Page 94 of Crown of Thorns
“You spoke of what should never be spoken.Therefore,you are to leave this castle and never return,” the crow-beak voice said. “The Alpha Fraternarii will never open their doors to you again.”
He was dragged into darkness.
And then the true ritual began.
They fucked in corners, on steps, against stone walls wet with sweat. Masks bobbed in firelight. Cries, wet gasps, the feral thump of bodies colliding in time. The torch hissed like it knew their sins.
A golden mask in the crowd remained still. He did not cheer. He did not chant. He only watched.
This was the Alpha Fraternarii. A carnival of sin wrapped in silk and bone. Power was the drug. Secrecy the altar.
He came in as blood. He left as dust. The name he carried was buried that night, but its echo still lives in Monterrey’s walls.
But blood always finds a way back.
26
LOUIS
Ididn’t go back to my dorm after the gathering. Didn’t even try. Arthur, Regis, Dominique, and Gaël were still tangled up in one of their chaotic debates—voices raised, laughter sharp, the usual Deveraux chaos. Arthur had glanced at me like he might say something about the weekend plans—our birthday, the end of the year—but then Gaël made some comment about his hair and the moment passed. None of them asked why I hadn’t packed. Maybe they thought I’d catch up later. Or maybe they knew better than to interrupt me when I’m like this. They didn’t notice me slip away.
And I didn’t care. I needed him.
So I came here instead.
My heart's still racing, my hands still smelling faintly of candle smoke and ash when I close the door behind me. The shed’s ashes haven’t settled in my head, not since I saw them glowing in the night. And when he didn’t show up this morning, when his room was empty and his phone silent...
I panicked.
I needed to see him. To know he was real. That he hadn’t vanished like the past they burned.
And then I see him.
“Noah?” I stumble closer to the bed, rubbing my tired face as if I might have been mistaken. He’s here. My Noah. Sprawled like he never left. One arm out, like hewantedme to take that space again. And I will. Because the absence of him gutted me in ways I didn’t know I could be gutted. Because I missed him with a kind of panic. Because for the first time in my life, someone not answering a text made me feel like the floor was falling away.
I should be mad. I should be distant. But I’m not wired that way, not when it comes to Noah. I crawl into bed, needing him like breath.
My stomach swoops dangerously at the sight of his handsome face. Like this, asleep, lips slightly parted on a soft snore, features slack and relaxed, he looks at peace.
But the moment I crawl into his welcoming embrace, his arm tightens around me, cocooning me between his warm chest and firm grip. My face dips into the curve between his throat and collarbone, and I greedily inhale his scent as I snake my arm around his sternum and my thigh over his.
“Hmmm,” I purr, back in my favourite position. God, I missed him. I missed him so much that I don’t ever want to fall asleep. I fight it, clinging to every heartbeat, every breath that proves he’s here. But eventually, exhaustion wins.
Sleep folds over us like a warm tide, and the night passes in a haze of breath and skin and tangled limbs. At some point, we both surrender to it. Morning slips in quietly, the grey light softening everything, like the world forgot to be cruel for once.
When I finally stir, Noah’s still asleep against me. That’s a first. Usually, he’s up way before I am. The castle is quiet, and the weekend light slants in soft and golden. It's late spring, almost summer. Nearly the end of the school year, and everything is changing, whether we’re ready for it or not.
Slipping out from under the sheets, I put on his favourite classical music and start the coffee machine. Grabbing a fewapples from the fruit basket, I slice them up, then add some blackberries. I’m dying for some fresh croissants. I know Noah loves those, but one glance at my sleeping boyfriend and I know I can’t leave him alone. He might wake up, alone, and wonder…
My thoughts come to a screeching halt. Fuck. Did I just think that? My chest tightens. 'Boyfriend.' Damn. I’m not even the romantic type, but that word just hit like a sledgehammer. Only Noah could make a word like that sound like a declaration of war and love in one breath.
He is my boyfriend, right? Probably. I’ve never had one. The word still feels foreign in my mouth, makes my pulse skip. But since he’s still sleeping, and my thoughts are too loud, I send Gaël a text:
Louis: What sort of things do you do with your boyfriend?
I drum with the phone on my knee while I wait for his reply. Outside, the castle buzzes. Everyone's preparing to leave for the weekend—end-of-year break, and our birthday. Arthur and I always spend it with the family. Dominique mentioned it days ago. But I never packed. Never intended to. Not until I make this official.. This is ridiculous. Still, I order a batch of croissants from downstairs and request that they leave them outside Noah’s door. My cousin's quick to reply, probably already in the gym.
Gaël: You mean aside from the obvious?
