Chapter Thirty

Maureen

T here is no after-party tonight. No celebration of the solstice. Only the silence of our sins as they hang in the air, threatening to consume us.

Libra and Villette had also been duped by Jessamine. She locked them in the ballroom basement and smashed their phones. No one could hear them cry for help over the music of the ball.

The guys had fought and beaten their initiates into submission—ostracized them from Nocturnus forever. They were physically stripped of their sigils and are currently fighting for their lives in the Tenebrose infirmary.

We will find new initiates. Ones we can trust this time.

After freeing my friends from the basement, we go back to my dorm, so I can change and wash the blood off my hands and body. It's a satisfying cleansing when I watch Zeke's essence get swept down the drain.

I put on a fresh pair of panties while Atlas picks out a short black dress for me to wear back to Nocturnus House. I like it when they dress me. It makes me feel cared for and treasured. I like the way they look at me when I've done something that pleases them.

Libra and Villette are still skeptical, but I know Bailey would get it. Someday, I'll tell her everything. When there's time to. But tonight the moon is full, and the night is the longest it will ever be all year. So we have to get moving.

Atlas constructs various threads of hemlock and winds them around the doorways and windows of my dorm room to keep Jessamine from getting in and harming Libra and Villette.

"That's why we surround our property with it. It keeps the restless dead out," Atlas says.

The ravens are quiet now. I don't hear them squawking as we pull out of The Nest. But I feel them watching.

"Nocturnus House was built over an ancient burial ground," Riot explains. "It's a place of power. We draw from it. Our sigils are conduits that funnel that power to us. There is a place like this in Ever Graves too. But your family sealed us off from it when Jessamine died. The second you took my half-brother's life; the score became even. It reset."

I hadn't even thought of that. "So, you knew Zeke was your brother?"

Riot nods. "I suspected it, which is why I let him get away with being such a fucking bag of dicks most of the time. My father is a private man, and my mother fucking hates him even though she won't leave his side. I'm sure I have many more half-brothers and sisters out there roaming around."

"I think we all do," Valentin grumbles.

An image of my mother fucking the pool cleaner flashes in my mind, and it makes me laugh out loud. "Sorry, I um, think I'm in that boat too."

It's so sad all I can do is make fun of it.

Valentin squeezes my leg. "She will never lay a hand on you ever again."

Riot whips his head around toward the back seat. "She fucking hit you?"

I swallow hard. "It's fine. Just let it go, please."

Atlas steers us into the driveway and parks in front of the door. "None of that matters now. After tonight, the four of us are untouchable."

Riot nods but there's still so much longing and ache in his eyes when he looks at me. On the way to the door, he pulls me close and whispers, "Just say the word, Firecracker. You know I won't think twice about killing for you."

Is it a sweet sentiment or the deranged words of a psycho killer? I care too much about him and us to get distracted by past transgressions. I shake my head. "She's already living her worst nightmare. That's punishment enough."

I'm surprised when they don't lead me to the ritual room and instead take me to a lavish bedroom upstairs. A fuzzy memory replays in my head, and I realize we're in Riot's room.

"I thought I was getting a sigil tonight." I plop down on the bed and a warmth fills my belly as I remember the night Riot brought me here.

"That room has been tainted by Zeke," Valentin says. "He violated you and us that night."

"Oh," I stammer. "I thought we had to be there."

Riot sits next to me and gently pushes me back onto the bed. "That was for the ravens. This is for us."

Atlas hands me a vial of poison. "Drink so we can start anew."

I tilt my head and let the toxin drip down my throat. My veins burn and my breath gets lost in my throat.

Atlas strokes my hair. "That's it, pretty girl. Surrender to it."

The three of them surround me on the king-size bed. Riot unzips my dress and pulls it off. I lie there in only my panties, on his cool black satin sheets, my skin feverish and aching to be touched by all three of them.

Riot holds his knife over me. "Do you trust us?"

Three weeks ago, I would have laughed and said no. Even three days ago, I would have been hesitant. But after tonight, after they came for me… I trust them more than I trust myself.

