Page 14

Nurse B smiled. “Talk about a pleasant surprise. And to see him with his younger brother, Foster. He’s so good with children.” My stomach tightened at the false statement. “One big happy family here at Camp Redwood. My, fate has been busy.”

Her and fucking fate.

I forced a smile. “Actually, Nurse B.” I stood. “Sabbath is my step brother. We’re not actually related?—”

She interrupted me. “Maybe not by blood. But you’re bound by something.”

I blinked. “Yeah, well, Foster isn’t my brother either. In any way… So.”

Nurse B eyed me closely. “Family is family, Aster. No matter how they come to us.” She gently squeezed my arms. “You should use this summer to bond with your brothers. Time is so fleeting. You never know when it could all go up in flames.” I did not like the way she said that last sentence. It felt oddly specific.

I carefully slid her hands from my arms. “I’m going to step outside for a minute.”

Kaila poked her head up. “Aster? Where are you going? You okay?”

I spun around and faked a smile. “Yeah! I just need some fresh air!” She nodded as though everything was fine. But it wasn’t. It was far from fine.

I busted through the cafeteria doors and rushed outside. The sun was setting and I just wanted to get away from everyone and breathe. To process what the hell was going on and not stare at another fucking redwood tree.

I swatted the low and lingering limbs of the redwoods away, and I made my way down towards the lake.

The sun quickly set and disappeared as darkness settled in, and I immediately regretted not grabbing a lantern.

I took a step and tried to move a branch away, but it snapped and swung back at me.

The damn thing hit my cheek, and I lost my footing before I fell down onto the dirt path and right on my ass.

“Oh, fuck me!” I kicked the dirt and laid my head down on my knees in defeat.

“I mean, if you’re offering.” My jaw tightened at his voice. I should’ve known he’d find me out here.

“Go away, Sabbath,” I groaned.

I listened as he stepped closer and noticed his boots. He plopped down next to me, and I coughed at the dirt that clouded my face. “My bad.” He grinned. I scowled at him and scooted away. Sabbath only laughed at my childish behavior. “I wasn’t kidding, you know. If you’re offering?—”

My head shot up. “Fuck off!” He grinned at my anger. “Just leave me alone, Sabbath.”

His smile fell as he became more serious. “You know I can’t do that, Rosie.”

I wanted to strangle him. “No, I know you think you can’t.

But you can. It’s easy. Let me run, and this time, don’t follow me.

Don’t come chasing after me and try to force something that’s impossible.

Please!” He didn’t speak. “It’s been years, Sabbath.

Years. Things will never be the way they were between us.

Not just because you're my brother, but because of what you did.” I choked back my pain.

“I will never forgive you. I hate you, Sabbath. With every ounce of my being. I hate you!”

“You think I don’t fucking know that? Huh?

” I glared back at him as he shook his head.

“You’re not the only one running. If you think you can just run away from this, from me?

You can’t. And stop playing the victim. You want to sit there and act like I’m the devil, but you’re just as guilty, Rosie Batista. ”

I swallowed my rage. “Don’t you fucking say that name.”

Sabbath raised a brow. “Or what? You going to kill me?” My face burned, and he only smiled.

“Do it.” My hands balled into fists and shook as I stared at him with so much hatred.

Enough to burn the world. “That’s what I thought.

You can’t. Want to know why?” He moved closer until we shared the same air.

“It’s the same reason you can never outrun me, Rosie.

The same reason I will always find you.” His hand pressed against the scar on my back.

I cried out as pain shot through my spine.

Sabbath quickly covered my mouth and slammed me back into the dirt.

He was positioned directly over me, one hand on my mouth and the other along my back.

His face leaned in as the tips of his long black hair tickled my face.

I tried to wriggle free, but he had me pinned. And I was terrified.

Sabbath looked down at me. “After all these years of running, you really thought we’d never cross paths again?

” He pressed his nail into my scar, and I screamed into his palm.

“Shhhh.” He leaned closer and spoke into my ear.

“You’re mine, spitfire. You have been since the day we fucked in the basement while our parents slept upstairs.

Tears fell from my eyes and down my face.

“The same night you bled for me and vowed to always be mine. It wasn’t just the night you sacrificed it all, it was the night you bound yourself to me.

Forever.” He licked my ear with a soft moan before he bit it with his canines.

I cried out again and tried to move away.

“Oh, you haven’t changed one bit.” Sabbath leaned back, and I watched as he pulled his hand away from my back.

Black liquid dripped down his fingers, the same black liquid that was bleeding from my scar before in the diner.

Sabbath grinned and licked his fingers clean as he moaned.

“Fuck, Rosie. Your darkness is even tastier than I remember.” My brows furrowed, and my body shook as I tried to loosen his grip on me.

Sabbath only smiled. “Remember how much you liked mine?” I looked away as he stared down at me.

“Oh, don’t be so shy. You loved it once.

Begged to taste it on your tongue and feel it swirl around your mouth as you swallowed it with a smile.

You may not want it right now but you’ll love it again.

One day. That’s the way things are. The way things are meant to be.

” He sucked his finger and released it with a pop.

I had begun to cry, overcome with emotions.

Sabbath sighed and looked as though I’d stolen all his joy.

“I can tell this a lot for you. And as much as I would love to just rip you free from this damn uniform and fuck the hell out of you here beneath the moon, I won’t.

” He sniffed my hair with a low growl. “You may hate me, but I’m not going to fucking hurt you, Rosie.

