Page 1 of Wicked Ties
CHAPTER 1
TILLY
I remembered the laughter, the love, and the connection like it was a distant echo of a past that wasn’t mine. She, the one they all loved, was supposed to be me. These were things I was supposed to know, yet nothing felt familiar. Nothing felt right. Nothing felt like me—the Tilly I am, not the Tilly they all wanted me to be.
The question is, do I want to be that Tilly for them, or do I want to be whatever I am now?
The call of my past pulled at something in me I didn’t understand, yet I had freedom in nothingness. Freedom from pain, from hurt and from disappointment. There was supposed to be comfort in that. But deep down, a piece was missing. I was missing.
Yet here I was surrounded by three brick walls, and my only way out was blocked . . . for now. Dark gray clouds dotted the night, blocking out the moon. Lightning forked across the sky, and thunder rolled above. The sound vibrated in my chest, and I sucked in a breath of icy air. A light chill crept over my skin, and my fingers tingled with numbness. The constant rain gave the dank alley a slick look that reflected the lone streetlight above. The smell of garbage was stifled by the lingering dampness. In the distance, sirens wailed, blending in with the constant noise of the city.
Hard rain fell on me in sheets, soaking me to the bone. My hair was slick to the sides of my face, falling in soaking waves and dripping with water down my oversized trench coat. The one I stole from Maze. His scent lingered on the fabric, and though I was soaked, within the coat I was warm and protected.
I knew, he would show up any minute and find me here. He was always there, like a silent menacing shadow, lurking wherever I went, trying to save me from myself. I didn’t need to be saved. I didn’t want to be saved. I needed to feel, to be alive. This was the only way, and I knew he wouldn’t approve. None of them would. Well, maybe Ophelia.
“What do we have here?” A group of guys strolled into the alley where I pretended to stumble.
I held onto the rough brick wall and hunched over as though I’d had too much to drink. I slow-blinked up at the ringleader in the center. “Wh-whaaatttt?”
The one at the center of the five of them was much bigger, standing a full head taller than me. His pants hung low on his waist, and I spotted the handle of a gun peeking out from his waistband.
He licked his lips and let his eyes roam over me. “You need some help, sweetie?”
Their smiling faces and obvious interest would’ve sickened me in another life. But now I relished it. I was no longer a demon, but I still held their night vision and strength. But they didn’t know that. They thought I was helpless, blonde, and petite. Defenseless. Last night, I watched this same group of guys drive by a house and shoot the hell out of it. Afterward, they strolled up and down the street, collecting money from girls they sold to others. They deserved what they were about to get. I deserved what they were about to get.
I spun around and leaned against the wall, slouching into it. “I-I don’t know where I am.”
He spread his arms wide, motioning to his group of friends, and chuckled. “We can help you.”
“You can?” I waved him closer. “Please.”
The smirk fell from his face and his eyebrows drew low over his dark eyes. They focused on me like two laser beams, and I knew he was coming in for the kill. As a predator, I knew the look well. If I wasn’t playing helpless, I would’ve smiled to myself, knowing that my prey was only one step away.
He marched up to me with his gang right behind him. I let my head slump forward until my chin touched my chest. I spread my arms wide and groaned. When his thick work boots came into view, my lips curled. He threaded his fingers into the hair on the back of my head, pulling the strands hard. He yanked my head back, forcing me to meet his eye.
“Yeah, we’ll all help you.”
I bet you will. . . .
CHAPTER 2
ASTRID
Thanksgiving
“Whatever you do, don’t make a river through this apartment again,” Beckett teased as he threw his arm over my shoulder and pulled me closer. His ocean scent enveloped me, and I leaned into him. Strands of his wild blond hair tickled my forehead and I smiled. This was the first couple-ish thing we were going to do . . . meet the parents.
“Very funny.” Truth was, I was super nervous. My dad was going to see my mom for the first time since she left us, and although she told me he was in on it, I found it really hard to believe.
Beckett lowered his head down next to mine to whisper in my ear. “It’ll be okay.”
My mother, Ophelia, Cross, Catherine, Zinnia, Tuck, and Penny all stood with us outside the door of the apartment. Ophelia shuffled from one foot to the other. She wore a long-sleeved, plain black dress with a matching black apron tied around her waist. Braids of all shapes and sizes were intricately wound through her inky, silky hair. “Does everyone have everything?”
Cross sighed and held his plate up, giving it a little shake. “Yes, all three hundred pounds of it.”
“Hey.” Ophelia whirled around on him. “It’s my first family Thanksgiving, and you all will eat every single piece of food that I conjured up. Do you know how hard it is to fight off Maze and that damn demon cat?”
A pang of pain shot through my chest. I always did Thanksgiving with Tilly. But this year, she wouldn’t come, and now I was doing a true first Thanksgiving, and I didn’t know how I felt about it. Maze, too, hung behind, watching over Tilly like a silent bodyguard. That was the only comfort I felt about my best friend and her current state.
