Chapter Five

Atlas

"S he has a fever." I cradle her head in my lap in the backseat of Val's car.

Riot grunts as he pounds his fist down on the dashboard. "I swear to the fucking raven I will kill him for this."

"She did this for us," I murmur as I stroke her cheek.

Valentin grips the wheel, taking the turns through the back roads of Raven's Gate like a race car driver. "And we fucking let her. After everything she's already sacrificed for us. Now this? It's unforgivable."

He's partly right, but this is the world we live in. This is what it means to be Nocturnus. "Maureen knew what she was getting into with us."

"Did she though?" Riot roars. "Did she even have a choice?"

She's always been meant for us. There's no escaping that fate. Maureen knew it the second she saw us. We knew it. Even as much as we all tried to fight it. "No. None of us had a choice. The ravens set this path in motion a long time ago."

"Fuck the ravens," Valentin grumbles.

"I wish I never went to Wickford Hollow that night." Riot glances back. The pain in his eyes is palpable.

"You killed for her that night," I remind him.

He reaches out to touch her, then shrinks back. "And I will again."

We all will.

I didn't grow up with the same violence that Val and Riot did. Their fathers are monsters. Mine was just never around. Even now, I barely speak to him. But you know what they say about idle hands. I got really fucking good at hiding my true nature.

While my father, Pisces Thorn, is a part of Nocturnus, he's always been way too narcissistic to take any of it seriously. He'll show up if Holden demands it, but he's always got one foot out the door. Holden doesn't give a fuck as long as my family keeps supplying him with poison.

The farther away we get from the Graves Estate, the lighter my chest feels. Or maybe it's the copious amounts of nightshade I've been downing. I watch her take shallow breaths while she sleeps, her shoulders twitching under Riot's leather jacket. But she is breathing, and that's all that fucking matters. Although, knowing Maureen… she's going to be feral as fuck when she wakes up.

Riot shakes his head. "What the fuck have we done?"

"Nothing," I bark. "She paid a price just like we all have. And now it's done. Get a fucking grip, Riot." The poison is almost out of my system, and my patience is wearing thin. This is who we fucking are. Devils. But these two suddenly fucking think they're saints.

Val glares at me in the rearview. "Forgive me for forgetting how unstable you are, Atlas. Thanks for the reminder."

I can't help but chuckle. "You love my chaos. And so does she. What you two don't seem to get is the fact that Holden Graves may have just created the monster we need to defeat him and the Blackwells."

Riot's head jerks back, his eyes glowing bright blue. "So, she's just a pawn to you?"

A wave of giddiness rolls through me. My cock instantly hardens at the idea of what dark and depraved things will come from our little firecracker in the nights to come.

I stroke her cheek, relishing the warmth it brings to my icy fingertips. "She's whatever we want her to be. Don't you see? Everything she does is for us. Every limb in her body aches to please us."

Valentin sighs. "You're an asshole."

"I'm a fucking god. All three of us are. And she's our dirty little saint. How quickly you forget that it was only a few weeks ago when you forced your cock into her mouth. And you ," I smirk at Riot, "shoved your fingers inside her bloody cunt. You might no longer hate her for being a Blackwell, but she's still our doll to play with."

For fuck's sake, do they think we were going to hold hands and dance around a campfire together? These fucks need to be reminded of who they fucking are.

"I don't give you enough credit, Atlas," Riot mutters. "Your brand of psycho scares even me sometimes."

I laugh as Valentin pulls into the driveway of the cabin. People always think I'm the sweet one. When your eyes sparkle like the ocean, it lures them in, makes them trust you. My level of depravity simmers. It hides behind my charming smile, sculptured cheekbones, and pretty blond hair. And just when you think you're safe, I'll strike. But Maureen isn't some wilting flower. She's strong and beautiful and feisty as fuck.

They'll see.

After tending to Maureen's wounds with various ointments and salves, we dress her in a loose T-shirt and sweatpants. I place her on the couch, cover her with a blanket, and plant a soft kiss on her cheek before joining the others in the kitchen.

Riot sits on top of the granite counter, taking long pulls from a bottle of bourbon. Even with his dark hair matted and sweaty, his skin sallow from his father's parlor tricks, he's still one of the most striking men I've ever seen. A kind of strange, beautiful that takes your breath away. His cold demeanor only enhances his looks more. My cock begins to swell. It's been way too fucking long since we've made each other cum.

