Page 10 of Sour (The Wellard Asylum #10)

I sat up and reached under the flimsy mattress pad, retrieving a key.

It was one of BJ’s master keys he used to enter the rooms of his toys.

During his last play sessions, I lifted it.

A soft smile branched along my face as I raised it to the light peeking from the window.

I eyed it closely. “Just so you know, Dream, you weren’t lying after all. ”

ZIGGY

“There.” I stepped back from the padded wall and smiled at my masterpiece.

My head tilted as I admired the red color, still wet and fresh.

The sound of soft footsteps echoed from the outside hall.

I listened, counting each one until they stopped just outside my door. I knew exactly who they belonged to.

A gentle tap against the small window of the thick door made me burn with excitement and anticipation.

I slowly turned my head and looked over my shoulder with a large grin to see exactly who I expected.

“Well, look who it is.” I turned to face the door, stalking towards it.

Her eyes burned in the darkness, like two fresh buds of weed just waiting to be smoked. “Long time no see, Skittles.”

Koven’s face hardened as I spoke her childhood nickname. “Don’t call me that,” she whispered against the door.

“Oh? But you used to love when I used that name. Tell me, which flavor are you today? Cherry? Grape?” She hit the door.

“Oh, lemon. My favorite.” My breath fogged the glass.

I raised my middle finger and drew a smiley face.

Koven remained sour, unfazed by my behavior.

Something felt off about her…this wasn’t the Koven I remembered.

The fogged glass faded away and I eyed her closely.

Her hair had grown a bit, but her features remained the same.

The only difference was the lack of light behind those green eyes and the gnarly scar I left along her neck.

Seeing it again, so close, made my muscles tighten with a plethora of emotions.

“What do you want, Koven? I know you didn’t risk sneaking out just to say hi,” I asked as my smile fell.

“That nurse didn’t bother you, did he?” My nostrils flared.

The very idea of someone else touching her infuriated me.

That fucking nurse was lucky I didn’t murder him when I had the chance.

“Answer me!” I slammed my fist against the door.

My anger made Koven jump. “No,” she replied.

Fucking good.

Relief washed over as my temper mellowed.

I turned away and began to pace around the room.

Koven watched me, the two of us meeting gazes.

“So tell me,” I began. “Why did you sneak out of bed and slither all the way down here to me?” I grinned.

“You missed me, didn’t you?” I pulled a cigarette and a small pack of matches from my pocket, lighting it as she eyed me.

“You’re not supposed to smoke in here,” she stated plainly. I exhaled a large cloud of smoke, ignoring her. “How did you even get those?” she asked.

I licked my teeth and shrugged. “Let’s just say I’ve already made some new friends.

” Koven watched me closely. “Hey Skittles.” I turned and faced my fresh painting.

“What do you think of my newest art piece?” Koven gasped loud enough for me to hear.

It made my dick jump. “Beautiful, isn’t it?

” I turned to face her, smoking my cigarette.

Koven had her mouth covered. She wasn’t excited like I was. She was scared. And that made me angry.

I rushed to the door and glared down at her through the window. “You don’t like my art?” I asked. She slowly lowered her hands and stared right back at me, almost challenging me.

There she is.

“That’s not art. That’s blood, Ziggy.” I nodded. “Whose is it?”

I raised my hand and revealed my bloodied index finger. “Such a beautiful shade, don’t you think?” My tongue extended from my mouth as I licked the blood from my skin. “I thought it was only fitting to mark my territory.” I glanced back at the giant smiley face running down the padded room wall.

Koven scoffed as I turned back to look at her, tossing my cigarette down and snuffing it out.

“You can’t just claim shit, Ziggy. This place—Wellard Asylum—this isn’t like the world out there.

Here, the rules of society don’t apply like they do out there.

You can’t just beat your way to the top and threaten the staff.

There are real consequences for patients like us.

” I didn’t speak. “The staff here is sicker than we are, and they know there’s no one out there coming to save us.

They can do whatever the fuck they want.

And we have to smile and endure, because any resistance results in nothing but pain and torture.

Consequences you never want to experience.

Trust me.” Her voice fell and I tasted the pain that emanated from her tone.

Seeing her so broken and feeble angered me.

My hand slammed into the glass and Koven jumped.

“I can do whatever the fuck I want, Skittles. The rules didn’t apply to me out there and they sure as fuck don’t apply to me in here.

