Chapter Nineteen

Maureen

"This week has felt as long as a fucking year," I grumble into my drink.

Villette nods. "Right? Thank God, it's finally the weekend. I swear all my teachers are on edge right now. I wonder if it has anything to do with what happened the night of the Winter Solstice Ball."

I shudder as I remember how Jessamine tricked me into going out to the graveyard by myself. The way she set me up, delivering me straight into Zeke's hands. The other students don't know what really happened that night. But guaranteed the teachers do.

I push my chips around on the plate, suddenly no longer hungry. "Who knows? Everyone around here is always wound up so tight."

Villette touches my hand. "Sorry to bring that up again. I know that was a traumatic night for you."

I shrug and take a big sip of my pineapple Margarita. "It's okay. I'm working past it."

"So, how are your classes? How's my brother treating you?" She purses her lips around the straw, wincing as if she's expecting me to say the worst.

I've been dreading having this conversation but it's impossible to avoid if I'm going to continue being friends with her. "Yeah, he's a really great teacher, Villette. So excited to be in his class."

She breathes out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. I was worried he was going to scare you off from being friends with me. He's intense, and his obsession with poetry is borderline manic." She giggles.

If she only fucking knew.

I chuckle. "Yup. I'm definitely picking up on that vibe."

The server sets down another pitcher of Margaritas and refreshes our chips and salsa. "Those guys over in the corner bought these for you."

I let out a sigh as I spot Riot, Atlas, and Valentin at a corner booth on the opposite side of the Mexican restaurant. I give them a little wave. "Well, at least they're giving me some space."

Villette laughs. "I think it's cute. They're just worried about you." Her face falls. "Look, I know you don't tell me everything that's going on with you, but I'm not an idiot. You've been different since we got back from winter break. I just want you to know that you can tell me anything. I won't judge."

She's so sweet and kind, but it only makes me miss Bailey even more. Villette is a good friend though. I just can't imagine telling her all the horrific things that have been happening lately. There's a purity to her that I don't want to taint.

I smile and squeeze her hand. "Thanks, babe." I feel bad when I see the look of disappointment in her eyes. She wants me to trust her. I give in and spend the next hour telling her about the stalker and how he works for Atlas's father. I leave out the part where I stab him to death. She would judge me for that, and I don't want to turn her into a liar.

"Holy shit, Maur. What are you gonna do?" Her eyes are wide as she sucks down her third Margarita.

Kill every single one of them.

"I'm just trying to focus on school and let the guys handle their fathers. But I think we're going to head up to Ever Graves after the spring equinox."

The server, a curvy woman with blonde hair and bright-red lipstick, returns again with a plate of street tacos. "Um, those guys said you both need to eat more if you're going to suck down Margaritas like water."

I arch an eyebrow at her.

"Their words, not mine." She raises her hands up in defense.

Villette and I burst out laughing as we happily scoot the plate of tacos between us. "Can we get some more sour cream, please? The biggest bowl you have."

When the server returns with it, I stop her from setting it down. "I'd like you to give this to those guys, please. Tell them they need to eat all of this using only their fingers."

The server sighs and shakes her head as she stalks off with the bowl, mumbling to herself, "Fucking weirdos."

Villette laughs so hard that Margarita almost comes out of her nose. "I see why they call you firecracker now."

I laugh with her. "Hey, they started it. I'm just better at playing their games."

The look on Riot's face is fucking priceless. I laugh so hard my stomach hurts. Atlas dips his finger in first, of course. He moans dramatically as he licks the sour cream off his fingers. Val dips the tip of his finger in cautiously as if it's going to bite him.

"This is the most entertaining thing I've seen in a while," Villette cackles. "You know you're the only girl who can get Nocturnus to do shit like this. They are so obsessed with you."

I wink as I finish a street taco in two bites, my appetite coming back tenfold. I wash it down with a fourth Margarita and finally start to feel a little tipsy. "I wish Libra was here for this. She would have told me to make them lick the bowl clean."

"You still haven't heard from her either? It's not like her to miss the first week of school. One of her favorite things is showing up to her first class hungover and reminding her teachers that she's a Thorn and can do whatever the fuck she wants," Villette quips.

Her absence is starting to feel weird. I never thought I'd care about Libra Thorn, but I can't help but worry about her. "Yeah, it's not like her. Have you asked your brother, Bones, about it?"

She nods. "He says he hasn't seen her. Aries, Libra's brother, can't get a hold of her either… I hope she's okay."