Valentin snickers. "I can see your fucking hard-on from here, Atlas."

"When is he ever not hard?" Riot hops off the counter and stalks toward me. He cups my dick through my pants. "We'll play later, okay?"

I nod and take a pull from the bottle. "I'll find other ways to amuse myself until then."

Valentin pats me on the back. "I'm going down to the crypt."

Broody fucker. He always did prefer his own company to ours. Maybe a few hours down in the dark with his dead relatives will settle him.

I toss him a vial of wolfsbane. "Don't have too much fun without us."

Riot arches an eyebrow at me. "You're still hard."

"I am." A mischievous grin spreads across my face.

"Fuck," he mutters. "I'm going for a walk. Don't come crying to us when she wakes up and stabs you."

I laugh as I watch him leave through the front door and turn right toward the forest. The ravens squawk at him but he's unfazed. That man's shell is impenetrable.

Now, I'm going to go remind our girl that there's no fucking rest for the wicked.

I pick her up off the couch and carry her upstairs to my room. She smells like soap and firewood. "Mmm, you're so fucking pretty," I whisper in her ear. She whimpers slightly but stays asleep.

I lie her down on my bed. A rush of adrenaline shoots through my veins. This is devious and twisted and fucking hot. I pull her sweatpants down, taking her panties off along with them.

My breath hitches at the sight of her bare pussy. I want to devour it. "I'm going to get you so wet, love."

I kiss her neck as I carefully pull her arms out of her T-shirt before getting it over her head and off. I toss it to the floor. I watch her for a few minutes, admiring her curves. Her nipples are hard and red, swollen with lust that she's not even aware of yet. It's like her body knows what it wants even when her mind is asleep.

"I'm going to have some fun now." I push her legs apart and kneel in between them. She arches slightly in response. "Thatta girl."

I slide my finger up and down her slit. "Oh, fuck you are soaked." Fuck. I hadn't expected her to be that wet so fast.

Her pulse quickens, and she lets out another little whimper just as I slip my finger inside her pussy, inching it all the way in. "Mmm, so warm and slick." I'm on the verge of losing control. I pump my finger in and out, watching how her belly trembles with each thrust. To have this kind of control over her… it makes my cock twitch and ache to be inside her. But I want to play with my doll first.

I pinch one of her nipples, and she bucks. Her eyelids flutter, but she stays asleep. Fucking hell. Her chest flushes pink as I work my finger deeper inside her. I press my thumb against her clit. "Fuck, I love touching you like this. You're doing so good."

Her pulse jumps again when I shove a second finger in. "Mmm, you like that. I know your body better than you know it yourself."

She lets out a moan.

It's taking everything I have not to stick my cock inside her.

I push her legs wider apart and peel her pussy lips back so I can get a better visual of my fingers sliding in and out. "I can't wait to see the look in your eyes when you wake up with cum dripping down your legs."

She rolls her hips up and rides my hand. "Oh, baby… fuck yeah. Just like that."

Her juices begin to trickle out. I lean down and lap them up, licking from taint to nub. "You taste like the sweetest sin."

She moans and tosses her head from side to side. So close. Any moment now, she's going to wake up and see what I'm doing to her. This makes my cock throb in my pants. I pump my fingers faster.

"Atlas…" she murmurs.

I take off my shirt. "Is my pretty little psycho awake?"

Her eyelids flutter again before opening to half-slit. She blinks a couple of times. "What… oh, fuck."

I pinch her nub. "You're so fun to play with."

Her eyes widen. I can almost see her brain catching up with her body. "Where are we?"

I don't stop fucking her with my fingers. "In my room at the cabin."

She bucks again as I hit that sacred spot deep inside her. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Getting you ready for me to fuck you."

"You couldn't wait until I was awake?"

I take off my pants and kneel in between her legs. "No. Feel free to return the favor to me anytime."

I squeeze her clit, and she loses it. The second her cum squirts out, I thrust my cock inside her, filling her tight little hole to the brim. She screams as she clenches and then stretches around me. "You're a fucking psycho," she growls as she cums all over my dick.

I can't hold back any longer. I wrap my hand around her throat and give her pussy a hard thrust. "And you're my fucking drug." I howl as all the blood rushes to the tip of my cock. A spasm shoots down my shaft right before I explode inside her.