These wannabe doctors think they’re untouchable, but I’m going to prove them wrong.

I’m not like the other patients locked away in here, too weak or scared to fight back.

And I sure as hell don’t plan to let them break me.

” My arms outstretched as I braced myself against the door.

“Don’t let them break you, Koven. Show them just how sick you really are. ”

Koven stared back at me with those cunning irises, trying to dissect every word I spoke as if they had some underlined or hidden meaning.

Still so mischievous.

God, I wanted her so fucking bad.

Koven stepped closer to the door. “Why are you here, Ziggy?” she asked. “Why? I thought you’d be in prison for what you did. You don’t belong here. You’re not fucking crazy.”

My smile widened and my head tilted. “You sure about that?” Koven didn’t speak. “Why don’t you open this door and find out?” She didn’t move. “What’s wrong, Skittles? Scared?”

Koven stared at me for a minute before she lifted her arm and slowly unlocked the door.

I stepped back as she swung it open. Tension buzzed from the hallway and seclusion room, swirling all around us.

There was barely any room for words as Koven and I just stood there, staring at one another in absolute silence.

It had been far too long since we’d been alone together.

And all I wanted to do was throw her on the floor of my room and show her just how bad I fucking missed her.

The same way I dreamed of doing every second, of every day, since I learned she was alive. And oh, how I have missed her.

“Why are you here?” Koven asked again.

I stepped towards her, stopping mere inches from her body.

The sound of her heart pounding in her chest could be heard in the dead silence, beating to the beat of her own twisted little drum.

I stood at least a foot and a half over her, staring down into those fucking green eyes, remembering how they used to look at me with such desire and need.

But this time, there was something different behind them.

My hand rose quickly as I gripped her scarred neck and began to gently squeeze. Koven grunted softly, her fingers clasping around my arm. “Ahh.” I leaned closer and inhaled as my blue hair brushed her face.

Fear.

That’s what she saw when she looked at me.

My mouth grazed her ear as I whispered to her, “You know I would never hurt you, Koven.” As I pulled away, I released her neck. “Not without you asking me to.”

Koven gasped, touching her scar and ignoring my words. “You shouldn’t be here, Ziggy.” Her voice was filled with pain. “You don’t belong here.”

I watched her closely, sensing something else stirring within her.

“Neither do you.”

Koven shook her head. “You don’t know shit about me, Ziggy.” Her words stung. “You need to leave. Do whatever the fuck you have to, just get the fuck out of here. I don’t want you here.”

A low growl vibrated in my chest. “You don’t mean that.

” I roughly grabbed her chin. “You think I don’t know you?

I’m the only one who knows the real you.

The one people would be terrified to catch even a glimpse of.

” She tried to force my hand from her face, and I spotted the smiley face tattoo.

It made me smile to see it, etched into her skin. Right where I left it.

“I’m not the same person I was when you left me there to die.” Her nails dug into my hand. “The Koven you knew died that day. Alone.”

I tried to hide how painful her last word felt.

“Oh Skittles,” I purred. “Death can’t erase your dark past.” I dropped her chin and grabbed her hand.

She watched as I held my own up to show her our matching tattoos.

“You might think the ink only reaches so far down into your flesh, but it goes deeper than that. Much deeper. This tattoo is just a glimpse of what we share. Our depraved souls are tied, forever bound together. They always have been. You really think dying for a few minutes just wipes your soul clean?” Koven ripped her hand back, trying to hide the smiley face tattoo.

“Oh no. You can try to hide it, the same way you are trying to hide yourself.” I stepped out into the hall as she tried to back away.

We kept moving until her back slammed into the wall and I hovered over her.

I raised my finger, peeling back my skin until more of my blood seeped down from it.

Koven remained frozen as I glided my fingertip along the corners of her mouth, painting a bloody smile like a clown’s.

“I see the real you, Koven, the one itching beneath your skin, begging to come out. And whether you want to admit it or not—” I painted along her eyes and circled my blood across the tip of her nose, reflecting the same clown makeup she wore that night.

“That Koven craves me. Just as I crave her.” Koven’s face went pale.

“And that desperate kind of hunger never goes away.”

I stepped back with a smile and returned to my room.

“See you soon, Skittles.” I closed the door and drew a bloody smiley face on the glass. I waited until I heard the door lock and her footsteps echo as she exited the hall.

Sleep tight, Koven. I’ll take my fill another time.