Page 10 of These Monstrous Ties
I weakly shake her hand and take the drink, even though I definitely shouldn’t, but I can’t drag my eyes away from Lucifer and the pregnant chick.
“Is that...” I trail off, unsure what to say. This isn’t my business. It’s not my party. I don’t know these people. I had a fucking plan, goddammit.
“Is it his?” Ria finishes for me in a whisper. She’s at my side and we’re both watching. It’s a drama we can’t hear. One I don’t want to see. But I can’t stop watching.
Wordlessly, I nod.
I see out of the corner of my eye, she shrugs. “No one knows. I’m not even sure she knows.”
This does not make me feel better. But what did I think would happen here? Sure, he’s fucking gorgeous and his eyes are way too damn blue to be real and he’s tall and lean and seemingly popular but...he’s also kind of a jerk. And he might be someone else’s baby’s father. And I don’t fucking know him.
I force myself to face Ria.
“So...what is this?” I ask, gesturing around. I assumed it was a party. But Lucifer’s words are making me question that.
Ria grins, drinks from her cup. Then she swallows. “It’s Unsaints Night.”
I tilt my head in silent questioning. I don’t follow. And I love Halloween. I’ve never heard of this shit. And what the fuck is anUnsaint?
“Technically, it’s not called anything. It’s just...the Unsaints do some weird shit here every Halloween night.” She takes another drink, and she looks oddly nervous. “You go to AU?”
I shake my head. “Unsaints?” I repeat, confused. “What the hell is that?” My head is spinning with all the vodka but even still, I know I have no idea what that word means. I flip the cup I’m holding upside down and twirl it around my index finger because shit is getting weird and I’m feeling antsy.
“You don’t go to AU, then,” she says with a little laugh, shaking her head. She tosses one braid over her shoulder. “Unsaints consist of your boy Lucifer—” I blush when she says those two words before his name, but I’m too stunned to say anything, “Cain, Atlas, Ezra, Mayhem, and a new man, Jeremiah.”
“Lucifer?” I repeat. “Mayhem?I mean, come on, that’s not really their real names, right?” What kind of monsters did they have for parents?
She flashes a smile. “I dunno. Just what everyone calls them.” She takes another drink, crosses her arms. “If you’re not from AU...what do you do? I’m 20. You can’t be more than that.”
“19,” I counter, ignoring her actual question. I look around. Lucifer is still listening to pregnant chick. “Are all these people from AU?”
She shakes her head. “Most. I’m a junior. The Unsaints are seniors. Jeremiah isn’t in school.”
“What exactly are Unsaints?” I ask, still not following. “I’m gonna need some clarification.” I drink more vodka, knowing this is not a good idea. But I’m lost here, and my plans have just been turned upside down.
Someone hollers in the distance and then a peel of laughter follows.
“They’re like...they’re just close friends,” Ria hurriedly explains, but I don’t think she’s giving me the whole spiel here. “And tonight, they uh...well...I don’t actually know.” She lowers her voice, as if what she’s telling me—nothing—is secretive.
I nudge her shoulder, trying to be friendly. “Come on. How can you not know?”
She snorts a laugh. “God you really don’t know anything about them, do you?” She doesn’t sound condescending. She just sounds genuinely shocked.
I rub my hands over my arms, empty cup dangling from my fingers. “Should I?” I ask, amused. Why would I know about these hot weirdos?
“Yeah,” she answers, but she doesn’t seem amused at all. “They—well their families...they basically own Alexandria.”
I nod my head, brows high. “Right.”
She laughs, takes another drink. My eyes scan the woods for a quick second. The fire has gotten bigger. Atlas has his hands all over a girl—different from the one he was previously making out with. And my blood runs cold when I realize the dude in the hoodie whose face I can’t really make out still appears as if he’s watching me. A shiver runs down my spine. I don’t know if he’s an Unsaint or not. I don’t know if it matters. And I don’t see Lucifer anymore. Or the pregnant girl.
I don’t know why that bothers me.
I force my attention back to Ria.
“I’m serious,” she continues. “Their families are third degree, like, Masons or something...”
“Unsaints?”I supply sarcastically. I thought the Masons had 33 degrees but it’s not something I really study in my free time.
