Chapter Nine

Maureen

My hand trembles around the knife. Suddenly, I'm not as brave as I was a few minutes ago. My flight-or-fight response has me wanting to throw up. I still don't understand Atlas's nature, but the idea of carving into his beautiful body sends my pulse racing. There's too much adrenaline coursing through my veins.

Riot steadies his hand over mine, guiding the blade to Atlas's chest. "This is part of who we are. You can do this."

I nod as I lock eyes with Atlas. He still has that shit eating grin on his face. It almost infuriates me but then I remember I'm the one holding the knife. I don't want to hurt him… completely. Maybe slightly. Fuck. I'm just as fucked up as they are.

I dig the tip of the blade into his chest. He lets out a little whimper as the first trickle of blood spurts out. I'm not a squeamish person. I've killed two people. But those acts were full of rage and chaos. I was in an unhinged state. This is different.

Riot continues to guide my hand as I etch the sigil deep into Atlas's flesh. "Fuck that feels good," he moans.

My breath catches in my throat as a spark of energy shoots up my fingers. It's like a vibration. "Do you feel that tingling?" I ask.

Atlas licks his lips. Desire flickers in his gaze. "Mmm, yes. I feel like I'm about to cum."

Riot steps away as I continue to carve the sigil on my own, my fingers somehow knowing the way without my knowledge. The air is sticky and sweet between us. Without understanding what's happening, I have the strongest urge to make him cum.

As I stare at his mutilated flesh, the vibration in my body heightens. I glide my hands over his abdomen, smearing his blood in circles around his belly button. He whimpers as I peel his robe back.

I slip my hand inside and wrap it around his hard cock.

"Oh, fuck. That's my pretty girl. Taking what belongs to her." He wraps his hand around my throat. I'll never get enough of this. My control is an illusion, but he lets me have it.

I stroke him up and down with my bloody hands, relishing every ridge on his veiny shaft. It's so smooth and so fucking hard. I want more.

I push him back, guiding him to where I want him. When the backs of his legs hit the iron chair, I pull his robe completely off.

Riot comes behind me and unties my robe. I shiver as it falls to the floor. Wearing nothing but a mask now, I feel feral and unhinged.

"Come sit on my lap, pretty girl. I know your pussy is aching for my thick cock." Atlas spreads his legs as he leans back in the chair.

Val spins me around so my back is to Atlas. He and Riot hoist me up and then lower me down onto Atlas's cock. I let out a shuddering moan. "Fuck…"

While Atlas fucks me from behind, Riot spreads my thighs apart and watches him slide in and out. I grind down hard, panting and trembling as Atlas fills me to the brim. "Such a good fucking slut for me. Mmm." He rolls his hips up and down in a rhythm so fucking agonizing I can't contain my cries.

Val kneels down between our legs and plants a trail of kisses up my thigh. He gazes up at me with a look so terrifying it almost makes me cum. "I want in," he growls.

Atlas pulls me back and pinches my nipples hard between his fingers. "Yeah, let's see how wide your pussy can stretch for us."

Panic spreads in my chest. I can barely take Atlas. "Wait, no. I'm too tight," I whimper.

Riot fingers my clit. "Shhh… relax and let him in."

Oh, hell no.

I jerk up, but Atlas slams me back down. "Relax."

Val removes his robe before straddling me. He spreads my pussy wide open and inserts his finger next to Atlas's cock. "That's it."

I gasp, shocked that he could get his finger in there. And it feels… fucking incredible. But his entire cock? There's no fucking way.

"This is dirty," I whine.

Val's eyes darken. "Yeah, and you like it fucking dirty." He forces the tip of his cock in next to Atlas. "Mmm, just like the time in the car. You liked sucking my cock while Riot played with your pussy. All that blood."

Atlas lets out a moan as Val's cock rubs against his. "Mmm, I wish you were on your period right now."

Riot holds my shoulders back against Atlas as I squirm. A sharp pain shoots up my core as they stretch me open. "It hurts. I'm too full."

Val pushes in another inch, and it feels like my stomach is going to rip open. "It's going to hurt a little longer, but then… you are going to cum so fucking hard with both of us fucking you."

Atlas licks the side of my neck and up my cheek. "We're going to fill the fuck out of you." He yanks my head back and smothers me with his mouth. Despite the pain, a spasm rocks my core. I buck as I moan into his mouth. His tongue is hot and probing and aggressive. He explores my mouth with a hunger I've not felt from him before. It's not even human.

Riot keeps his finger on my clit, rubbing it in circles as Val thrusts all the way in. A bloodcurdling scream rips from my throat. "Fucking hell!"

They both slide in and out of me together, and I almost pass out from the pressure. But my juices flood out like a fucking faucet turned on full blast. "Ohhh," I moan. Fuck.

Atlas chuckles. "Yeah, that's our pretty little psycho. Letting us split you the fuck open."

"It feels good, doesn't it?" Val glares down at me.

The pain lessens as I find my rhythm. They ride me like a seesaw, slithering in and out, their cocks grinding against one another as they keep stretching my throbbing folds.

My whole body is on fire.

