Page 88 of Heathens
He will pay.
It’s all about power—he craves that power. Power over the girls, power over the church. The way to burn his kingdom down is by undercutting that power. And tomorrow, when he asks about the small changes, I will tell him thathedid it. Thathementioned it on the train.
When he asks about the lightbulbs—both of which I changed out for bulbs quadruple their wattage—I’ll say nothing’s changed. The change in brightness was stark.
But—it’s all in your head, Father.
I will make him doubt his reality. I will make him doubt his own eyes. I will take that rug of power and pull it out from underneath him.
For Lily.
For Evelyn.
For all of the other girls.
For me. For all the lies. All the falsities. For how he thought I could be a monster like him.
I might break his body eventually, but first, I will break his mind.
Scorpios
Lily
Present
To my surprise, Benedict throws me out of the room immediately the next morning—like a territorial papa bear. I know—Iknow—the guilt is eating him alive. He looks worse than Evelyn, somehow smaller, thinner, paler. When I wake, when he pushes me out of the room to get something to eat, she doesn’t stir. She’s still asleep—she’s been sleeping for hours. Days. I want to tell them, “She loves her sleep!” I want to shout it, because I know her. Because she’s still the same, even if she is broken. That one, simple thing, that tiny personality trait hasn’t changed, and that alone makes me feel so much more untroubled by yesterday’s events.
I walk downstairs to find Salem, Felix, and Killian speaking in low murmurs at the breakfast bar. I stop and spy on them for a minute—the three Tempest brothers. Felix is the tallest of the three—skinnier, too. His brown hair is cut shorter on the sides, and he’s wearing pajamas that could pass on the runway as athleisure wear. He looks more like Salem then Killian—who got Bastian’s darker complexion; dark eyes and hair. Though all three of them have those intense brows, the kinds of expressions that stop you in your tracks.
Salem turns and notices me, as if he can sense my close proximity.
“Morning, sunshine,” Felix chimes, handing me coffeewithcream and sugar. As if noticing my observation, he chuckles. “Salem told us how you like your coffee.”
I give Salem a wide smile, and he pulls my middle into him.
“How’s Evelyn?” Killian asks, the solemn one of the trio. Maybe it has something to do with being the oldest. Or being a husband and father of two little girls.
I shake my head. “She’s still sleeping. But we cuddled all night. I woke up to her legs tangled around mine. She’s still a bed hog.” Killian and Felix laugh, but Salem is the one to read between the lines.
She’s still sleeping.
She hasn’t spoken a word.
“She’ll come around,” he says, assuaging me. “Benedict said she wouldn’t get in the car until he mentioned you. She spoke to him.” He looks at Killian. “Our nurse here says she doesn’t seem to be going through withdrawals. No drugs in her system. No bruises, no scars. She’s strong.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. He somehow always manages to stroke the fear out of me—the ice to my fire.
“Salem was just telling us that the two of you have the same birthday,” Felix says smoothly, sipping his coffee and wiggling his eyebrows.
I smirk. “He’s a gossip, isn’t he?” They both laugh, and Salem pinches my side teasingly.
“You’re both Scorpios,” Felix continues.
“You and your horoscopes,” Killian mutters, excusing himself. “Be back soon. I have to check on the three sleeping queens.”
“Scorpios.“ I smile and kiss Salem on the forehead. His hands come around my waist, and he looks up at me with a mix of surprise and admiration. Like he can't believe I'm real. “Watch out; we sting,“ I joke, hissing at Felix. Salem bursts out laughing. I like that I can make him laugh like that.
“You’re bothsuchScorpios, though,” Felix continues, nodding. “Passionate and loyal as fuck.” He turns to face me, explaining. “I dabble in astrology from time to time.”