"Yes," I rasp.

My nipples pebble under Valentin and Atlas's touch. They stroke each of my breasts in slow agonizing rhythms.

"Hold her head still," Riot orders.

Atlas has my wrists pinned while Valentin tilts my head to the side, exposing my neck.

Riot straddles me with the blade in his hand. "No one will question who you belong to ever again."

I am theirs. No matter how fucked up they are. I belonged to them the second I stepped foot in Raven's Gate. Maybe even from the moment Riot zipped up my corset in the bathroom at Wickford Mansion last Halloween. With every moment and every breath, they claim another piece of me.

"And we show no mercy to anyone who touches our property," Atlas adds.

I blink back tears as Riot carves their sigil into the side of my neck, the tender spot just below my earlobe.

"The first one goes here, so I can see our mark when I look down at you sucking my cock."

The sharp tip of the blade burns like fire as he drags it through my flesh, molding his design. I take deep breaths and try not to cry. The pain is only temporary. My soul is theirs forever.

He sits back. "There. It's done."

Valentin loosens his grip on my head. I wince as he strokes a finger across my mutilated flesh and sucks in a sharp breath. " Mors tua, vita mea ."

Atlas bends over and plants a soft kiss on my forehead. " In absentia lucis, tenebrae vincunt ."

Riot licks his lips as he looks down at my belly. He fingers the edge of my panties, taking his time to roll his thumb across the lacy fabric before yanking them down. " Mors vincit omnia ."

One by one they take the dagger and cut an incision in each of their fingers. I watch them in wonder as they each press a bloody finger against my wet pussy and rub in slow, agonizing circles.

Their words repeat in my head as they take turns thrusting their fingers inside me.

Mors tua, vita mea. Your death, my life.

In absentia lucis, tenebrae vincunt. In the absence of light, darkness prevails.

Mors vincit omnia. Death always wins .

I arch my hips up to meet their rhythm. My clit spasms with every twitch of their slick fingers.

Valentin licks the blood from my neck as he pushes farther inside my core. "Do you like being owned by us?"

"Yes," I murmur.

Atlas slides his palm up and down my slit, pushing Valentin's finger deeper inside me. "Say it. Pledge yourself to us right now. Make your oath to serve only us."

I can't breathe with their hands between my legs. With the pressure building in my core. My clit swells as they rock against me. "I swear. I'm yours and no one else's."

Valentin threads his fingers through my hair and pulls my strands tight inside his palm. "Do you give us your body?"

" Yes ," I moan.

Riot licks the inside of my thigh, lapping up my spilled juices and blood. "Do you give us your life?"

They were my salvation and my damnation. My cursed devils. "Always."

Riot's eyes blaze with a feral hunger. "Then make it binding. Cum for us , Firecracker ."

An explosion rocks through me as I surrender fully. I cry out as the most intense orgasm I've ever felt ripples through me. My body twists and contorts as I breathe through the ecstasy like it has a mind of its own.

And then the power surges through me. I arch my back and cry out as an array of sensations assaults me. It goes from tingling to burning to what feels like being flayed alive. Sparks like electric currents shoot through my veins. And when I look back at each of them, my vision is sharper. Clearer. I feel their love. Their need. I feel it in a way that I can't explain.

Riot's face lights up. "Eyes like burnt honey, glowing like gold resin. You're one of us now, Firecracker."

My fingertips crackle with energy. Their energy . It skates down my arms and legs, binding itself to my blood and my bones like a magnet. "What happens now?" I ask.

Riot lets his finger linger on my clit, rubbing it back and forth. "That was the first of many sigils I'll give you. With each one, we'll grow stronger as a coven."

His touch stimulates me again, leaving me wanting more. "Mmm, don't stop. I want all three of you inside me. Together."

Valentin removes his clothes and lays back on the bed. "Get on top of me, firecracker."

I smooth my hands over his chest as I straddle him and lower myself onto his thick cock. "Oh, fuck. You're going to make me cum again," I moan.

