Page 23 of These Monstrous Ties
But I kiss him back. I don’t fucking know why, but I do.
His tongue probes my mouth, my teeth, my own tongue. And then when we’re both nearly breathless, he pulls back, his eyes searching mine.
“We can’t miss this,” he says roughly, standing to his feet and yanking me up. “Stop trying to resist me.”
And goddammit, I do.
* * *
I finally realizewhere we are when it’s too fucking late to turn back.
An abandoned, monstrous brick building, crumbling stones and a door that’s been kicked in one too many times. An overgrown parking lot, and a fenced-in lot set against Raven River.
The former Raven Shores Psych Hospital. Now abandoned in favor of a less creepy location.
But tonight, I’m at the creepy one with Lucifer, and we’re not the only ones here.
There’s a line of people outside of the door hanging off its hinges, and I see, standing guard at the door, four guys with their arms crossed, watching the crowd of people from the party with stony expressions.
They must be the Unsaints, because I see Atlas among them.
They’re all unnervingly attractive, even in the dark. None of them are dressed up, but aside from one guy in a white tank with tattoos up and down his arms, they all wear dark clothes.
I see Ria, too, near the front, her eyes locked on the guy in the white tank.
But the Unsaints’ eyes go over the heads of the throng outside of the psych door, and then everyone turns to us.
Silence steels through the few dozen people here.
They’re watching us.
Or rather, they’re probably watching Lucifer, and I just happen to be in their line of sight.
Lucifer, for his part, keeps tugging me forward, and the crowd, miraculously, parts. Like Lucifer is crossing the goddamn Red Sea or something.
Ria’s breath hitches when I get close to her and I toss her a small smile. She grins back, and I’m happy her face is at least a friendly one. Lucifer pulls me up the steps, shoves me behind him and the rest of the guys.
None of them turn to look at me.
I notice Jeremiah isn’t here.
So does the guy in the white tank. “Where’s J?” he asks quietly. The people below the steps start talking and laughing again. A vape cloud forms in the air over their heads.
“Not coming,” Lucifer says. There’s no arguing with that tone, and no one dares. “You got your girls?” he asks the guys.
Atlas snorts. “We got ‘em. They just don’t know it yet.”
“Then let’s go. It’ll be eleven soon.” Lucifer turns and grabs my wrist to pull me into the building.
“Luce,” one of the guys calls. He’s the biggest of them all, hard muscle beneath a dark dress shirt that strains against his chest. He has a shaved head, dark eyes. And right now, those eyes are staring at me. “Be careful with that one. Jeremiah couldn’t take his eyes off of her. There’s probably a reason.”
Lucifer stares down this guy.
“Lay off it, Cain,” Atlas says with a smile. “Jeremiah is a fuck.”
But Lucifer looks back at me. “Do you know him?” he asks me. “Jeremiah?”
Now all five of them are staring at me. I feel…trapped. I shake my head, not daring myself to speak.
