Page 32 of Wonderland Asylum (Wonderland Killers #1)

THIRTY

They've tortured him for weeks, all because he hurt me. I've never felt so afraid, yet so cherished.

-Presley

My shift at Wonderland hasn't been that bad, besides Declan following me around watching my every move, it's been great. I understand why he's here, and I've always liked him, but it's the fact that he takes his job way too seriously.

Homeboy, made me keep the bathroom stall open, while I peed! He turned around respectfully, of course, but what if I would have had to shit! I'm mortified.

Kai laughed when I texted him about it, so now he's on my list. I told him there'd be no blowjobs for him ever again. He texted me back that he’s willing to bet that he can get me to change my mind. Probably.

I'm at the end of my supper break, and Gunner's homemade soup is hitting the spot. I'm convinced it's the best thing I've ever tasted, well, besides the Donovan Brothers.

"Dec, why are you being so quiet? Is it because of a girl?" I ask the last part jokingly, but he winces, so I hit the nail on the head!

"Come on, you know you want to spill at least some of the tea. We don't have to use names."

He sighs. "She's older by like seven years, I met her at a bar, and I've been chasing her ever since. She's the sweetest woman I've ever met, and her eyes are an emerald green. She's just beautiful."

His face lights up as he describes her, and he doesn't know it yet, but that boy’s in love. "So, what's the problem? Why is she running?"

"Honestly, I think it's because she's in witness protection or some shit like that. I hired Pan to do some digging into her past. He found nothing, and you know he's the best hacker there is. It's like she never existed before moving to Pixie Hollow five years ago."

Placing my hand on his arm, I give him an encouraging smile. "Dec, maybe instead of chasing her, you show her how much you want to protect her. Show her how much you care. Sometimes, we need to see it before we can believe it's true."

He nods. “I guess, I’ve never thought of it like that before.”

"Since we're bonding, I'm ready to see what they're hiding in Cell Block 666. Will you go with me or am I going to have to try to escape?" I need to know.

"I don't know if you are ready, Presley. You better think long and hard about this. It's some heavy shit."

"I've thought a lot about it, and I feel like it's time. It's where they've been all day, and I'm curious. Before I fully give myself to them, I need to know everything."

"Okay, if you’re sure, then I’ll handle it." He agrees .

Taking out his phone he doesn't shield his screen from me. He texts Kai a simple message. She's ready, just like you said she would be.

Kai: Good. Escort her now.

"I expected him to argue." Are they truly ready to share the hidden parts of their soul with me?

Declan shakes his head. "Gunner doesn't know, but Kai's been planning this for a while now. He knew the longer they stayed behind those closed doors the sooner you'd be ready."

That does sound like Kai. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I motion for him to follow me. "Let's go."

The long hallway that leads to the room I've never been allowed in, comes into my purview. My feet feel like they are sinking in quicksand, but still I move. An electric pulse moves through the air, and sizzles across the top of my skin.

This is a pivotal moment in our relationship. Nothing that they've ever done or will do can take my love away from them. Our love isn’t based on being perfect, it’s the unconditional kind.

Subconsciously, I've always known what they are. It may take me time to fully process, but there have been signs since I met them. I know that they'll never hurt me, that part remains.

Staring at the door through raised lashes, I brace myself for what we'll find when they open the door. Declan knocks, and I wait patiently for the answers to all of my questions.

Kai walks out first. His Jason mask is firmly in place, and his coveralls are stained with old and fresh blood. This place reeks of death and decay, and the smell clings to him.

Pushing open the door further, he doesn't try to hide anything from me. Gunner's back is to me, he's standing over a body, and I'm not sure if the person is alive or dead.

Slowly, I walk toward him. His eyes meet mine through his mask. His breathing hitches, but he doesn't stop what he's doing.

The man on the table's finger goes flying through the air, blood splatters everywhere, and I don't bat so much as an eyelash. The victim's low scream is delayed, his body is bruised, and battered, and some other parts have already been severed.

Taking off Gunner's mask, I rub his cheek. He needs affirmation that I won't leave him. That I'll never leave him. My love will remain for them unto death and beyond.

I believe in them, if they did this then they had a reason. My gaze roams over what remains of the stranger's face. He seems familiar, then it clicks.

This is Drew, the guy who almost killed me by making me overdose, the guy that was going to rape me. They told me that he'd run away because he was scared of getting caught.

They don’t know that I scoured the internet for information on him. I wasn't his first victim, he'd drugged and raped four girls prior to coming to Pixie Hollow.

His father paid off the powers that be, and his only punishment was being stripped of his baseball scholarship. Then his family exiled him to PHU where he became our problem.

Guilt roars to life inside of me because I didn't face the same tragedy as the others, and I've been so caught up in the Donovan Brothers that I haven't thought much about them lately.

I found each of them in old news stories, I remember their faces, I remember their names. Each one is woven into the tapestry of my life now. We may not have shared the exact same fate, but our lives will forever be intertwined.

Spitting on him, I recite every single name:

"Mica Davison, Savannah Daniels, Kendra Wight, and Allison Richards."

Kai kisses my tears away as they fall down my cheeks. My sweet guy, who's only sweet to me, and I love him for it.

Gunner hands me a blinged out Jason mask, I run my fingers over the rhinestones. Finally, I have a mask of my own. Maybe that’s why I hated theirs so much, because I wanted to be one of them. It must have taken someone hours to make. I kiss his lips, to show him how much I’ll cherish it.

Taking his knife, I place my new mask on my face. Now, I understand what the Brotherhood is all about. It's time they open their doors to more than just boys, because my name is Feminine Rage, and we will no longer sit on the sidelines to be raped, drugged, or thrown away.

My resolve is made, he will draw his last breath today. I hold up the knife and place it through his heart in one vicious thrust. Then I strike him four more times. One cut for us all. Even if they’ll never know it, they helped me execute him today.

Finally, we have our revenge. He shouldn't get to live a carefree life. He forfeited that the moment he touched me. My lovers caught and tortured him all for me.

Unhinged as it might seem, that's their love language. They will protect me for the rest of my life, and I'll do the same.

While the adrenaline is still running through my veins, I have no regrets about what I just did, because a world without Drew, is a far better one.