by Amo Jones
I send out a group text. H has called a meet at his house. Be there asap.
I’m walking passed Daemon’s room when I stop, slamming his door open. I let it swing open and hit the wall, my eyes flying all over the place. “Motherfucker.”
Hector is one of those people who exude power, like most of us. Wherever he is, whoever he is with. He could be sitting right beside the President and he’d still pour out more dominance than him and his crew.
“This has to be Gabriel’s doing…” I mutter once we’re all in Hector’s office.
Brantley clears his throat. “Why? Why does this have anything to do with Gabriel?”
My jaw remains as hard as rock.
“Because.” Hector’s eyes come to mine. “Let me tell you a story about Gabriel and Katsia…”
What? “What?” That has my attention. “If you tell me that Tillie is my long-lost sister, I swear to fucking Judah I will slice every motherfucker in this room and then myself before I wait for you in Valhalla.”
Hector rolls his eyes. “Malum, sit down. She is not your sister, but her mother and Gabriel did have a brief fling. As you all know, the girls that are accepted into our way of life are often shared amongst us.”
Brantley kicks my chair.
I flip him off without looking.
Bishop laughs, so I flip him off too. “Oh don’t get me started on Madison.” I grin at Bishop and his eyes narrow.
Hector exhales. “Point made…” Then he lights his cigar. “But Katsia and Gabriel were different. She wanted exclusivity. Which is fine, most women do, but the ones who patter into our world don’t last long if they don’t at least have an open mind. Katsia never did to begin with until she found her right on the throne. Her story is not mine to tell, and I’m sure Tillie will learn about it one day, but their love is what pushed Katsia onto the throne. As I am sure” —his eyes come to mine— “Tillie’s will too. We have to stop it from happening.”
Fuck.
Tillie
I follow the three guards and Gabriel as they lead me to the gates that open onto the township of Perdita. My nerves pick up again. I don’t know what I’m doing here, but there’s only one reason why I would willingly fly miles out to the middle of the ocean back to this small island.
I pull out Daemon’s sketchbook and flip through the pages as Gabriel’s guards ramble off to the ones at the front of the gate.
“….where’d you find that?” Gabriel points down to the book.
I look up at him briefly before going back, finding the chapter I want. “In Daemon’s bedroom.”
There’s commotion going on in front of us, so I slam the book closed and shove through our guards, only to come face-to-face with the burly, hairy men who are known as the gatekeepers of hell. Not really of hell, I just like to call this place that.
I square my shoulders. “Let us in.”
They glare down at me, lip curled. “We don’t answer to you.”
“Really?” I say, eyebrows quirked. “So who do you answer to? Because last I checked, the woman who ran this place died. Is that right?”
The big blonde Viking looking one narrows his eyes at me. “I can’t confirm nor deny.”
I smile sweetly. “I can. Because that woman was my mother, and my best friend is the one who killed her. Now…” I cock my head. Their eyes fall to the side of it, and they straighten, noticing something of importance. “Let us the fuck in.”
The big brunette one fumbles with the locks, unlatching them quickly. They’re both dressed in black slacks and black wife beaters. He pulls the gate open and we all step through. Turning to face the two gatekeepers again, both of their heads are down.
The Viking one is the first to cut the silence. “Please forgive us, mea principessa. We did not mean any harm.”
My eyes flick to Gabriel, who is grinning at me. His eyes twinkle and gleam. “Bringing you here was the best thing I have ever done.”
I lick my lips. “Don’t worry about it.” Facing the long-marbled road that leads to what used to be Katsia’s home. Perdita is a township. A very odd, small township where the people sleep during the day and live through the night. It’s daytime right now, so the street is empty. The small little shops that are built on either side of the glossy marble pavement all have “Closed” signs hanging over their doors.
We begin our long walk to the end of the road, passing every store. I take this time to get a good look around. There are convenience stores, knife-wielding stores, weapon stores, bakeries, clothing shops, and even an alcohol shop.
