Chapter Twenty-Seven

Atlas

I 've been preparing for this for weeks, knowing that any second, we'd have to act. The look of dread on Maureen's face kills me, though. She looks so pretty in her gown at her little garden party.

"I'm sorry, love, but we have to go now," Riot tells her.

Val gives his uncle a nod as they exit the bathroom. "It's confirmed. All three elders will be there. All three of our fathers."

"I'll have the limousine take me back to Nocturnus so I can get what we need. You all wait here. Villette, I can drop you back off at the Nest along the way."

Her cheeks flame. "Oh, hell, no. I'm coming with you guys."

Felix grabs her arms. "Nope. Go with Atlas. He'll take you home."

Fuck. Now I have to deal with this shit? "Listen to your brother."

She shakes her head and latches onto Maureen. "I'm not letting you go in there alone. Please. I can be bait or a distraction."

Hm. Not a bad idea actually.

"It's too dangerous, Lettie!" Felix tries to wrench her away.

Val intervenes. "We don't have time for this. Atlas, go. I'll sort this out."

I nod and sprint out the front doors toward the limo. The driver jumps out, not expecting me, and scrambles to open the door.

I step around him. "Give me the keys."

"Excuse me, sir? I cannot—"

I grab him by his lapels and shake him. "Give me the fucking keys!"

He shrinks back against the car, his eyes wide, and points to the driver's side. "Th-they're in the ignition."

I let him go and dust him off. "Thank you."

Miss Florian wags her finger at me, screaming at me to slow down as I screech out of the parking lot at full speed. Yeah, not a chance, lady.

I barrel through the woods, my adrenaline racing, and I don't let up on the gas until I pull up to Nocturnus House. I make it there in five minutes—one of the benefits of living on campus.

The remote door is already open when I leap out of the limo. I race inside the ten-car garage and click open the locks to my shiny black Escalade. I throw open the trunk to find all my vials tucked away nice and tight.

It's no secret that I'm so fucking amped for this ambush, so obsessed with it my cock throbs just thinking about it. I race around the car, double checking I have everything I need. Only one more thing to grab, and then it's game fucking on.

I run upstairs and grab the cage, draping a black sheet over it before I lug it back down to the garage. I don't need Zeus getting wound up before I'm ready. I slide the cage into the back of the SUV and climb into the driver's seat.

With the windows rolled down, I charge back through the woods. The cold air soothes my fiery skin. It feels fucking fantastic. I down a bottle of nightshade, relishing the way it seeps into my veins, raising my adrenaline up another notch.

"Woohoo!" I yell out the window as I hit a bump and slam back down on the road with a thud. The tires lock for a moment and I slide, hydroplaning the last few feet. I roar with laughter as I spin out and drift into the parking lot like some kind of daredevil. Dirt and debris kick up around the car in my efforts to correct it and right my path.

" Fuck, that was fun ."

I spot them outside the ballroom, Villette still in tow. I chuckle. I knew she'd get her fucking way. We have a hard time saying no to these women.

As soon as I pull up, Riot slides into the passenger seat while everyone else climbs in the back. "Welcome to the chaos, Little Crane."

Felix shoots me a glare. "If anything happens to my sister…"

I smirk at him in the rearview mirror. "You'll still have your other brother, Bones, right?"

"Very fucking funny, Thorn."

"Sorry, I'm an asshole." I wave my hand like it's a white flag.

Riot chuckles. "You're such a dick."

I push the pedal all the way to the floor when we get to the highway. The tension is so thick in this car that it practically weighs us down. All jokes aside, I'm looking forward to murdering people tonight. Especially after what they did to Maureen. The more I think about it, the more the sigil on my chest burns.

"Focus on the road, Atlas," Val calls out. "You can dream about dismembering people when we get there."

I blink a few times and take a deep breath, loosening my white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel. He's right. I need to fucking relax.

But I keep the odometer at one hundred miles per hour. And I don't slow down until I pull off the highway and creep up to the main road.

Riot turns in his seat to face everyone. "My father has security cameras that I'm going to disable from my phone as soon as we're within view. But I'll need to turn them back on within two minutes, or else he'll be alerted. That gives us two minutes to get inside the house. Understood?"

