Page 76 of All Your Bloody Lies

Her dreams—no, nightmares.“Down here.”Who would do that to her? “Someone buried her?” I ask, and I can hear Sydni shuffling about, I think, but I’m unsure of what she is really doing.

“Rhysie-poo, I can’t.”

I don’t want to put her in this position; that is unfair. So, I back down. “Okay, no problem, so Tyson,” I take a seat onto the edge of the bed and look down at the floor. I’m beginning to understand whyshe is the way she is. While I imagine the trauma that brought her here was unbearable, I wouldn’t want my Xeraphine any other way.

She’s overbearing, thick-skulled, rude, and obnoxious.

But she’s also smart, independent, strong, resilient, and that mouth of hers could set this world ablaze.

Whatever got her here, I want to help her destroy, but I never want to change her.

“—then there is me! She won’t kill me because, you know, I’m me. And Phiny-bear likes me a lot.”

I’m dragged from my thoughts of Xeraphine and chuckle. “Pretty sure she loves you at this point, butterfly.”

Her laugh is laced with nerves. “Do not ever say that word to her.”

“Pretty? Love?”

“Yes, love. Never say that word unless you want your throat ripped out.”

Belial himself, I’m going to have to start taking notes.

“If I ask why, are you going to tell me?”

“Nope, but you’re welcome for the warning. If there is one thing that Phiny does not do, it’s love. Not even with me.”

I hum. “Does she not love anything? Not even that weird tomato juice?”

That throws Sydni into a fit of laughter, and the edge of my lip curls up into a very small smile. She is distracting me, and in this moment, I appreciate it more than anything. For these fleeting minutes, it’s just as though I’m chatting with my older sister about her life abroad.

“Let me tell you why she likes tomato juice so much, it’s hilarious.”

I relax and lean onto one arm. “I’m ready, tell me all the juicy details.”

Please be okay… Please don’t let my ease for your safety be a mistake my little demon.

26

Xeraphine

Karma tastes so fucking sweet, far sweeter than the expressions on their faces.

After what feels like an eternity on a very uneven road, we come to a stop. Dominic, the very obedient twin, rolls down the barrier between the driver and us as I commanded him to do, and asks that he stay parked until they are done. I play the damsel, seemingly completely out of it so that the driver won’t be suspicious of what’s going on, but I barely keep it together until we get into the old, abandoned lumberyard.

This place, known as their ‘Treehouse’, stands with its weathered structures and silent machinery echoing the former days of productivity. The once vibrant hub of timber processing now lies in disrepair, with rusty saws and creaking conveyors telling tales of years left idle.

A layer of dust and cobwebs shroud the skeletal remains of the lumberyard office, its windows cracked and long-forgotten paperwork strewn across dilapidated desks. Nature, in its relentless reclamation, has begun to weave through the structure, with vines creeping up weathered timber stacks and reclaiming the open spaces.

The scent of aged wood still lingers in the air as I settle into my position, now mingled with the mustiness of neglect, and the smell of fear and metal. The frames of sheds cast long shadows, their roofs sagging under the weight of time and weather. Weather-beatensigns, barely holding onto their posts, swing eerily in the breeze, offering faded instructions that once guided bustling workers.

It’s like the perfect horror scene, and I am the crazed serial killer, poised to fill the space with screams. Both Dominic and Dante stand like good boys in the middle of the clearing. I can see chains wrapped around poles and dried blood strewn across the floor.

The piercing scrape of the metal chair grating against the floor meshes with the muffled cries that are suppressed behind clenched lips. When I’m close enough, I turn the chair toward them, and step away.

“Dominic, sit here, my sweet.”

Without hesitation, he moves and obeys my command. My eyes, shrouded in darkness, mute the already dim world around me as I glower at Dante.

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