Huh. Well, at least they get to enjoy something of our world.
Once we reach halfway, Gabriel opens his mouth. “You know Khales has been here?”
My jaw clenches. “I’ve heard.” I also despise her.
“How do you suppose we are going to deal with that, mea principessa,”
I roll my eyes. “Gabriel, please don’t start with the mea principessa shit. I have The Kings pet naming me variations of ‘my princess’ and ‘queen,’ now the gatekeepers too.” As soon as I’ve finished my sentence, I stiffen.
Everything stops.
I turn to face Gabriel. “What is going on?”
Gabriel searches my eyes, a knowing glint speckled over his irises. “Ah, she’s intelligent too, not just street smart.”
“Don’t fuck with me right now. I’m feeling a little on edge.”
Gabriel exhales, cracking his neck. “Yes. They have all known about you needing to be here. They have all fought it within every inch of themselves to stop this from happening. To stop you from coming back here.”
My eyes narrow. “Why?”
Gabriel gestures to the gates of Katsia’s mansion. The tips, jagged glass as sharp as blades. The gate resembles ice. Clear, but you can’t see from the outside in. I’m adamant that Perdita is made up of wizardry. These witches are my ancestors, the ones who couldn’t be burned.
“Because with you here, they no longer have control. Perdita is a world of its own, Tillie. The Kings have been wanting to take the reigns over it for generations but have always failed.”
“So why didn’t they just kill me?”
Gabriel’s eyes come directly to mine. “Because of your relationship with the swan. But make no mistake, Tillie, Hector is a man not to be taken lightly. He rules with a heavy fist and he has no problem smashing things and people to get what he wants.”
“Seems an awful lot to risk just to not piss off a girl who I irk on a daily basis, and what do you mean? I know Hector is cruel, but what has that got to do with me?”
“Well, until you went AWOL, you have been living on a very slippery slope, Tillie. People have wanted your head for some time, some more than others and some hiding it better than the rest. When you came back with Nate’s daughter, that was your lifeline. But…”
“—now she’s not here,” I finish for him, and then look up to the gates.
“Yes, and I do not know where my son and their generation sits when it comes to their loyalty to you, but I can tell you right now—” Gabriel pauses, and I suck in a breath, awaiting him to continue. “There’s a whole lot more to what is going on here. You are in the middle of a world that you barely know. A foreigner, if you will. But I can help you.”
“We can finish this conversation later,” I murmur, my eyes going back to the mansion. “When we aren’t sitting ducks.”
He nods.
I shove past our guards again and hit the speaker box with the palm of my hand.
“Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in,” Khales purrs through the voice box.
I grit my teeth. “Let me in, Khales. We have unfinished business…”
Tillie
Past
“Do you trust me, Puella?”
“On one condition,” I whispered, slipping Micaela into his awaiting arms. “Don’t die.”
Daemon gave me a small smile, skimming his lips over my forehead. “I won’t. I’ll never die, Tillie.” He
glares at me. “Do you trust that?”
No. “Yes.”
I watched as his back retreated through the doors. I had been pacing for a solid hour, waiting for the next thing that was about to happen, when my door swung open and Khales waltzed through, a smirk on her mouth.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, confused. Shit. This meant The Kings were here.
Khales stepped forward until her chest brushed against mine. “When this is all over, and when I have gotten rid of the people I need to be rid of, I will be the one running this island. Remember that!”
I flinched, confused at what the hell she was talking about. “Whatever, Khales. Whatever.”
She shoved me backward until I fell on my ass and glared down at me. “You’re disgusting. You and your friends think you know everything there is to know about this world, but you’re wrong. I’m the only girl in this group and it will always be me.” She spat on my face.
I swiped it away as she disappeared back through the door.
Bitch.
I hadn’t known her well, only saw her around the island a few times with Katsia. Aside from the fact that she went to my high school, I knew she was also with Bishop for a while. I always figured she would be on their side, but maybe I was wrong. She must be a great actress because Bishop isn’t someone who would keep someone like her around.
