Malum part 2

“Be

“But he’s a Vitiosis?” I question as Bishop drives us toward the airport.

“Yes,” Bishop murmurs. “Brantley’s cousin. Bailey’s brother…”

“This is so messed up,” I mutter, leaning my head back. “Tell me more.”

“Have you ever heard of the seductress?” Nate asks.

“Yes.”

“Well, Be

“Sounds deeply disturbed…”

Nate scoffs. “You have no fucking idea.”

“I wanted him to get Peyton because no one could find her. He wouldn’t do it at first. Said he didn’t want to fuck with a Stuprum. He had a lover who was a Lost Boy and your mother killed him. Long story short? He hated Stuprums. I said you were different. You had depth and heart. He still didn’t believe me, so I brought him to the ball. He was taken with you instantly, but said he recognized something within you that was similar to him…”

“What’s that?” I ask, hypnotized.

“Your charm and charisma and sexual aura—his words not mine, obviously. Weird motherfucker.”

I clear my throat. “So why did he come for me the second time?”

“Because he’s not stupid. So far on the other side of that spectrum, you have no idea. He knew not to trust someone who was similar to him, so he wanted to meet you again. I don’t know what you did that second time, but it moved him. He found Peyton instantly and had her shipped to Perdita.”

I smirk. “Take me right to Perdita.”

On the plane, one of two, we’re almost landing on Perdita when Nate glares at me, his jaw clenched.

“What?” I whisper. “Stop looking at me like that.”

My skin shivers, probably from all of the torment.

“Like what?” he asks.

When I don’t answer, his hands come to my knees and he spreads my legs apart. “I need you.”

“No,” I snap, gazing out the window.

“No?” he questions, smirking.

“No.”

“I’ve got too much anger for this kill. I need to let some out.”

“I can’t go into this broken and battered with a sore ass, so deal with it,” I snap, still angry at him over what happened at the cabin.

“You’re angry at me…” he a

“I’m not.”

“Hey!” His voice is soft, but I don’t answer.

His hand comes to my chin and he forces my eyes to his. “We will talk after this.”

“About what?” I search his eyes.

“Us.”

I bark out an ugly laugh. “There’s nothing to talk about and I’ve come to peace with that.”

He squeezes my chin and I flinch, my eyes going to his. “Fuck your peace.” His thumb presses over my bottom lip. “You’ve done good, baby.”

I feel my insides warming to him again, the problem is that my thermostat is faulty when it comes to Nate. “How so?”

“We’ll talk. Okay?”

I hesitate.

“Answer me, Tillie, or I will fuck you in the back room and make the pilot circle until we’re done.”

“Okay,” I whisper, exhausted. “We will talk.”

We land, and Nate takes my hand as we all move off the jet. We didn’t need an army like the last time, because apparently, I do own this island. I’m still not comfortable with that fact, but I don’t bother to fight any of them on that front anymore. I’m focused, and here for one thing. Once that’s done, I can think of the others. Like why Nate wanted me here in Perdita to begin with and what the fuck is with Daemon’s book. What is he trying to tell me? I can feel his thoughts inside my head sometimes, and when it happens, I feel like I’m going crazy. I’m terrified to go to sleep at night, just in case nightmares meet me there on the other side. Where does our mind go when we’re sleeping? Pretty sure mine visits hell, judging by the people I see in them. A dark limo is waiting for us and we all pile in. Bishop, Nate, Brantley, Cash, Eli, Ace, Hunter, and Jase in ours, while there’s another two SUVs behind us, waiting.

“Is Hector in that SUV?” I ask, not meeting any of their eyes.

“No,” Bishop a

I don’t even bother to answer because I don’t know what to say.

“You okay, little terror?” Brantley asks across from me.

My eyes find his. “I don’t know. Should I be?”

This all feels too fluid, too smooth and easy. Something itches in the back of my mind that I shouldn’t trust them. I’ve trusted them at times that I thought I could and where did that end up? In many different places in very questionable positions.

“This time?” Nate mutters, his eyes going out the side window as we make our way through the jungle of Perdita. “Yeah, you should be.”

We pass through the jungle, bumping our way until we’re at the high gates of the entry to the small town that I’ve come to know quite well. This time, when the gates open, I take in all the things I don’t normally consider. Like how there are a couple of people who seem to be patrolling the area during the day, even though their kind live at night and sleep during the day. I notice the shops seem smaller than the average ones you’ll find in our “world.” Miniature versions without looking cramped. There are lights that line the main road we’re driving down, and I know that at the very end of this road is the mansion.

I turn to face Nate. “Where are their houses?”

Nate nudges his head to the side. “Everywhere. Their homes are built randomly through the forest. There are small footpaths that lead to each house, lit by solar lights. There are no streets, no roads, just dirt paths.”

“Wow,” I answer, leaning forward to get a look.

“You won’t see them. They’re hidden.”

I lean back, blowing out a breath of air. “Why did you take me here anyway?”

Nate laughs, but the rest of them remain silent.

“I’m serious, Nate!”

His jaw tenses and I have to fight the urge to either reach for him or punch him.

“You were supposed to run this island,” Brantley says when Nate doesn’t speak up. My eyes go to him as he carries on. “We didn’t take you, but Gabe had strict orders to get you onto Perdita for us. We said that we wouldn’t hurt you, and told him the plan, to which he agreed. Being a Peacekeeper, he acknowledged the reasons as to why we would do this. As your right and all of that.”

“—only,” Nate adds, finally speaking up. “The second you said Daemon that all changed. We knew that you weren’t ready, and there was no way any of us were going to fucking force you to do it.”

“Oh, okay.” I roll my eyes. “Not force me but steal me and lock me in a cage?”

Nate turns to face me. “We took you with plans to teach you how to run Perdita. I didn’t want to see your fucking face, you being here was the obvious choice!”

I flinch at his words but remain headstrong. “So why didn’t you just tell me then and there that Daemon wasn’t real?”