let's go fucking end this."

He slides his hand over to mine. "I'm sorry we ever called you princess. We didn't know that's what he used to call you."

I swallow down the lump in my throat. My father's pet name for me makes me want to vomit every time I hear it. "How could you know? It's fine. Just… never again. Please."

Fabien leans forward from the back seat and caresses the back of my neck. "Only little freak from now on."

I chuckle. "Definitely suits me better."

The lull of the engine keeps me in a dozy state. I drift off for a while, then wake to look out the window for a few minutes. The night is still, the sky black with no stars. No ravens. We're getting close.

My pulse quickens as we drive up the jagged cliffs leading into the secluded town. All roads lead back to Ever Graves. That familiar sinister energy permeates around us like black sludge. I never get used to it. And being away from here for so long, it hits me like a ton of bricks, spiking my anxiety.

When Mordecai turns onto the first cobblestone street, the lamplights flicker. Masked faces peer at our intrusive hearse, their curiosity piqued. Panic rises in my chest until I see their orange and black bags. Fuck. I forgot it's Halloween. I breathe out a sigh of relief.

Fabien chuckles. "Sweet treats for evil deeds. Want me to snag you a lollipop, doll face?"

I clench my thighs and squirm in my seat.

Mordecai raises an eyebrow as he gazes down at my lap. "I want one, too, if it's going to make your body react like that."

My cheeks flush. "Don't distract me from my rage, please."

Raithe bursts out laughing. "Fuck, you're hot when you're frustrated. Lean your seat back, and I'll take care of that for you."

My breath hitches. These three can make me wet with one look. It's unholy. And I fucking love it. "Later," I rasp. "Once she's dead, you can eat all the lollipops you want out of my pussy."

Mordecai adjusts his cock in his pants. "Fucking hell, Lib. I'll murder anyone for you if that's my reward."

I can't help but smirk, pleased to know that I can make them hard just as fast as they make me wet.

When we drive into the residential district, I notice the lights on at Harker Mansion. It's set far back from the road, nestled on at least ten acres. But even from this distance, I can spot the lights twinkling. "She made it," I murmur.

"Who?" Mordecai asks as he tries to follow my gaze.

"Mia Harker. She's the only one who got out of Absentia Asylum alive besides us. I'm happy for her." When I close my eyes, I can still see her painting hanging above her old bed at the asylum. Her nightmare man. Now that I know it's not just a myth, that these creatures exist, I wonder if she has one.

"Did you know her?" Fabien asks.

I shake my head. "Never met her. Didn't even know she existed until Absentia. Professor Harker is her uncle. One of the ghosts told me he got her out. That her grandmother died and left everything to her."

Raithe lets out a low whistle. "That's some fortune. The Harkers come from really old fucking money."

"Maybe she can do some good with it now." I smile toward her house, hoping the energy behind it reaches her and sends her good fortune. It's the least I can do to start making amends for my past bad behavior.

We wind deeper into the forest until we pull up to the front of Aries's house. My happiness to finally see my brother is squashed as soon as I spot the other two shadows lurking beside him. Bones and Draven. Fuck.

My guys tense as we sit in the car, stalling.

"Keep your cool. Their loyalty is to my brother. But his is to me," I assure them. Still, my nerves are on edge even as I try to show strength in front of my three unhinged heathens.

Mordecai kills the engine, and we all step out, unsure but with our heads held high.

"A fucking hearse? Damn, Lib, you always know how to make an entrance," Bones snickers. In a white muscle tee and low-slung jeans, he looks very much like the street fighter he is. His black hair is cropped short, and his dark brown eyes look as crazed as ever.

I tip my head to his bruised knuckles. "Still starting brawls at Duff's Bar?"

He flashes me a wicked grin. "Nah, finishing them."

Aries rushes me and pulls me into his arms. "I'm so fucking happy to see you, sister."

I gaze up at him, looking into blue-green eyes that mirror mine. That same flawless peaches and cream complexion. My heart flutters to be reunited with my twin. "I missed you so damn much."

Draven glares at my guys, his gold-flecked eyes narrowing. I didn't realize how much they resemble Maureen's until now. It must be a Blackwell trait. His dark, wavy hair is slicked back, a stark contrast to his pale, white skin. Under the moonlight, he looks like he walked out of a Bram Stoker novel.