Not like this.” He lifted his hand from my mouth, and I gasped as my saliva strung from his palm.

My breathing had become rapid and uncontrollable.

He gently grabbed my chin. “For once, I’m not here for you.

Well, not entirely. There are bigger things at play that I have to deal with.

So relax, sis. And enjoy the summer.” He kissed my forehead before pulling away and helping me to my feet.

I felt so taken aback and traumatized, unable to understand what the hell just happened.

Sabbath stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets and looked at me in a way I hadn’t seen in such a long time. A look I never expected to see again.

“Sabbath—” I tried to stop crying, but I felt so triggered. “If you’re not here for me, then why come here at all?” Nothing made any sense.

He lowered his head. “Simple. I’m here to help Foster.

” He kicked at the dirt. “It’s a long and complicated story, one I don’t think you’re ready to hear.

Not yet.” He looked at me. “I know you think I came for you, but for once, I didn’t.

Truthfully, I lost track of you a few years back.

” He looked up at me through his hair. “You got really good at running from me.” Sabbath grinned.

“But I had no idea you were here until—” He stopped.

“Well, I was just as surprised as you. Call it fate.” Again with fucking fate.

“No.” I wiped my face and walked towards him.

“How the hell did you find me? You say you lost me, so how did you find me? Huh? Tell me!” I jabbed his chest before eventually shoving him in anger.

Sabbath let me push him some more as my anger progressed and my feelings ruptured.

My hands turned into fists, and I began to hit him over and over again.

“Tell me!” I kept swinging, as if I had no control, until all I could do was cry.

Sabbath eventually grabbed me and held me tight. At first I resisted, but eventually, I crumbled. I sobbed into him as he held me and stroked my hair. And I fucking broke. Everything just poured out of me and had he not been holding me, I would have fallen to the ground.

“Why?” I sobbed into him. “Why me? Why did you choose me? Why won’t you let me go?” He squeezed my body while I hit him some more. “Why, Sabbath? Why?”

Sabbath kissed my head. “Because.” He hugged me. “Because I didn’t have a choice. I didn’t choose you, Rosie. It just happened. You can’t choose who you love?—”

“No!” I ripped away from him. “You don’t get to say that to me!” I pounded his chest in absolute rage and heartbreak. “You don’t get to use that word!”

“Rosie.” Sabbath stepped closer, but I stepped back as he did. “I swear, I didn’t know when we first met.”

My hand raised, and I pointed at him. “Liar. Liar!” He shook his head.

“You chose me. You chose to trick me and lie. You seduced me and used me. And then—” My chin quivered as I tried to speak through my sobs and the pain of the memory.

“You killed them. All of them. You killed my brother,” I wheezed. “You killed Ozzy.”

Sabbath stepped closer again, and I just shook my head and grabbed my arms. “Rosie, please.” He didn’t stop.

“I didn’t know until it was too late!” He grabbed my arms and shook me.

“But I had no choice!” I cried at his words.

“You can hate me until the day you die, Rosie, but I swear, all I ever wanted was you. I love you, Rosie.”

“No!” I slapped him away. “Liar!”

Sabbath’s face darkened. “Stop calling me that.”

I stood tall and raised my chin while I glared back at him.

“Why? You don’t like hearing the truth?” He clenched his jaw.

“Well, here it is, brother.” I stopped directly in front of him.

“You never loved me. You learned about your dad’s new family and decided to seek your own sick and twisted revenge on him for leaving you.

You used me. Tricked me. Made me think you loved me.

All while what you wanted was to make him pay for not loving you.

” Sabbath’s face burned with anger. “Yeah. There it is. That pain you feel in the depth of your stomach? That burn and ache? It’s called hatred.

And that's all I have for you.” My eyes burrowed into his.

“I hate you, Sabbath. And even though you scarred my body and think you bound us that night, you will never have me.”

Sabbath smirked and grabbed my waist. He pulled me close and kissed me hard.

My hands pushed against his chest as I tried to break free, but he only kissed me harder.

He only stopped when he whispered into my mouth.

“The fact that you speak so fiercely of hating me proves that you still love me, Rosie. That fire burning within may seem like hatred and rage to you, but it’s not.

It’s much deeper than that.” He kissed me again, only this time, his tongue slithered up to the roof of my mouth.

And no matter how much I squirmed or hit him, he didn’t stop until I slapped him across the face.

I was able to break away enough to breathe as his jaw hardened. His face immediately turned bright red, and I felt fear trickle up my spine. Shit.

“There she is,” he purred. “There’s my spitfire.”

I hated when he called me that. “I’m not yours.”

Sabbath ruptured into laughter. “Deny it all you want, but our souls are tied together.” He stepped closer and tipped my chin up towards him. “Just feel the proof forever imprinted on your back.” Sabbath dropped my chin and brushed past me.

My back ached, and my arm swung around to touch the center of my back. The scar was tender; the same scar I woke up with after the night everything happened. The night he claimed we bound our souls in a blood oath on the basement floor. I turned as he kept walking. “Where are you going?”

Sabbath looked over his shoulder. “To the bonfire.” My face hardened. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep our past a secret. Just try to behave yourself, sis.” Sabbath winked before he continued down the path.

Don’t call me sis.

I waited until Sabbath was a few steps ahead before trekking behind. “I’ll fucking behave myself,” I muttered. “Should just push your ass in the fire. That’ll fucking do it. Behave myself,” I mocked Sabbath.

“Not even close to how I sound!” Sabbath called back to me.

I made a face.

God, I fucking hate you.