Page 100 of The Blood we Crave

Power. Relief. Pride.

It swells in the air as Michael’s corpse remains tethered, mouth ajar in a silent scream. A demonic version of Leonardo da Vinci’s art piece on the human body.

A crucifix of revenge.

I feel my friend’s presence before I see him, his voice shaky in my ear.

“She is fucking scary, dude.”

“No,” My lips twitch at the corners, just enough for me to notice. “She is exceptional.”

My devoted student.

My little pet.

the piano man

TWENTY

lyra

“Yes, I’m fine,” I mutter, my eyes closed as I press my head into the window. “I promise, they are mostly superficial cuts. No stitches needed.”

It didn’t mean they hurt any less, but I didn’t think my already hysterical friends needed to know that.

“I’m going to kill him!” Sage screams somewhere in the background, her voice shrieking. “They are going to have bigger problems than this godforsaken Halo, you know that? He better have a good excuse for lying or I’m ripping his dick off.”

My chest aches, knowing I’d lied to them too. It aches for Rook, remembering the way his burning irises melted into my own. A sadness had settled, one I’d never seen on him before.

The way he’d wrapped his jean jacket around my shoulders and begged me to let him take me to the hospital. Had apologized repeatedly for letting this happen.

What happened tonight was not his fault, and I’d told him that. Yet I knew how Rook handled guilt. How he shouldered the responsibility of letting his friends down more than anyone else. How it ate him, how hard Sage worked to get him to understand that, not every bad thing resulted from his actions.

Silas had been in the hospital for five months now, he still couldn’t let go of that guilt. As if he somehow could’ve prevented Silas from stopping his meds.

“I told them to keep it from you two. I didn’t want you worrying about me. You can be angry at me, give me a day to reciprocate, then you can be mad at me. They were just keeping their word; you can’t be upset at that.”

They’d already been filled in with the need-to-know details. How what happened was because I’d followed Easton home telling no one. That the situation had been handled, and there was a man currently impaled on a wooden board in the center of a family circus tent.

The rest…

The rest may come later or maybe it just won’t come out at all. Somehow I knew that wasn’t an option. That I’d have to explain what I’d done. But right now, I didn’t have the energy or the desire to talk about it.

“You’re so stubborn, we could’ve been there for you.” Briar whispers. “But I love you. Are you sure you don’t want us to come over? We can bring snacks and scary movies? Help you get cleaned up?”

“I just wanna be alone tonight,” I say, as I flick my eyes to the person in the driver seat. “The bed is calling my name. You guys can come over tomorrow and yell at me, yeah?”

Both of them huff in disappointment but agree. Ordering me to call them as soon as I’m awake or they’ll be beating down my door. I let the silence absorb me, the expensive leather warm against my tender back. Even though I’m covered in blood, I could go to sleep wrapped in this soothing scent.

I feel safe here.

“They are going to know it was us who left Michael’s body there, you know?” I say softly, hoping the conversation will keep me awake, at least long enough for a shower. “What do I say if the police show up asking questions?”

Thatcher’s hand tightens around the steering wheel for a split second, before releasing as he keeps his eyes on the road. Remnants of red still stuck to his pale skin and hair, the both of us covered in blood.

The stain of tonight weighing heavy, that thread connecting us growing a little stronger. Even if he was unaware of it. My lips still hummed, buzzed with the electric tingle of his lips.

“They won’t,” Thatcher says calmly, turning the wheel and pulling into the gates of his driveway. “Stephen will hear of it. Call off the dogs before they have time to sniff. It’ll be swept under the rug. This town won’t even hear a whisper about it. But the message to the Sinclair’s will be more than obvious. If they want to play, we will play.”