Page 86 of Wicked Deceit
“Beta!” A shrill voice rings through the silent air.
I jerk my head in her direction, grinding my teeth. Keeping my crude scowl in place, I march toward the house. Piper grins back at me from the porch, bouncing on her damn toes. She claps her hands before launching herself at me, forcing me to stumble back. My skin burns when her arms wrap around my neck, legs curling around my waist. Squeezing me tight, she sighs with happiness.
“Oh, brother, I’m so excited for you!” I grunt, knocking her off of me. Who the fuck knows? She might spread her fucking crazy germs to me.
“Excited for what?” I say with a bored tone, discreetly looking through the windows of the house Piper shouldn't have access to. No one should have access to this house except five people.
I let the brother comment slide because fuck no. Our parents aren’t married. The only time I see ‘ole Franny roaming around the prison I call home is at dinner time. She’s a fucking ghost, too doped up to even care about what's going on. I try not to spend too much time there. It's too depressing—too quiet—too many damn ghosts.
Piper’s eyes blow wide, and she grins more if that's fucking possible. “Your initiation, of course, silly!” She shrieks, tilting her head to the side.
My black heart sputters inside my chest. Initiation? The fuck is that? I hope it’s not what I think it is. Could my night get any worse?
“The fuck is that supposed to mean?” I growl, crossing my arms.
“It means your Alpha is trying to guide you on your journey. Now get in the fucking house, God.” She huffs with an abrupt personality change, pointing toward the house. "Let's go!"
My eyebrows dip as her body transforms. The peppy, food-spouting, analogy-giving, looney toon becomes a cold-blooded killer in front of me with narrowed eyes. Alpha. Fucking Alpha! I should have known this incognito bitch was the one doling out the orders of destruction. Fuck. Me. Act normal, you tool.
“Well?” she hisses, shoving at my shoulder. I let her, and I repeat, fucking let her push me into the house.
The instant I walk through the door, it hits me and nearly knocks me over. I plug my nose, gasping for breath. The thick scent of gasoline settles on my taste buds. Instead of inhaling it, I'm fucking eating it. Everywhere I turn, puddles upon puddles of the liquid pool on the floor, soaking into the hardwood. The furniture drips it, and it flows off the paintings and decorations.
“What’s the plan?” I ask in a growl, assessing the room more.
“Plan? Are you that thick? You’re going to light a fucking match and burn this place to the ground,” she snarls, roughly slamming a matchbook into my hand.
“Fucking fine. I’ll burn this hideous piece of shit down," I spit in disgust, looking at one of my favorite places on earth for the last time.
Memories of my time here play like a damn movie around me. Raiding their fridge, holding my girl, and being with my fucking family. This was home. Not that other fucking place. I’d never tell those assholes how much I enjoyed coming here, or that for the first time I felt like I could drop my mask and smile—really fucking smile. Fuck that. I can see it now. Seger would find a way to rub it in any chance he got. Benoit would light up like a fucking Christmas tree. And Zeppelin, he’d give me those smug as fuck looks any chance he got. So, my lips are sealed.
A slow, malicious smile spreads across Piper’s lips. “Good boy, Beta,” she whispers, basically moaning my code name and tapping the side of my face.
“So what happens after I burn this shithole down?” I walk around, away from her, taking in the beauty of this house.
“You go onto the next step, Beta. Your destiny! I can’t wait for Daddy to tell you!” she breathes, almost in a slow, drawn-out moan, obviously feeling pleasure from whatever awaits me in the future. Shit. Fuck. As I peer around, desperately searching for the love of my life, my heart fucking pounds against my ribs. I swallow hard, noting I can’t fucking find her anywhere. I curl my fingers into a fist around the matches she laid in my palm and control the anger begging to come out in the form of violence.
“And what is my fucking destiny?” I snarl, putting on my nastiest face when I peer back at her smiling form. Piper jumps in place with a giggle.
“You’ll see,” she says, booping my damn nose. “Now, light the match, and let’s fucking go. We’ve got work to do.” Her face shifts into a scowl, furrowing her brows. The switch in personality is immediate. Her once smiling face drops into a tight smile, and her body stiffens with her shoulders rolling back in a confident power pose.
“Fucking fine,” I huff, taking a step away again so she can’t boop my fucking nose. I swear I’ll bite her fucking finger off if she does it again.
“Oh, and to prove your loyalty, make sure you start there.” I swallow a heavy lump in my throat, following her finger toward the twins’ bedroom, where a blonde lump lies on the floor, sprawled out unconscious and unmoving.
Double fuckity, fuck. Benoit.
“And the bitch?” Implying Kaycee is a bitch sits like acid on my tongue, burning and sour. Sure, I’ve said it to her before to push her away and keep her out of my face. I wanted to deny how utterly attracted I was to her. And you see how well that's gone over. From the moment I saw her, I knew she’d be trouble with a capital fucking T. I just didn’t know she’d be my perfect brand of trouble.
“Oh, Daddy wanted her at the house ASAP! And you, too, so get a move on!” She waves her hands again, trying to get me to move. But my brains stuck on where they fucking took her to.
“What fucking house?” I grumble, shuffling my feet toward the dripping couch. A familiar-looking phone lies on the ground, covered in gasoline, and catches my eye.
Piper huffs, crossing her damn arms like a haughty ass bitch. But while she’s distracted by her little temper tantrum, I snatch Kaycee’s discarded phone off the floor. Discreetly, I check to see if it’s in good working order, clean off the gasoline, and shove it into the waistband of my jeans.
“You’re taking too much fucking time. Burn the bitch down, and I’ll meet you outside. I’d suggest exiting through a window or something. I don’t need you burning your face off before you start tonight. You get that’s what you’re doing, right? Like, don’t piss off the rest of the Apocalypse before you become one of them.” She grumbles, walking toward the front door like she’s going to fucking let me be in here alone.
“Wait,” I snarl. “Become one of them? The fuck are you going on about?”
