Page 96 of Hymns of the Broken

“She’d like that,” Riot murmurs in my ear, just loud enough foronlyme to hear.

“Enough,” Jasper growls as he opens the driver’s door.

He doesn’t look back. His hand was there before I could even breathe, helping me out.

“This is where you live?” I whisper, awe and nerves tangled in my voice as I stare up at the impossible house. The windows watch me like eyes.

He nods once. “Yeah.”

“You brought me here?”

Something unreadable passes behind his eyes. “You belong here.”

The world narrows to his hand on my skin and the doors waiting to swallow me whole.

It’s so beautiful, I wonder if I’d ever want to leave.

I follow them up the steps, heart pounding as the doors open like they’re hiding secrets.

My shoes hit black marble, cool and polished to a wicked shine. Everything echoes: footsteps, laughter, therushof blood in my ears. My breath caught in my throat.

A sweeping staircase straight out of a gothic fairytale curls up from the entryway, railings carved with thorns and roses. The walls are covered in dark art, pieces that are painted in shadow or pain—or both. Faces blurred with anguish. Monsters disguised as men. A chandelier drips black crystals above us, catching the light in fractured sparks, scattering it across the floors in ghostly shapes.

“This is…” I trail off, spinning in a slow circle as the guys file in behind me, dropping bags and cracking jokes.

“Holy shit,” Ash says, loud as ever. “Every time I’m here, I feel like I need to take my shoes off and sell my soul at the same time.”

“I’lltake that deal,” Jace mutters. “As long as it comes with one of those bedrooms with blackout curtains.”

My heart hammers, every sense sharp. This place isdangerousandseductive, like being swallowed up by something that shouldn’t want you, but does.

“This place is insane,” I breathe.

Riot leans in close to whisper in my ear. “Bet he has a dungeon.”

“Don’t give her ideas,” Jasper says darkly, his voice low behind us.

“I didn’t say it was for her,” Riot teases.

“Don’t make me rearrange your face before dinner.”

“Boys,” Silas calls from deeper in the house. “Take it to the gym if you’re gonna whip ‘em out. I’m too old to watch a dick-measuring contest in the foyer.”

That shut them both up—for about five seconds.

Jace snorts,muttering something under his breath aboutrockstarsanddrama, and Ash just cackles, shaking his head.

“Alright,” Jasper exhales, moving past us and gesturing. “Sawyer, come on. I’ll show you around.”

Riot follows like a shadow, his shoulder brushing mine, eyes never leaving me.

“Not you,” Jasper adds over his shoulder, not breaking stride.

Riot grins. “Not leaving her side, remember? You saidI could play.”

I bite back a laugh. Jasper doesnot.He glares like he’s already plotting how to get me alone.

The tour is quick but overwhelming—library, recording room, kitchen bigger than any apartment I’d ever lived in. Every room echoed with music and secrets, with pieces of Jasper’s life scattered everywhere: platinum records on the walls, battered notebooks piled on tables, half-finished lyrics scrawled in the margins.