There’s a tapping at the window and I rushed over, yanking it open. Peering down, Tinker was standing there looking up at me. Funny how the Riverside Prep librarian turned out to actually be a badass bitch who is on our side. “They’re here. We’ve got Micaela. Just follow the cues, and Tillie,” she paused, searching my eyes. “Stay safe.”
I closed the window and sucked in a breath. “Sure.” I let the cool window caress my back, leaning my head against it. Cramps ripped through my lower abdomen and I winced, leaning forward. Liquid began dripping down my thigh, so I reached down, swiping some of it with my index finger and bringing it to my face.
Blood.
I waddled back to the bed and took a seat. The door burst open but this time Jessica stepped in, slamming it closed behind her. I knew instantly that something was about to happen today. Something big.
“We need to get you cleaned up. She will summon you soon no doubt. They’re all in the sitting room.”
I stilled. “Who is they?”
Her eyes came to mine. “The Kings.”
Tillie
Present
I sidestep past the elegantly placed rocks that lead up to the main entrance of the mansion. Gabriel lifts his hand to knock, but I pause it and reach for the handle. It’s open. I shove the door farther until it slams against the wall. Just as I take a step forward, a plane roars overhead.
“I have a feeling that’s a jet full of angry men…”
My jaw tightens as I enter the house, expecting something. Anything. Only I find myself surrounded by silence. When Katsia ran Perdita, everything was always busy—constantly. There was always music playing, men walking around half naked, that sort of crazy shit. I continue to trudge into the house, glimpsing up the circular staircase.
“Why is it so quiet?”
A hand falls over my face, cutting off my breathing and I kick back, throwing my fists everywhere. The body behind me is large, holding me with strength. The smell of gasoline ignites my senses and then everything slowly goes dark.
My body is heavy, my lids refusing to open. I hear something playing somewhere. It’s not music, it’s—a lullaby. Strong strings tinkle, the warped sound wailing the probability of a low battery. My cheek is throbbing, something cold pressing against it. Finally, I manage to open my eyes. The room is sideways. Dark concrete walls. No windows. I fly to my feet, wobbling a few steps. My hand flies out to stabilize myself, coming into connection with a cell bar. My eyes are blurry, a murky fluffy haze blinding me. Attempting to catch up to what is in front of me, I squeeze the cold pole, rubbing my eye with my other hand. Everything comes into focus at once. My eyes fly to the cell opposite the one I’m in. A baby rattle sits in the corner, worn, and broken. The intricate pattern etched into the plastic proves it’s the very same from Daemon’s book.
Daemon’s book!
I spin around in search for my duffle bag, finding nothing but a damp puddle on concrete ground. The very ground I woke up on. Gross.
Muffled whispers echo off the long hallway that resembles a prison sector, with I don’t know how many cells leading off.
“Who’s there?” I call out, pressing my cheek to the cool bar in an attempt to get a better look.
“They won’t answer,” the voice that replies to my hurried question sounds robotic.
I scream, spinning around quickly to where the foreign voice came from in my cell, but no one is here. “Who is that?”
I catch movement near a dark corner on the other side of my cell, and that’s when I see the outline of someone. “What do you want from me?”
There’s a long silence, aside from the whispers that don’t seem to stop. A dark chuckle ripples through the air like a bad frequency threatening to taint everything you thought you knew. “I don’t want anything from you.”
I chew on my bottom lip. “Well can you come out of the shadow, so I can at least see you better?”
“No.”
I slide down the cell door until my ass hits the cold ground. “Are you a prisoner?”
“Yes.” There’s a roughness to the way he talks.
I’m intrigued. Aside from the robotic tone.
“God I fucking hate that bitch.” I decide to change the subject, massaging my temples. “I’m going to kill her.”