Riot is already naked behind me. He grabs a hold of my hips as I slide up and down Valentin's shaft. "Fuck, you're such a good little slut. Relax and open up for me."

I bite my lip hard as Riot slips his cock inside my ass. "Fuck," I cry out.

The pressure from both of them feels like I'm being ripped apart at the seams. Riot and Valentin take turns thrusting, bouncing me back and forth between them like a see-saw.

"Open wide for me, pretty girl," Atlas coos. He kneels before me and shoves his cock into my mouth. "That's my naughty girl. Taking us all so well."

Each agonizing thrust from Riot pushes me farther down onto Valentin's cock. The stimulation is everywhere. Every nerve on my body is raw and sensitive, aching for more.

Riot slaps my ass while Valentin pinches my nipples. Atlas pulls my hair and shoves his cock all the way to the back of my throat, forcing me to breathe through my nose. I purr like I'm an animal in heat as I'm rocked bath and forth between them.

"You love being fucked like this, don't you?" Riot demands. He slaps my ass and buries his cock all the way in. I take deep breaths and try to nod but Atlas is thrusting hard into my mouth.

Valentin yanks my hips forward. "Yeah she does. Look how fucking eager she is."

I'm on the verge of blacking out from pleasure.

Atlas grunts. "Swallow for me, pretty girl." His cum bursts out like a fucking rocket, filling my mouth so full I almost choke. He strokes my lips. "Thatta girl. Fuck. Damn you do that so well. Don't spill a fucking drop."

Riot pulls my ass cheeks apart and thrusts in hard. "Mmm, fuck. We're filling you so fucking good." Another burst of thick hot cum enters me as Riot grinds into my ass. His moans are deafening, feral, like a wild animal.

And it sets Valentin off. He wraps his hand around my throat and lets out a deep guttural moan. His pupils widen as a silver light encircles them. He slams into me, unleashing his cum inside my pussy while Riot still rides out his orgasm in my ass.

Fuck. I'm filled to the brim. Soaked. The tingling in my clit quickens as a deep spasm rolls through me. Riot fingers my taint, urging me to lose complete control. Stars stud my vision as I cum onto Valentin's cock.

"Oh, fuck," I cry out. " Uhhh ."

Atlas sticks two fingers in my mouth, and I bite down on them. "Yeah, fucking take it out on me, pretty girl. Break my fucking skin."

And I do. The taste of his blood in my mouth makes me cum again until I have nothing left to give. Until my muscles won't hold me up any longer.

We collapse on the bed together, a sea of tangled limbs, cum, sweat, and bloody sigils.

The students at Tenebrose Academy don't look at me anymore. Not since the Winter Solstice ball last weekend. Not after the authorities had to cut Zeke's mutilated body down from the tree. And especially not after nine Nocturnus initiates were admitted to Absentia, the Raven's Gate mental institution, for observation.

But no one has questioned us. No one is speaking about that night. Not even the professors. Although, Professor Harker and Professor Erebus keep side-eyeing me when they think I'm not looking.

"You seem different," Villette says. She sits across the table from me and Libra at Swallow.

"That's because she's Nocturnus now," Libra quips. "Don't think I didn't notice that sigil on your neck."

I am different. And it's not just the sigil. I took another man's life. One who deserved it, but still… the weight of that sits with me. I made an oath to Riot, Atlas, and Valentin, binding myself to them for life. We serve each other now.

"A lot has happened." I shrug and take a sip of my whiskey.

Libra gives me a pained look. "Are you going home for winter break? Now that the curse is lifted?"

An uneasiness washes over me. The thought of going back to Wickford Hollow makes my skin crawl. But only because I don't want to face my parents. I do miss Bailey, though. And it would be nice to tell her everything in person.

"We haven't decided what we're doing yet. We're still talking about it." I can feel them judging me with their eyes. Neither one of them is a fan of my guys. Even Libra, who used to adore Atlas, has nothing nice to say about him now. I can't really blame her after they humiliated her in front of all the initiates.