Villette gasps. "Ooh, I feel like we're on a heist."

"You're staying in the car, Lettie," Felix growls.

"He's right," Maureen adds. "You should stay here where it's safe."

Villette crosses her arms and pouts. "Absolutely not. I did not come all this way to sit in the car. Let me help."

Felix throws his hands up in frustration. "My mother is going to kill me."

Maureen smirks. "I see where she gets her stubbornness from now."

Fuck this chatter. "All right, therapy's over. Everyone out. You're on foot now."

"Wait, where are you going?" Maureen asks.

I give her a wink. I know these grounds like the back of my hand. "I'm going around back. I'll meet you in the caverns."

After they all finally get out at the top of the road, I kill the headlights and take the other path through the woods. It's an unmarked trail we used to use for hunting when we were kids. It's covered in brush, but I can find my way through it with my eyes closed. You get stuck out here alone a couple of times as a kid, and you learn really fast how to find your way back.

I down another vial of nightshade once I pull up to my destination. I close my eyes, using my raven sight to confirm that the initiates are making their way through the tunnels right now.

I grab the vials and the cage out of the trunk before using my old key to unlock the cellar door. And I almost cum in my pants when it clicks open. Fucking Holden . So cocky he doesn't even change the locks.

My heart races as I make my way to the ritual room. The corridors are damp and musty, leaving a stench in the air that I know is gonna stick to my clothes. I'll be burning this suit after tonight, anyway.

Shit. I'm too late.

I get to the room at the same time they do. I was hoping to get the jump on them.

Fuck it. Let's play.

The twenty masked initiates freeze when they see me.

The cage screeches across the floor as I drag it the rest of the way in. "What's up, boys? Am I late for the party?"

No one speaks. Creepy as fuck. Well, creepy for me.

"Who wants a drink? Anyone thirsty?" I stroll over to the cabinet where Holden keeps all the good shit and pull out a bottle of fifty-year-old whiskey.

"Mr. Thorn? Your father's upstairs. He didn't mention you were coming to tonight's ritual," a voice from one of the masks squeaks out.

I laugh as I pull the cork out with my teeth. "That's because it's a surprise. It's his birthday, you see. I brought him a gift." I point to the covered cage.

Another voice calls out, "Should we go get him then, sir?"

I wave him off and take a pull from the bottle. It burns as it goes down. Fuck, that's good. "No, no. He's in a meeting. Now get your creepy asses over here and have a drink with me. In celebration of Pisces Thorn's illustrious life."

None of them move a muscle.

These fucking assholes.

I sigh and set my case of vials on the ritual table. "Are you refusing to raise a toast to one of your elders?" I take one of the vials out and down it. "Come, the first one over here gets two." I wink.

One of the initiates, must be the head idiot, nods to the rest and they file over. I hand them each a vial. "Good doggies," I snicker. I hold up my vial in salute. "To Nocturnus and its rebirth."

"To Nocturnus," they mumble through their masks.

I can't help but laugh as I watch them struggle to drink their vials while still keeping their faces covered.

Now, the fun begins.

I clap my hands together. "Who wants to see the gift I brought, dear old Dad? Anyone?"

A couple of grumbles break out amongst them.

I stalk over to the cage and pull off the sheet.

The initiates gasp at the sight of two king cobras slithering and snapping at the bars.

"Oh, you didn't think I only had one snake, did you?" I lift open the door to the cage and the initiates take a giant leap back.

I'm so turned on by this I'm tempted to fuck one of them while he dies. "See, in about thirty seconds, you're all going to keel over. Paralysis will set in. But your minds will still be alive, feeling everything. The toxin will slowly travel to your heart, which will then explode."

The look of horror on their faces makes my cock twitch. The leader of them steps forward, "You poisoned us? Why?"

I sigh and grab him by the throat. "Because you disrespected what's mine. You spread your disgusting seed all over my pretty girl. And the penalty for that is death."

I crush his throat seconds before the paralysis sets in. Just in time to watch the rest of them drop to their knees.