I’m hideous.
Fitting, I suppose, for my physical appearance to finally reflect my mental state. When I was with Claire on Earth, I’d wielded my beauty like a weapon. I was an immaculately wrapped package, secured with a pretty red bow. Once you opened the present, you discovered there was nothing but razor blades and knives stashed inside, drooling for the chance to take a bite out of you. To make you bleed.
I deserve to be hideous.
Once I’m finally on my feet, I stumble towards the diminutive hole I’d dug into the wall. It took over two hundred years to dig through one tiny section of Hell stone. Two hundred fucking years, and the only thing I have to show for it is an opening barely big enough for one eye to peer through. At least, that’s how long I estimated, though I could be off by a century or so.
My timeline in this hell hole can be condensed into three periods. For the first few hundred years, I’d mourned Claire. I couldn’t find the will to live, to fight. If a life sentence is what I deserved for failing her, then so be it. As time dragged on, my despair gave way to determination. I knew Claire would want me to keep fighting, keep surviving, until I could find my way back to her. That period lasted only two hundred years. Every day, I would chip away at the stone. And every day, I remained trapped, the pain as thick and cloying as it had been when I first came to terms with Claire’s death. That brought about the third period, when I wished for death as fiercely as I wished for Claire to come back to me.
Shaking my head vigorously, I duck down and press one eye to the hole I created.
I don’t know what I expect to see. Thousands of new monsters prowling in Hell’s belly? Fucking Jake lurking just outside my prison? Instead, I see…nothing. Absolutely nothing. Hell is completely devoid of the usual monsters who prowl its tunnels. A cold chill chases down my spine.
Where the fuck did they go?
I’m not an expert on Hell or anything, despite my long stint in its depths, but even I know monsters can’t magically disappear.
So if they’re not here, where are they? I have no doubt Lilith is behind this, but why? What does she plan to do with them? My body begins to shake violently as self-loathing once more crashes over me like a tidal wave, drowning me.
What good am I if I can’t protect Hadley and the others?
Maybe I deserve to stay here.
The thought of never seeing Hadley again, never hearing her twinkling laugh, never brushing a hand through her sandy blonde hair, fills me with dread. Not just dread, but absolute horror. Can I really stay in this prison knowing she’s out there? Am I that selfless?
I know that leaving will be the best thing for everyone involved—for Hadley and her other Fated. For the world at large. And I love her enough to want the best for her. Conceivably, it would be so easy to remain locked away, surviving on the memories the universe has granted me, both old and new. Claire’s gleaming eyes. Hadley’s sultry smirk. Claire’s hand intertwined with mine. Hadley resting her head on my shoulder.
I grasp those memories with both hands and refuse to let go. If I choose to be selfless, I’ll selfishly covet all of these memories until the day I die.
Which—if the Fates have any say in it—will be never.
Forever in Hell.
Forever alone.
With a heavy sigh, I leave my body and prepare to tell the others what I’ve discovered.
Chapter 33
Karston
Preston isn’t going to know what hit him.
I’ve seen him staring at her, longing evident in his eyes. Auston told me about the debacle he walked into inside Preston’s tree house, so I thought I’d take the reins and show my baby bro how it's done. I just hope he doesn’t chicken out.
“Where are we going?” Preston gripes as we walk through the North Woods. “I’ve had a long day, and I just want to get some sleep.”
“You kicked ass back there, baby bro. Raising Abram and all that…it was fucking awesome.”
Preston smiles. “It was kinda awesome, wasn’t it?”
“Very.”
Even Hadley is in on the surprise. After coming back from Caemeterium Primis, we got a few pizzas and some pop from the cafeteria and hunkered down in Braxton’s dorm to eat. Though we don’t need to eat, it felt really good to munch on some pizza while recounting what happened at the burial grounds.
It was then that I came up with my plan, told Hadley and my brothers, and convinced Preston to join me on a walk through the woods.
“Are we going to my tree house?” Preston asks as we follow down a worn path that leads past it.
“No,” I answer vaguely. Pres grumbles but follows along beside me like a good puppy. Changing course, we head past his tree house and out to the sandy beach.
“Why are we at the beach? Ohh.” Preston’s jaw drops open when we edge out of the thick trees. Hadley is already there, waiting for us, her lithe form stretched out on a giant beach towel. Without preamble she stands, turns to face the ocean, and begins to strip.
In front of her, the sun is beginning to set, casting her body into shadow. Her silhouette has my dick straining in my pants as her dress drops to the ground, her unbound breasts freed. Hadley shimmies out of her panties next, and kicks them off her foot, then sashays to the water. Her hips sway seductively, her narrow waist just begging to be grabbed. A soft breeze blows her hair, bringing the scent of her shampoo along with the fresh smell of the ocean.
I clap one hand on Preston’s shoulder and shut his jaw with the other. “You’re welcome,” I say on a chuckle before prowling off towards my girl. I tear my shirt from my body, tossing it onto the beach towel as Hadley dives into the water. “Come on, Pres, our girl is waiting for us.”
Pres stalks up next to me and fumbles with his shirt. “A-Are we really doing this?”
“Yeah,” I laugh. “But please, don’t touch my cock.”
“What!” he shouts, exasperated. “I’d never…”
“You might, once you get a look at it.” I wink at my blushing brother and make quick work of my pants and boxers, before running off after Hadley.
I hear an “Oof,” behind me as Preston gets tied up in his pants and falls, face-first, into the sand. Hadley’s cheerful laughter makes its way up the beach to me, no doubt seeing Preston’s clumsy ass fall yet again.
“Hey there, sexy,” she croons, standing in the water, the waves cresting against her thighs as I stalk towards her. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“Come here,” I growl, pulling her to my chest before taking her lips. Hadley’s hands wrap around my neck as she opens her mouth for my searching tongue. We moan in tandem as a splashing sound draws our attention. Hadley pulls away from our kiss, sliding my lower lip between her teeth as she gazes behind me.
“Hey there, big boy,” she says with a smile. I can feel Preston standing just behind me. I’m sure he’s at a loss for what to do, which is exactly why we’re doing this. I want him to feel like he can do anything. I want him to feel confident, push him out of his safety bubble, make him try things out of his comfort zone.
I pull Hadley in front of me and tug her arms behind her back, pushing out her perfect breasts. “Touch her, Preston. Feel how supple our girl is. She’s here for you. Use her. Make her feel good.”