“Yeah?” the voice says, and I don’t miss the bite in his tone. “Make sure you save me her tits so I can tear them off and feed them to my dog.”
I don’t bother to look toward him. I know I can’t see. “Your dog likes silicon?”
He doesn’t answer.
“What’s your name?”
I turn my head to look over my shoulder, my eyes going back to the baby rattle that’s sitting in the middle of the cell. It’s a haunting reminder of what I’ve lost and what I also need to find.
“Don’t have a name.”
I turn back to face the shadow. “Well, that’s just sad…”
That was a dumb thing to say. I blame it on stress and confusion.
Silence. Nothing more than silence fills the cold space between us.
This is getting weird, talking to someone who I can’t see and who has a strange voice. “This is ridiculous. I can’t believe I’m locked in this shit cell.” Shut up, Tillie. Stop talking. Find a way to get out. My head hurts. I slam my eyes closed and pull my legs up to rest my face on my knees.
“Do you know why you’re here?” the voice asks. I should call him Shadow. Since he is nothing but one.
I turn to face the shadow. “Yes and no. Do you?” Where the fuck is Gabriel?
“…Yes.” His voice. There’s something about it that sparks something inside of me.
The sound of a door opening and heavy heels click across the concrete hallway. I stand, stepping backward until I bump into shadow man. I didn’t realize I had ventured into his space. “Sorry.”
His chest is to my back. I can feel every intake of breath that he takes. I can also feel how rock hard his chest is pressing against my back. He’s tall, and…built.
His lips come to my ear. “Are you the mea principessa?”
My body stills. I step away, but the man’s hand presses against my flat tummy, holding me against his chest. “You wanna kill her, principessa? Then do it.” His voice falls over us like a cage of darkness. I feel safe within his grip. “Show me what you’ve got…” I feel cold metal slide over my lower belly and tuck into the front of my panties, gliding over my flesh. I know instantly that it’s a knife.
Shit.
His smirk presses against the back of my neck, right as the cell unlocks and Khales comes into view. Dressed in a short crop top and a leathe
r miniskirt, her black hair is tied in a high ponytail. She’s looking right at the shadow.
She smirks. “Ready to see your mother, Tills?”
I straighten my shoulders.
Shadow man chuckles. “Sic ‘em, girl.”
I don’t know what it is or why. I do not even know the shadow, but he gives me a direct line of confidence. One that I need right at this very moment.
I tilt my head, my eyes running over her body. “You know, you could have had something good with Hector.” I glance at the guards who stand behind her, two of them. Standing staunch with their legs spread apart slightly. They waver every now and then, a little unsteady on their loyalty maybe?
Khales chuckles. “Oh, I can’t even begin to tell you how wrong you are.” She lunges toward me, her hand coming to my throat. Before I can register what is happening, I’m being smashed against a cold wall. “I saw you found Daemon’s book.” She tilts her head, looking me up and down.
“What of it?”
A small smile comes onto her mouth. “Oh nothing, just that Daemon is… complicated.”
Slowly inching my hand toward the front of my jeans, I squeeze around the handle, keeping my eyes on hers. I don’t care about what she’s saying, just keep her occupied and her eyes away from what I’m doing.
“Oh? And why is that?” I know why and how he is complicated, but the fact that she thinks she knows what she is saying is almost comical. I say almost, but I mean all the way there.
She exhales, her fingers flexing on my neck. “Aw, because he’s sick, dear.”
I yank the knife out and in one movement, launch the tip of the blade into the side of her neck. I watch her eyes pop in shock as her warm blood spills over my hand. Finally, her grip lets up around my throat, going to her own in search of the stab wound.
“You don’t know shit.” I sink the blade in farther and she lets out a small gurgling cry. “About Daemon. And no one fucking likes you—” I shove her body away from me until it falls to the ground in a lifeless heap “—bitch.” Wiping the blood off the blade and onto my shirt, I look up at the two guards who are standing at the door of my cell. “Do you know who I am?”