Villette grabs my hand and squeezes it. "You have a lot to figure out. Lib and I are both here for you if you need us."

I nod and force a smile. "Riot's family wants to see all of us, so we'll most likely go there first. Thanks for not totally hating me."

Libra rolls her eyes. "Oh, don't be so dramatic, Blackwell. I've had worse things happen to me than getting locked in a basement by a ghost."

"We could never hate you," Villette adds. "Nocturnus is clearly your destiny. It has been since you were born. One way or another, you were always supposed to end up here."

A chill trickles up my spine. I never really believed in destiny before. I didn't believe in much of anything. But that's all changed now.

My phone buzzes. I look down to see a text from Riot and it sets off a flurry of nerves in my stomach. I give them a look and start to speak, but Libra cuts me off.

She waves her hand like she's shooing me. "Yeah, we know. They've summoned you. When they call, you go."

A twinge of guilt gnaws at me. I am not like them. Not anymore. The old me would have blown off boys for a girls' night without batting an eyelash. But what I have with Riot, Atlas, and Valentin is serious. Sacred. And the longer I'm away from them, the more it hurts to breathe.

I give them each a hug before I leave and do my best to lighten the mood with a joke about how they should change the name of the bar to Choke instead of Swallow. They laugh with me but I can still see the worry in their eyes.

When I step outside, the guys are already waiting for me. The three of them lean against Valentin's black sedan. A flood of emotions hits me like a tidal wave as soon I lock eyes with each of them. And I can't stop the grin from spreading across my face.

"Feel like taking a little drive, Firecracker?" Riot holds the door to the backseat open for me.

Butterflies dance in my belly as I gaze back at all three of them. They are torturously sexy. "Only if I get to drive this time." I quip back.

Valentin narrows his eyes at me for a second before flashing me a devious smirk. He towers over me, his gaze hungry and wild. "Only if I get to sit next to you and play with your pretty little pussy."

I'm instantly wet and tingling. I swallow hard. "Fuck."

Atlas howls with laughter. "I hope we don't crash."

Valentin hands me the keys and we all climb in, laughing.

I turn the key and flip on the headlights. The snow is coming down hard and the road is icy. Maybe it's not such a good idea for Val to finger fuck me while driving through this.

I shudder and check the mirrors. "So, where am I taking us?"

"To Val's cabin," Riot murmurs. "We need to regroup and figure out our next move."

I nod and pull out of the parking lot. As we sail through the wintry countryside of Raven's Gate, away from Tenebrose, my uneasiness dissipates. I'm safe now. I have my three psychos with me, and nothing can hurt us as long as we're together.

As if they can read my mind, Atlas and Riot each grab one of my shoulders, squeezing them gently. Valentin rests his hand on my thigh. "We got you, firecracker. No one will ever hurt you again."

It's a promise I'd like to believe, but I know our world is uncertain, and evil is everywhere. But at least for now, we're safe. We're together.

As we round the last bend before reaching Valentin's cabin, an unkindness of ravens flies past and settle into the treetops. A chill creeps into my bones under their watchful glares.

Ugh, these fucking birds.

I shake it off and turn up the music. No Mourners, No Funerals by Victoria Carbol blasts from the speakers. Valentin inches his hand up my thigh. "Shall we play in the crypt tonight?" he asks with a smirk.

I arch an eyebrow at him. "Oh, you want to lock me in a coffin again?" I tease.

"A coffin? What the hell did the two of you get up to last time you were here?" Atlas blurts out.

Valentin snickers. "At least I didn't try to feed her to my fucking snake, asshole."

The three of us burst out laughing. I lock eyes with Riot in the rearview mirror and he gives me the first genuine smile I've ever seen from him. I smile back. He leans forward and whispers, "Welcome to the family, Maur."

My heart swells. His words send a ripple of tingles across my flesh. It doesn't matter where we are or where we go. With them, I'm finally home .

We'll figure the rest out later…

And murder anyone who tries to come between us.

The end… for now.