My stomach knots. With everything that's been going on lately, I can't help but think the worst. But I can't let my mind go there. Yet. "I'm sure she's fine. Probably just wants to be fashionably late so she can make her grand entrance."

Villette smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. "For sure."

I make a mental note to have Atlas press his family for more information on her whereabouts. Which isn't going to be easy since his father currently wants to kidnap me and make me his ritual sex slave. Fuck. How is this my life right now?

The guys insist on paying the check and also driving us back to the Nest. I make Villette sit in the front seat next to Val so she doesn't have to be sandwiched between Riot and Atlas. Even though she's known them her whole life, they still scare her. She doesn't say as much, but I can see it in her eyes.

Atlas climbs out of the car after me. "Looks like it's just you and me tonight, pretty girl."

They weren't kidding when they said they weren't letting me out of their sight.

I hug Villette goodbye and watch to make sure she gets inside safely before I lean in to give Riot a deep kiss. I stretch across the passenger seat and kiss Val with just as much passion. They both taste differently, each one stirring my senses and stimulating my need. I want all three of them with me tonight, but there's so much to be done. Riot has Nocturnus business, and Val needs to check in on his uncle, who's been holed up with Jessamine since the winter break.

And for the first time in Nocturnus history, they aren't throwing one of their parties this weekend. That alone lets me know that this thing with their fathers is serious.

When we walk into my dorm apartment, the first thing I notice is the new coffee table. I chuckle to myself. Atlas sets out an array of poison vials across it before plopping down on the couch. "Fetch me a couple of glasses, love, so I can make us a cocktail."

His tone is playful and not demanding in the slightest. A little rush of excitement seeps into my veins as I head to the kitchen. I come back with the glasses and also a bottle of tequila. I take a pull from the bottle while I watch Atlas pour from the vials like a chemist.

If someone told me a few months ago that I'd not only be immune to poison but also craving it, I would have thought they were crazy. It looks like I'm the crazy one now.

He hands me one of the glasses as I take a seat next to him. "Wanna talk to me about what happened with Professor Crane, pretty girl? Val said he walked in on something strange between you two."

It's been a week since our encounter, and no one has said a word. I thought they might let it go. Fuck. "Um… it was nothing. He just wanted to talk about what happened at Swallow. That was it."

Atlas runs a hand through his blond hair, slicking it back off his forehead. His eyes glow and I try not to drown in them. He has this pull. Like the ocean that their color mimics. I take a sip of the poison cocktail and draw in a quick breath. It burns my throat like fire. My chest tightens, and my lungs contract as my blood and oxygen go to war with each other.

I lean my head back against the cushions and close my eyes as I wait for the pain to subside.

He strokes my thigh. "Relax. Don't fight it."

A whimper escapes my throat as my sigils come to life, responding to the poison like beacons of light. But as I adjust and allow the toxins to flow through me, my body tingles. It's euphoric. Even his breath on my cheek feels like heaven.

"That feels good now, doesn't it?" He slides his hand up higher and caresses my belly.

I nod. I try to swallow, but my tongue feels so heavy. I take another pull from the tequila bottle, needing the alcohol to coat my mouth.

"Yeah," I breathe.

My pulse quickens as he unbuttons my shirt. "Tell me about what happened in the ritual room at Holden's."

I shake my head. "No. I don't want to talk about it."

"I'm not asking, Maur. This shame you're carrying… you gotta let it go." He peels my shirt back after he's finished with the last button. I arch my back as the poison and tequila start to make my head spin. He unhooks my bra and pulls it down.

"Touch me," I beg.

He traces his finger around my breast and then stops. "Only if you tell me something about that night."

Fuck.

My pulse is racing. I am high and drunk and horny as fuck. "I had to touch myself in front of them… had to make myself cum while they watched."

Atlas pinches my nipple before rolling it back and forth between his thumb and forefinger. "Good girl. And how did you feel when they were watching?"

I blow out a deep breath. "Fuck, Atlas… It made me cum harder. Why did it turn me on?"

He licks my nipple, sucking it gently before scraping his teeth across it. "There's something naughty about it, isn't there? Yeah. You like the dirty things. Just like us, pretty girl." He grabs a vial and pours a drop of poison on my nipple. I gasp as it sizzles and burns. He puckers his lips around it, moaning as he sucks.

Sweat races down my chest as all my nerve endings stand erect. "They were wearing masks, so all I could see was their eyes… It made me so wet."

"Mmm. Yeah, tell me why it made you so wet."

I whimper as he licks poison off my other breast. "Because I was in control of my pleasure and theirs."

