Malum part 2

Tillie

Two weeks later

“This is weird,” Bailey murmurs, taking a seat beside me. It’s Halloween, and the party in the cemetery is in full swing. I think it’s the first time since we’ve all been back that I feel relaxed. After Nate’s display of his love for me, we spent the following weeks deciding what to do about our two homes. Obviously, he trumped me on Micaela’s room and the thought he put into his house, so we’ve decided to sit on mine. I refuse to sell it, it’s too perfect. Maybe we could eventually rent it out to someone we know.

“I know.” I shake my head, rubbing the palms of my hands down my legs. “I really miss Madison,” I add when my eyes drift around everyone that’s here.

Bailey hands me a glass of alcohol. “I hope I can meet her one day.”

I stare at the glass.

“Here.” She pushes the glass into my hands. I take it, placing the base onto my knees. The setup looks great. They’ve hung orange and yellow Jack-o’-lantern lights over the gravestones, and a DJ booth is set up near a large tomb.

“You’ll meet her. I plan to drag her home soon.”

Bailey laughs, her eyes flying around the place.

“Looking for Abel?” I tease, one quirked eyebrow.

Her face pales. “No. He hates me, and I hate him.”

“Hate,” I chuckle. “So much more complicated than its four letters.”

Nate’s arms snake around my neck from behind, and I tilt my head back to look up at him.

“Hey,” I whisper, kissing his arm. “Are you having a good time?”

He runs his lips over my forehead. “I could be having a better time, but Hector is inside the house and wants to have a chat.”

I groan, placing my glass onto the ground.

Brantley snickers. “Hector is scary as shit.”

I laugh, turning around and lifting Nate’s shirt, displaying his tattoo. “About as scary as this?”

Bailey chokes on her drink. “Holy shit. You actually put your name on him!”

I did. Above Nate’s “King” tattoo over his pelvis, I signed Tillie fucking Stuprum’s with a kiss. My lips and all. The artist had me kiss where I wanted it with red lipstick and then filled it all in. It’s my favorite.

“Yes, I did, because he’s my fucking King.”

Nate grins, pulling me to stand up. “Damn straight.”

“Okay. You guys are way too cute now. You need to go and sort Hector out.”

I wave her off and follow Nate down the dark pathway. When we’re halfway there, Nate picks me up by the backs of my thighs and flings me over his shoulder, slapping my ass.

“Nate!” I yell, tapping his back. “My stomach hurts!”

He laughs, slapping my ass again. “That’s not all that’s going to be hurting.”

I bite down on the inside of my cheek as he carries me the rest of the way back to Brantley’s house. Once we’re inside, he gently sets me back to my feet and I shove him.

“Asshole. Stop manhandling me.”

I slowly turn around to find the rest of The Kings, Hector, Scarlett, Elena and Joseph in the large sitting room.

“Stuprum,” Hector a

I can’t smile back.

He did plan to take my daughter. “Why?” I ask, tilting my head. “I know you didn’t do it, but why did you plan to take her?”

He gestures to the sofa closest to his. I slowly sink into it, wrapping my hoodie around myself. “I know I don’t have to explain to you how dangerous this world can be.”

“Correct,” I say, waiting for him to continue.

“The young man who raped Madison was a Lost Boy, Tillie. We’ve had issues happening on Perdita since before you came back. The problems that lie within that soil actually stem back to when your mother ran it into the ground. Your grandmother was nothing like your mother. She ruled Perdita strong, but even her strength had softness. Something I hadn’t witnessed again, until you.”

“—So you plan to steal my daughter?”

“—No,” he interrupts. “That was not why.”

“Then why!” I demand. “I need to know why.”

Hector watches me carefully. “The Lost Boy who raped Madison was working with Peyton. Peyton had been working with people, not a lot, very few, to attempt to bring The Kings down. We’re still not sure exactly what his intentions were by raping her, but we’re hoping to talk to her at some point and gather all the information we need. We get enemies every decade or so, and then we kill them all until the next lot try.” He sighs. “I ordered Khales to do it, because I knew that she would. I didn’t know that she would take Peyton with her.”

I won’t cry again. I can’t. “So why were you trying to take her?” I reach for my bracelet, fiddling with the strings.

“To show that you didn’t have a weakness. Erase Micaela out of the picture—temporarily—and that leaves the hate tribe with nothing else to use, and lights a fire inside of you. I needed you to be focused and on fire to rule Perdita and help bring these fools down.” He clears his throat, and I notice the fine wrinkles around his face. “Micaela was precious to our world. You have to believe that. She was a Stuprum. I would, and anyone in this world would do anything to protect one.”

My eyes glass over. “You were trying to protect her.”

“In his own way, Tillie, he was. I know it’s hard to come to terms with,” Bishop adds. “But he was trying to protect her, while also looking at something in his gain, i.e., you.”

I sag back on the sofa, my eyes coming to Elena. “Secrets like this is why people die. Why they run away and why love is burned.” I glare at Bishop. He winces and looks away.

“Hector?” I question. “Do we have any more enemies?”

“We will always have enemies, Tillie.”

“Well can you kill them all in around eight month’s time?”

Silence.

“Wait! What?” Nate comes to the front of me, dropping to the ground.

I search his eyes, reaching into my hoodie pocket and handing him a little white stick. “Surprise.”

Nate’s eyes fall to the pregnancy test, and I watch as a swim of emotions pass over his face.

Shit. What if this is too much and he’s not ready? What if it’s still too raw and close to Micaela. I hear gasps from behind us, but everyone in the room melts away.

Nate finally brings his eyes up to me, a smile spreading over his face. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Well, no, I—”

He pulls me into his chest, his arms wrapping around my back as he lifts my body from the floor. His hands come to my face as he gently places my feet back on the ground. “You make me the fucking happiest man in the world, Tillie.” Then his hand comes down to the front of my belly. “We’re having a baby?” he asks, searching my eyes for validation.

“Yes.” I turn around to face Hector, who has a genuine smile on his face. “Please, Hector. Please don’t—”

He hushes me with a flick of his wrist. “I swear to you on everything I stand by, that no harm will ever come to your baby, Tillie.”

I bring my eyes back to Nate. “Can I trust him?”

Nate tilts his head over his shoulder to look at Bishop. “Yeah, babe. Yes, you can.”

Elena comes over to me instantly, rubbing my back and I sift through everyone congratulating us. I didn’t plan to blurt it out here, but I need everyone to know how serious I am. I also want reassurance that my baby will be guarded by the Godfather and his Kings.

I clear my throat. “I’m trusting you. All of you.” Taking a few seconds to catch my breath, I make an effort to bring my eyes to each of them. “I’m trusting you with something that you have broken previously. I know it wasn’t intentional, and I know that none of you actually did the act, but this world did. I can’t blame it all on you, or on Nate, because this world is mine too, but I’m trusting you. Please don’t break that trust.”