Val digs his fingers into my thighs. "Tell me." Thrust. "How good." Thrust. "This. Fucking. Feels." Thrust.

I feel them both in my spine. In my ass. I'm on the verge of losing my mind, and my orgasm is seconds away. "Yes. It feels so fucking good."

Riot pinches my chin between his fingers. "Time for your new sigil, Firecracker."

Fuck. I should have known. They are so fucking depraved. Of course he's going to mutilate my flesh while I have two cocks inside me.

He grabs a fistful of my hair and pulls my head down, exposing the back of my neck. "I'm marking you with the sigil of Erebus because you belong to our darkness. Our depravity. Our sickness."

I cry out as he scrapes the blade across my neck, weaving it in and out as he scars me once again.

Val and Atlas thrust harder as the blood trickles down my neck and back. We are covered in so much of it… like a fucking massacre.

I close my eyes and feel another surge of power enter my veins—something thick and sludge-like. It sends shivers up my spine. I feel cold. Feral. Angry. I open my eyes, and all I can see is them.

A deep spasm rolls through my pussy, and I lose my breath as my orgasm rips into my core. "Fuck!" I yell.

Val and Atlas feel it too. I hear them roaring in my ears even as my soul floats over my body. I am in it but out of it. Feeling everything and yet gazing down on myself from above. Watching how their swollen cocks tear into my pussy. Feeling every ridge and vein throbbing against my bruised walls.

Atlas cums first, but Val is mere seconds behind. They rock me between them as their hot, white liquid fills me so full it seeps into my ass crack. It's thick and sticky and allows them to slide even deeper in as they chase their own peaks.

And holy fuck, I can't stop cumming.

Riot pulls my head back up and shoves his tongue in my mouth. He kisses me hard and deep while the other two milk my pussy with their greedy cocks.

"In absentia lucis, tenebrae vincunt," he chants.

In the absence of light, darkness prevails.

Valentin grunts through his clenched teeth, "Mors tua, vita mea."

Your death, my life.

"Mors vincit omnia," Atlas adds as another burst of his cum fills me.

Death always wins.

I clench around them both, shocked that I haven't blacked out yet. But I've been waiting for this moment. A chance to recite my own vow. My own pledge to them.

"Ruina nostra salus," I moan as another orgasm grips me.

Our ruin is our salvation.

"Yes," Riot coos in my ear. "That's right. We are your ruin as you are ours."

Atlas fingers my new sigil. "You are ours to do whatever we want with, pretty girl. Remember that next time you try to say no to us."

Val caresses my cheek. "We always know what's best for you."

I am so irrevocably fucked. Literally and figuratively. They actually own me. There's nothing I can do to release their hold on me. Nowhere I can run to or hide. Our sigils are like tracking beacons, binding us together with invisible cords.

There's no escaping.

And to think that it turns me on. That it excites me…

Have I lost my mind?

With my hair down, as Riot instructed, my new sigil pulses on the back of my neck. Although hidden from view, I still wonder if Val's father will be able to sense it. The power is so dark that I feel like there are shadows following me. Then there's the chill I haven't been able to shake. Even after taking a twenty-minute hot shower after the ritual.

The sound of wheels crunching on gravel gets louder as Valentin's father and his entourage make their way up the driveway. Atlas used his power of sight to send a raven down to check earlier. So we know he's only minutes away. The closer Laurent Erebus and his motorcade get to the house, the more I want to run into the forest and hide. If he's anything like Holden Graves, I could be in for another round of humiliation and abuse.

As the four of us wait on pins and needles in the sitting room, I flinch at the first sounds of car doors opening and slamming. I try not to peer out through the window, foolishly hoping that if I don't look, it's not really happening.

Footsteps click on the pavement, getting closer. My heart is in my throat.

Valentin throws me a look. "Keep quiet until he addresses you."

I nod even though a tiny streak of rebellion surges in me. A temptation to greet this asshole at the door just so I can slam it in his face.

The doorknob twists open, and in he walks with six masked men in tow. Chills cover my body as the cold draft follows him into the room.

Laurent Erebus is darkness.

With black hair and brown eyes, he resembles Valentin, but it's subtle. The man stands taller than my guys. He stands in front of us in a black designer suit. There's a deep scar above his right eyebrow that travels down in a straight line, crossing over his discolored eye. Like a villain straight out of a horror movie, his energy is sinister. His gaze, deadly.

He folds his scarred hands in front of him and glares at his son. "Such a fucking disappointment."

Val lifts his chin in defiance. "Well, at least I'm consistent."

Riot and Atlas remain quiet. As do I. The exchange between Val and his father is not meant for us.

As Laurent stalks over to the window, his initiates follow him. As if this powerful man needs backup. He peers out between the blinds, his jaw clenched. "Do you know that when a raven dies violently, its soul gets trapped between worlds? It exists in agony, unable to fly up or down."

Val's throat bobs. "What's your point?"

Laurent snaps his head to the side, his lips curling into a snarl. "The ghosts of ravens are everywhere because of what you did."

"With all due respect, Father, we did what was best for Nocturnus. We broke the curse. They can't control us anymore. We can leave Raven's Gate without consequence. I thought that's what you wanted."

