Page 39
Priscilla glares at me. “We haven’t even buried Silas yet. Can’t this ceremony wait? Perhaps we should think on it a bit.”
It is Lucy who steps forward now. “No, my lady, it cannot. The Blackwells have vowed to kill any Graves who dares set foot in Ever Graves. The irony is not lost on me. But they have bought up most of the land there and control the town now. The sooner Finn and Bell are made elders the better. They must see you united.”
“And what of the Thorns and the Wickfords? Where do they stand?” she asks.
Vale Wickford clears his throat. The blond man is the youngest of them all, and the most doe-eyed. “We will remain neutral for as long as we can. But my brother Raine and his wife Daisy have long since settled in their town of Wickford Hollow with no wish to return to Ever Graves.”
Ah yes, the infamous Raine Wickford, founder of Wickford Hollow. And his poisonous Thorn wife. I remember them visiting the orphanage once. While he took pity on us boys, Daisy Thorn looked at us with contempt. She couldn’t wait to get away from the sad filthy boys who reminded her of poverty.
Atreus nods. “And the Thorns control the poison fields in Hemlock Valley so their influence is most important. I am told that Aquarius remains loyal to us, while his brother Neptune is fiercely standing by the Blackwells. Yet it will not affect the poison business.”
“So we are not united…” Priscilla wrings her hands.
Gods, I loathe these insufferable people. “The hour is late. Arkana and I would like to return to the manor.”
Atreus nods. “Yes, it’s time. We will take you below. And next time you greet your wife, you will do so as a Nocturnus elder.”
This is a night I will never forget. While the candles flicker, creating demonic shadows on the stone walls, I do not waver in my path. This has always been my fate. I know this more than ever now as I follow Atreus and the other men down into the catacombs of Graves Estate.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spy Arkana following closely. It pulls my lips into a smirk as I admire her fierceness. Her tenacity and will. She will not obey these men, even if her life depends on it. She proves her loyalty to me and our union with every careful step she takes in the shadows that surround us. Gods, I love this woman.
I would kill Bellamy Erebus a thousand times over, knowing that it will lead me to my beloved again and again. I will haunt her in death and stalk her through our infinite lifetimes. Perhaps I always have and this isn’t our first encounter. Because the second I laid eyes on her in the church of the goddess of death, I knew Arkana was always meant to be mine.
“From this point you will need to remove your clothes and put this on.” Atreus hands me a cloak and a bronze mask, similar to the one I wore at my wedding ceremony.
I snicker. “All this fanfare just to see me naked? Atreus, I’m flattered.”
He narrows his eyes at me. “You must leave the old you behind before you enter our sacred temple. And that includes your clothing.”
I nod and chuckle to myself. “You are no fun,” I tsk as I strip down to my bare feet. I let him wrap the cloak around me as Cage fits me with the bronze mask. Then the three of them do the same.
He opens the steel door, throwing back the latch. Both he and the door groan as he uses all of his strength to slide it open. “This way, initiate.”
Ah, we are in full twisted Nocturnus mode now.
As I enter the ritual room, something thrums in the air. Power. It crackles. I hitch my breath at the onslaught of ravens cawing above us in the rafters. But as I peer up, I also spot my dark queen crouched in the shadows. She has watched before.
“You will receive three sigils, one from each of us. Do you accept these marks?”
A low humming erupts as ten hooded figures emerge from behind the shadowy pillars. As if they appeared out of thin air. My stomach tightens. This is darkness like I’ve never felt before. And it calls to me. My gaze flickers up for a second, meeting Arkana’s for a brief respite. “I accept.”
“Good. Now lay upon our altar and open your robe.” Atreus takes a dagger from one of the initiates. It’s black and silver and the flames from the torches glint off of it like fireflies. He holds it in front of him. “The raven’s blade. Our sacred tool.”
A slight flicker of uncertainty makes me hesitate for only a moment. It is an emotion I’ve not felt since I was a young boy. But it is gone as soon as it comes. I hop up onto the stone altar, ready to be mutilated by these quiet psychopaths. I lay back and expose myself to them. The act makes my cock rock hard and I swear I hear Arkana’s breath hitch from the rafters.
The humming grows louder as the three of them draw in close. Cage leans over me first, blade in hand. “Have you ever had a taste of poison?”
I almost laugh out loud, but at risk of offending, I minimize my response to a snicker. “I think you know that I have. In fact, I can drink all thirteen of you lot under the table. My gaze flits to the other ten cloaked initiates lurking along the edges of the sacred circle. I could snap all of their necks if I wanted.
He holds a vial over my lips. “Drink then and the ritual will begin.”
I snatch it from him and tip the vial back, swallowing every drop. It hits my bloodstream fast, scorching hot like fire. “What did you give me?” I growl.
“Bloodroot. It’s very old and very rare. But it will connect you to the ravens and to us on a deeper level,” Atreus offers.
Cage drags the tip of the raven’s blade lightly down my chest and belly, stopping when he reaches my abdomen. “It will also block out the devil. We cannot be sure what hold he may have on you. And there is no place for him in this room.”
Sweat pours down my back as the once icy stone altar now feels like it’s covered in hot coals. “A warning would’ve been nice, but carry on,” I snap, unable to hide my disdain.
