Page 104 of This Blood That Breaks Us

“It’s cold as fuck.”

“Come on. Live a little.” Luke shed his shirt and threw it on the ground.

I rolled my eyes and wondered what had gotten into him. The moon bathed us from above, only adding to our temporary madness. I cursed my brother but shed my shirt. The cool air instantly bit into my skin.

“How’s it going, boys?” Sirius’s voice entered our circle.

I pulled my shoulders down and back and fought the growl in my throat.

Ezra and Sirius invaded our circle, and everyone bowed.

“We were about to start the blessing,” Henderson said.

“Don’t let us stop you.”

“They drank the wine, but it was a lot. Too much probably. I’m a little worried,” Connell said.

Sirius and Ezra eyed us with amusement.

“Not surprised. Continue on. We’re only observing.”

We were the ultimate spectacle. My brother and I watched as the group of men shed their blood into a large silver bowl.

“This is our offering to you. And to Her. May fate guide us all and the dark sun come and bless us abundantly.”

Henderson and a few others dipped their fingers into the pool of blood and used it to paint lines on our bodies. I flinched at the sticky wetness that ran from my fingers up my forearm. Three uneven lines. They repeated that pattern on each arm and down our backs and chests.

“What do the lines mean?” Luke asked.

You think we’d have asked when we got the tattoo before we were initiated, shocker—when we unknowingly agreed to join a cult, we didn’t care what it meant. We just thought “Hey, we’re part of the cool kids now.”

And that’s exactly how we ended up in the mess we were in.

Connell’s hand shot up like a schoolboy.

“Yes, you can say it, Connell.”

“The longest line is a symbol of the queen and Her connection to The Divine. The next one symbolizes The Guard and itsstrength to uphold The Divine’s plans and serve Her, and the last line symbolizes the brotherhood.”

“Lovely,” I said, trying to push out the sarcasm in my voice because no one there ever seemed to pick up on it.

“Let us pray,” Henderson said.

Everyone bowed their heads, even Sirius and Ezra.

“We thank Her Glorious Majesty for all She has supplied and endured on this plane for us. May She bless us and bless our new Guard with life and abundance. May the blood overflow and the bonds strengthen. Please Divine, guide us to greater destiny and show this new Guard The Divine Path. May they transform and be molded to Her liking so that they may serve our family with honor and true purpose. Amen.”

Hushed amens sounded along with the crackling embers of the fire and the roar of the ocean crashing on the cliffside close by. Their prayers sounded like my mom’s. Which meant they’d meant nothing and no one would hear or answer them.

Henderson poured the rest of the blood into the fire, and cheers erupted. Everyone stood, and chaos broke loose with shouts and movement.

“Now the celebration begins. To the maze!”

“To the maze!” the other boys repeated.

Luke handed me my shirt. “See, that wasn’t so bad.”

“I’m covered in blood, and they prayed about us like we’re a sacrificial animal.”