He stalks toward his son and grabs the back of his neck. "You didn't consult the elders. You have no idea what you unleashed."

Riot sighs. "Sir, what we—"

"Shut your fucking mouth, Graves," Laurent commands.

I shudder as Riot completely obeys him.

What the fuck?

Val glares back at his father. "We saw an opportunity and took it. The Blackwell heir was in our school. Our territory. Every time we mark her, the ravens' hold on us loosens."

Laurent shakes him by the collar, and my sigils spark with rage. "You got your looks from me but your intelligence from your mother. And she was as dumb as they come."

Val's nostrils flare, but he bites his tongue. I want to run in between them and remove Laurent's grip from his neck. An overwhelming need to protect him consumes me.

"Well, she was smart enough to get the fuck away from you," Val spits.

Laurent squeezes him tighter, his eyes glowing. "Watch your fucking mouth, boy. We had the ravens contained. The second you marked her, pledged yourselves to her…" He jabs a finger in my direction. "You violated an agreement we had with her family. She is their only female heir, and they believe you've tainted her with Nocturnus blood. Just like Silas did to Jessamine all those years ago. The very reason why the feud started to begin with. You didn't fucking break any curses, you started a fucking war."

Fuck.

Everything's happening so fast; I haven't had time to even process all the events that have transpired. Jessamine Blackwell—the ghost girl who stalked me all over Tenebrose just so she could hand deliver me to Riot's brother, Zeke. Tricked and betrayed by my very own ancestor. She believed that if Zeke took over Nocturnus, that if she offered him my blood, she could be free to join her lover, Silas, in the After. But then I ruined her entire plan when I stabbed and killed Zeke.

Val's eyes widen. "So? Let's go to fucking war then. The Blackwells punished the Graves for decades because of an accident. They made the rest of the families choose sides. We chose to side with Riot's family. We chose to follow them to Raven's Gate and remain here. Is it so wrong that I would want to help my best friend seek redemption?"

"Accident?" Laurent roars back. "Silas Graves poisoned Jessamine Blackwell. Did he really think it wouldn't kill her?"

"Well, it didn't kill me," I murmur under my breath.

His scowl turns on me. "What did you say?"

Oh, fuck. Apparently, that wasn't as under my breath as I thought. I clear my throat. "The poison. It hasn't killed me."

Laurent glares at Atlas. "You fucking Thorns and your poison. Did you ever stop to think what the Blackwells would do if this one died too?"

Atlas doesn't flinch. He's not afraid of Laurent. I can see it in the murderous look that takes over his pretty ocean-colored eyes. "I know how to administer it properly. Silas didn't. Apparently."

Laurent shakes his head and turns back on his son, whom he's still holding in an iron death grip. "The ravens are dying, the Blackwells are infuriated, and your initiates are either dead or rotting in Absentia Asylum. Give me one good reason not to beat you to a bloody fucking pulp."

His threat sparks my adrenaline. I leap from the couch. "I'll give you two. One, because he's your fucking son. And two… because I'll kill you if you hurt him ever again."

"Maur…" Riot warns as he races to my side. "She's just sleep-deprived," he pleads with Laurent.

Val curses under his breath but doesn't dare look in my direction.

Laurent snickers. "Spoken like a true Blackwell. Congratulations, son. You've just made your bed with the devil herself."

I've been called many things, but devil? That's a new one.

Val wrenches away from him, finally finding his strength. "If that's true, then I'm glad she's on my side."

Laurent's goons take three steps toward Val, and I lose it. I rush forward, prepared to meet them when Riot and Atlas both jump in front of me. Laurent holds up his hand, stilling them in their place.

"Enough. This is a waste of time. You're all too na?ve and sex-crazed to understand the severity of your actions. But you will see soon. The mess you've fucking made…"

"We broke the fucking curse," Val growls out.

His father nods. "That you did. The four of you can leave Raven's Gate whenever you want… And now the Blackwells can also come in whenever they want."

He snaps his fingers, and his initiates file out. "Some curses punish, and some protect. Remember that when Penny Blackwell comes for you all."

And with that, Laurent and his initiates are gone, leaving us in a state of disarray and self-loathing.

A nagging twinge of dread twists in my gut. A thought that hadn't crossed my mind until now. "What if the curse started long before Silas killed Jessamine?"

Val looks at me for the first time since his father arrived. "What are you talking about, Maur?"

I swallow hard, my mind racing. "There's something your fathers aren't telling us. You think they'd be happy we broke the curse. But they seem terrified."

Riot stalks over to the bar and pours himself a whiskey. "They're just pissed we did it without their permission. They're so greedy, they want their hands in everything."

I shake my head. He's not getting it. "I think there's more to it. They really don't want us to leave Raven's Gate."

Atlas runs a hand through his blond hair, slicking it back with his sweaty palm. "Maybe they don't want us to go to Ever Graves."

"But why? What don't they want us to find out?" I've been on the precipice of something big. Something important. But I couldn't quite put my finger on it until now.

Riot's face pales. "The curse isn't real."