Page 26

He grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head.

“Mistake or not.” He walked over and started to help me clean things up.

“It happened.” He stepped closer and pressed his body against my back.

His mouth brushed my ear as he whispered to me.

“And I’m fine if you keep making that same mistake.

Again and again.” His hand slithered under my shirt and touched my scar.

I winced faintly. “But sooner or later, you’re going to stop regretting them, and start craving them.

Because you don’t want me, Rosie.” I shivered at his whispered words. “You need me.”

Sabbath kissed my neck gently and pulled away.

I had to remind myself to breathe as he continued to clean the tables as if nothing just happened.

I felt crazy, half wanting to run into his arms and kiss him, while at the same time, I wanted to toss a birdhouse at his thick skull.

It was madness. And Sabbath was driving me fucking crazy.

My arm reached back as I felt the scar along my back. “Sabbath?” He looked over at me. “How did I get this scar?”

He tossed some trash away and walked over to me. “You don’t remember?”

I shook my head. “I remember some of what happened but not that.” He studied me closely. “Please. What did you do?”

Sabbath turned around and grabbed his shirt, revealing the same scar: a triangle with three lines down the middle.

The only difference was his sat between his shoulder blades.

I reached out and carefully touched the scar.

He winced slightly, and I pulled away. “That night, in the basement, you made a promise to me. A promise that neither of us can break.” Sabbath dropped his shirt and turned around.

“I used our blood as an oath and bodies as vessels for a pretty complex ritual. It bound us together, blood, body, and soul. And when we made our sacrifice that night, the bond was sealed. I don’t know how these scars appeared, but they did. And they can never go away.”

Never?

I tried to understand what he had told me, but it still didn't make any sense. Sabbath returned to cleaning.

“Your religion? Your church?” He looked back at me. “It’s not a traditional one, is it?”

Sabbath shook his head and smiled. “Not in the usual sense. It’s something far more ancient and dangerous.

” Rituals, oaths, sacrifices, and totems. His religion was starting to sound less like a branch of faith and more like a cult.

“Come on. There’s not much else we can do here.

And I have a feeling, if we don’t head to the lake soon, someone’s going to get suspicious.

The last thing we need is getting caught in a way no brother and sister should. ” He winked.

I made a face and stomped to the woodshop door as he followed. “Don’t worry.” I shut the door and locked it. “That will never happen again.”

Sabbath raised a brow and smiled down at me. “We’ll see about that.” He slapped my ass as we shuffled from the cabin.

Neither of us really spoke as we trekked down the main path to the lake on the other side of camp. It was awkward, having just had sex, but also because we had such a complicated history. And after only a handful of days together, I had fallen back into old habits.

What was this strange power he had over me? And how, after years of outrunning and hiding from him, did I end up having sex with him? Again?

I grabbed my head and mumbled to myself. “This is exhausting.” You could hear the campers swimming and playing before even seeing the lake. “Do you think Foster is having a fun time? Maybe out there swimming with the other kids?” I asked.

Sabbath chuckled. “Knowing that kid, he’s probably sitting in the grass somewhere playing with the Sapling he made.”

Sapling. That weird and odd looking figure he made out of twigs.

“What is a Sapling?” I asked. Sabbath didn’t answer.

We finally made it to the lake and walked up towards the rest of the campers. Sol was completely scrubbed clean from paint and worked on a small bonfire with Wolfe. The two were smiling and chatting by themselves. The campers were all splashing and running around having the time of their lives.

Sabbath gently tapped my arm, and I looked back at him. He pointed off to the side at Foster, all by himself. He was playing with the Sapling in the grass, completely unbothered. “Told you.”

I shook my head. “Yeah, well, I’m going to jump in and try to wash this mess off.” I motioned to my body. “You should probably do the same.” Sabbath shrugged, and I walked down towards the bank of the lake. I noticed Kaila, paint free, sunbathing in the grass. “No sandpaper needed?” I joked.

She shot up and looked me up and down. “What the hell happened to you?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but Sabbath suddenly waltzed by and answered for me.