"Who are they?" he says, his voice monotone as usual. I'm pretty sure ice runs through his veins instead of blood.

I motion them forward. "They're with me. Mordecai, Raithe, and Fabien." I point to each one of them. "These are the heathens of Ever Graves."

Bones snorts. "Shit. Like you haven't caused your own share of trouble around here. Duff still has that restraining order framed above the bar. Even though it didn't stick. You can't keep a Thorn out for long, right?"

I laugh as I remember bumping him with my car after he grabbed my ass the night before. "Fucker had it coming. He's lucky I didn't break both his legs."

Mordecai laughs. "I knew you belonged in Absentia."

Raithe sticks out his hand to shake Draven's who leaves him hanging. "We got a problem, buddy?"

Draven doesn't move a muscle except for the one in his jaw. "Why are your clothes covered in blood?"

"Because we murdered over a dozen people the other night," Fabien snarls as his lips curl into a sadistic smirk.

Bones slaps him on the back. "I like this one."

A chill sweeps through the wind, whispering around us. Aries shivers. "Come on, let's get inside. I want to hear everything."

Draven continues to glare at us as we follow them into Aries's massive compound, making me anxious. He's always been impossible to read. If I don't have his support, I'm fucked.

The three of them stare at me in disbelief as I recall everything that's happened until now. Aries downs two vials of nightshade through pursed lips.

Draven smooths his hands over his suit pants. "Mordecai, is it? What's in it for you? You must think you hit the jackpot waltzing in here with Libra Thorn."

That fucking hurts. As if all I'm good for is my name and trust fund.

Mordecai lays a protective hand on my thigh. "We don't want her money. Just her. She's ours. Mine."

Draven swirls the olives in his gin martini. "We'll see if that's true soon enough."

What the fuck is he talking about?

Aries opens a manila envelope and pulls out a stack of paperwork. He pushes it over to me with a pen. "I'm sorry, Lib, but this is the only way."

I don't bother to look at it. "What is this?"

Draven sighs. "You want me to let you walk into Blackwell Manor and kill my grandmother? You pay a price. All your shares of the poison fields. Sign them over to your brother, and I'll unlock the front door myself."

I burst out laughing. Do they think I give a fuck? I rifle through the papers until I find the signature page. Without even blinking, I sign my name on the dotted line and throw the pen on the table. "Done. I don't want a cent from my father. It's all dirty money, anyway."

Aries looks down, embarrassed and ashamed. "I'm sorry he did that to you."

"She's broke now. Still want her?" Draven snarls as he looks at my guys.

I can feel the rage emanating from them. I sink back into my chair, humiliated once again.

Mordecai places his hand below my belly button, stilling it on the spot where he carved his name. "Mine," he repeats as he looks Draven dead in the eyes.

A warm rush flushes through me at his possessiveness.

Raithe pulls his chair up behind me and drapes an arm across my chest. "And mine."

"She's never getting rid of us," Fabien adds as he grips my other thigh.

"Well, then you better fucking take care of her," Aries growls.

Bones takes a deep drag from his cigarette. "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the womb," he says as he exhales.

"Clearly." Mordecai glares at my brother.

But I'm not angry. He's freeing me, not punishing me. Now that Aries owns both his shares and mine of the poison fields, he has a bigger stake than our father. And Draven needs control of the poison that flows into Ever Graves. They're planning something. I can feel it. But all I care about is getting my revenge and then leaving here forever. Ever Graves is the place where dreams die, and nightmares come alive.

Aries tucks the papers back into the envelope. "My apartment in Raven's Gate is yours. I've already transferred it to you. And your trust fund is yours. You fucking earned it."

I shake my head in protest. "Aries, no. I don't want his money."

"Lib, I paid for the apartment with the money I earned from pulling jobs with Bones. And that trust fund money has been passed down through generations. It's not his money. It's your birthright. And it will keep you going until you figure out what you want to do."

I let out a deep sigh. When he words it like that, I'm not so repulsed by it. Aries could sell water to a fucking well. Besides, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the money. A promise I made before we broke out and one I intend to keep.

Draven claps his hands together. "Then it's settled. You get one shot at this. Take your revenge tonight, and then get the fuck out of my town."

It doesn't even faze me that he thinks he owns Ever Graves. That he thinks he has the right to say who can and cannot stay. Because I don't want to be here any longer than I have to. "Agreed. The sooner, the better."