AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Eyes follow me wherever I go.
Fucking Fox.
I scrub my lips with the back of my hand. Every time I think of his kiss, my stomach clenches. A part of me liked it. A part of me still craves it. I must be insane. He just admitted they’re going to sacrifice me to save Styx.
But isn’t that what I wanted? The truth?
Would my true enemy have confessed something like that?
The Six were beings of the dark for so long—pure chaos like that nightmare twisted corner thing. I’ll bet those blots wouldhave dripped upward from their corpses after death. But then they were blessed by the light and had to learn about life.
Maybe they’re still learning.
Maybe I’m still learning.
If what Fox said is true, he’s been stuck here alone, trying to find a way out of the frying pan without falling into the fire.
I kick the dirt again and stub my toe. Grumbling, I trudge onward, deeper down a path into the woods. Another five minutes gives me a glimpse of the moon between the leaves. It’s high. Almost midnight. Shit. Where the fuck am I?
I turn down a forest path and halt at the sound of the ocean. Or is that the wind through the leaves? I’m so lost. Wherever I am, I doubt it’s anywhere near this place Alfie wants to meet.
The sound of rhythmic drums and music filters in on a warm breeze, too warm for this time of year. It’s odd. I tilt my head, and the music grows louder. A small white light flickers ahead—too big for a manabee. The fleeting light circles back to me, then glides away again, humming down a small path that wasn’t there a moment ago.
“Hey,” a deep voice calls.
I spin, cape flaring, hope rising, thinking it’s Fox. But it’s Alfie. What on earth is he doing in the middle of the woods?
“Didn’t mean to sneak up on you,” he laughs.
I launch at him, forcing him into a hug. I don’t care what weirdness is between us. He’s here, wherever this is, looking for me. Fuck Fox for abandoning me.
“You made it.” Alfie’s voice is soft as he cups my head.
“I’m so glad to see you.”
“Me too.” His hand slips down to my nape, and he pulls me in tighter, inhaling the scent of my hair. “God, you smell so good.”
I hold him at arm’s length. A suave, tight shirt accentuates all the new, buff parts of him. His Chaser chain drapes between his front and rear pockets, drawing attention to tightly packedassets. Thick thighs. Curved buttocks. I give a low whistle. “Alfie, you look kinda hot.”
He glances away, blushing. “Stop it.”
“I mean it.” I touch his hard pec. “This could take my eye out.”
He snorts, then runs a hand through his hair. “Need to dress to impress at this place.”
“This place?” I frown.
He splits my cape to peek inside, then raises his brows. “Don’t worry, you’ll fit in just fine. And the lights are low there, so... um, the rest won’t look as bad.”
My fingers flutter to my face, feeling the ropy scars and angles. They’re extra sharp now, extra pronounced.
“I was at a feast or something,” I mutter. “Wait, who are you impressing? And what are you doing in the middle of the woods?”
How could he have known to look for me here?
“It’s midnight,” he says, as if it’s obvious. “Wait, if you aren’t here to meet me at Burn After Reading, what areyoudoing in the middle of the woods?”
The blood drains from my face. “Burn After Reading is a place?”