“Ah. That’s my fault. Foster and I were heading this way and caught her trying to clean up the woodshop.

I tried to help out, but my clumsy ass seemed to make it worse.

” He grinned and looked at me as he trudged through the lake water.

“Don’t worry, it was a mistake. It won’t happen again.

” Sabbath winked. He turned and inched deeper into the water.

Kaila watched with her mouth open and brow raised while he used his shirt like a sponge to scrub the paint from his skin.

“Look, your brother may be weird as shit, but he’s fine as fuck.

” She fanned herself. “I’m not sure what the hell happened in that woodshop, but I would love to make a mistake with him. Meow.”

I nearly busted out laughing at her horny little comments.

Mostly because I knew they were pointless, but also because it was a nice change to see Kaila eyeing someone.

Even if it was Sabbath. She’d been so gloomy watching Sandy and Willie fuck around at camp.

“I don’t think he’s the kind of guy you want to get mixed up with, Kaila.

” I crossed my arms and watched her drool over him.

Kaila stood as Sabbath shook his hair and stepped from the lake.

His body was dripping wet and glistened in the fading sunlight.

It felt like he was walking towards us in slow motion, and he looked like a goddamn snack.

Thankfully, Kaila was too consumed by the sight of him to notice the way I squirmed in my skin.

I may have hated him, but fuck, I wanted him. Again.

“Hey, sis.” Those two words immediately snapped me back and completely killed whatever was brewing within me. “You might want to rinse that off.” Sabbath pointed to my paint smothered body. I made a face and snarled at him.

Why the hell did he just call me sis?

I stomped towards the lake and into the water.

We’re not even related.

I sank quickly into the lake. The crisp, cool water felt heavenly against my skin as it clashed with the hot summer air and sweat that smothered my paint streaked body.

I waded deeper until the gentle waves hit above my chest, and I could barely stand.

The water mixed with the colorful paint as it melted from my skin and swirled into oil spill-like strokes in the water.

The effect reminded me of the Starry Night painting.

It was beautiful. My fingers moved along the water, and I played with it before dunking my head back.

The cold wave washed over me, and I felt so relaxed.

I didn’t want to move. I just wanted to sink further into the cold darkness and let it consume me.

It was so serene and quiet. My submerged body sank further and further as I exhaled the last bit of air from my lungs.

Is this what death feels like? Cold. Dark. Peaceful? If so, I never want to leave. I want to simply exist here and let the water carry me away from this place. Far, far away.

Something suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me swiftly towards the surface.

My head broke the water with a loud gasp and air rushed into my lungs.

“What the—” I body was pushed and dragged away through the lake and away from the direction of camp.

I found myself being forced and hidden within the long grass that grew throughout the lake.

I had to rub the water from my eyes to see who the hell was moving me around.

“Sabbath?” My hands slapped the water and splashed him. “What are you?—”

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me close as water dripped down his wet face.

His mood was different than it had been before.

He wasn’t smiling or playing around. He was serious, and it scared me.

“What the hell were you doing?” he asked in a low voice.

My voice escaped me as I looked up at him. “Answer me!”

“Nothing! I was just enjoying the water! Let me go!” I ripped my arm back. “You need to chill the hell out!” I tried to swim back towards the camp, but he stopped me. “Sabbath, what the fuck?”

His hands gripped my face as he rested his forehead on mine. Water from his cheeks and chin fell onto my face, and I sat there completely confused. “I thought…” he whispered. “I thought you were drowning.”

What?

He sighed, as if relieved to know I was okay. “Sabbath?” He slowly lifted his head. His dark eyes were filled with fear. “Why would you think I was drowning?”

He looked away. “I remembered that you can’t swim. Or… couldn’t. I guess I never stopped to think you would’ve learned after all this time.” His hands fell, and he stepped back. “I’m sorry.”

He really thought I was drowning? And he came to what? Save me?

“Sabbath.” I moved closer.

He shook his head and began to make his way back towards the rest of the campers. “Come on. Kaila was worried about you.”