He drags his teeth across my jaw. "Yeah. That's it, pretty girl. It's your fucking kink, and you should embrace it. No more shame."

I nod as he unzips my jeans. "Say it, Maur."

"No more shame," I whisper.

"Good girl."

As he starts to slip his fingers inside my panties, I suddenly remember what day it is. "Wait. I'm on my period."

His eyes light up like I've never seen them do before. "Don't play with me, Maur."

"Atlas… no." I remember how hot he was for me in the car that day. Riot pulled out my tampon, and he went feral like a wild animal.

"Don't tell me no. I want your blood all over my cock." He jumps up and comes back with a stack of towels. I watch as he lays them out all over the floor. "I'll buy you a new set tomorrow."

He takes off his clothes and stands there waiting for me. His cock is so hard and beautiful. My pussy aches at the sight of it. "Come lie down, pretty girl."

I start to stand but stumble as the poison and tequila rush through my veins. He reaches out in two strides to catch me before I fall and helps me down to the floor. My head spins as I lie flat. "You're a fucking psycho, Atlas."

He nods as he pulls down my jeans and panties. "Yes, and your blood's gonna cleanse all my sins."

My legs shiver as he pushes them apart. "Fuck. There's so much blood."

He slides his finger down my slit before wrapping it around the tampon string. "Let's get this out of the way."

I arch my hips when he pulls it out. "Fuck, that tickles."

"So beautiful." He lines up his cock and inches it halfway in, then pulls it out. His eyes are glazed, wild, as he admires my blood on his veiny ridges.

I have to admit it feels fucking amazing. I'm so lubricated, so wet… "Put it back in, Atlas. Please."

He thrusts all the way in with a grunt. "FUCK," he yells.

A primal ache stirs in my belly as I look up at him. His sigils glow in between his chiseled muscles. He looks like a Greek god—dangerous and beautiful. I raise my hips up and down as he rides me slowly. We fall into a rhythm, my juices flowing like honey.

Every time he thrusts in, he pulls all the way out so he can fixate on the way my blood paints his cock. He smears his hands in it, then grips my thighs and my belly until we're both bathed in it.

He presses his thumb hard against my clit. "I will give you anything you want, pretty girl. Fucking anything."

A spasm flicks against my core as he rubs his thumb in circles. I moan as my orgasm starts to build. "I'm going to cum so hard for you."

He drives into me, filling me to the brim. Our thighs are soaked as he slips in and out of my sopping-wet pussy. He rocks into me, forcing my hips up and down, as he wails like an animal. "Mmm, fuck. I'm coming."

The spasms reverberate through me, hitting me deep inside. We both cry out as his cum shoots into me, thick and hot. I scratch my nails down his chest as I clench around his cock. He buries himself so deep I can feel him in my lower back.

"Your blood is mine. Fuck." He thrusts into me again as he rides his orgasm, milking it for every sacred drop.

We lie still for a while. I'm afraid to move and make more of a mess than we already have. Finally, after what seems like forever, Atlas pulls out and flashes me the wickedest smile I've ever seen.

"That was fucking perfect." He threads one of the towels between my legs and wraps me up in it. I let him scoop me off the floor and carry me to the bathroom. "I'm going to clean you up now, pretty girl."

The hot water feels amazing on my poison-fueled skin. Atlas is surprisingly gentle with me in the shower, taking his time to wash the blood off both of us. I almost cry tears of joy when he shampoos my hair, the way he massages his fingers into my scalp like a professional. I whimper and moan at every touch.

After, he gives me some privacy so I can put in another tampon before I get dressed. I wrap a towel around my wet hair and come out to find him already in my bed.

As I crawl in next to him, he wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me close. "Anything you fucking want, love. Just name it."

A skitter of nerves flutters through my belly. There are many things that I want. I'd like to see Bailey, and to go to Ever Graves to meet my grandmother. I also really want to kill the Nocturnus elders. But all that will have to wait.

"I don't know…"

Atlas kisses my neck. "What you want and need are not different things anymore, Maur. You need to accept who you are. Show us how naughty you can be."

I bite my lip, and my cheeks heat as I think about the ritual at the Graves's estate. The memories flood me one by one like a fever dream. Felix's eyes flash in between them. The way he hungered for me as he watched the dirty things they did to me at the bar.

"I want to be in control," I murmur.

"Mmm, I know, baby. Don't worry about a fucking thing. We're going to give you exactly what you want and need."

My heart races for a bit longer as the idea of it all sinks in. The thrill of having someone watch us again is all I can think about as I drift off to sleep.