Page 20 of Heart of the Villain

“Good girl.”

“Come for me again.”

“Your body is fucking insane.”

For the first time in her life, Marlena felt worshiped. Wanted.

If only I could bottle up this feeling and save it forever.

It was the longest trip back to Aeris ever.

The Caelums left a note that they would meet the girls back at home, so at least they’d have a few more hours to sober up before having to pretend like they hadn’t gone to a rager in the heart of Amora last night.

Marlena, Vega, and Arlet watched the Feras take to the sky, soaring into the clouds until they were out of view, and then they loaded onto the boat that would take them back to the mainland, where they would then load into a transport vehicle that would take them back to Aeris.

At least the boat ride wasn’t a long one.

The girls were feeling the repercussions of partying until the sun came up. Marlena’s thighs were sore from her night with her midnight stranger, whose name Marlena never got—whose name she would never need—because the likelihood she would ever see her again was slim to none.

Arlet hung over the side of the boat, retching as they approached Fortis’s docks.

“You better pull yourself together before we get home,” Marlena warned, letting the cool air fill her lungs and clear her head of the lingering fog.

With little to no sleep, Vega and Arlet passed out as soon as their heads laid against the cushioned walls of their transport back to Stella.

Marlena, on the other hand, well, her reading was nowhere near done, and she was sure she’d hear about it later. She kept her nose in her book until they pulled into the gates of their Aeris home. The white siding shone in the afternoon sunlight, reflecting into the vehicle and eliciting a groan from both Vega and Arlet when Marlena shook them awake.

“We’re home. It’s time to act normal.” Marlena gathered her things, and when the door to the vehicle opened, there was a guard readying to unload their belongings.

“Miss Marlena, your parents are requesting your presence in the study,” her father’s chief guard said, motioning towards the path leading to the front door.

She looked back at her sister and Arlet, gave them a small smile, and told them she would see them for dinner. There was always something to do, somewhere to be.

Marlena was tired and had never wanted to shower more than she did right now… but that wasn’t an option she was going to be given, and there was no sense in sulking about it.

She cleared her throat, nodded her head, and listened to the guard’s footsteps as they made the trip into the house, up the grand staircase, and to the door of her parents’ shared office space.

Marlena’s knuckles rapped lightly on the door, and a small gust of her father’s wind opened it. Their desks sat on opposite ends of the room, but in the center was a standing table where stools could be pulled up for extra workspace.

Jonan and Ryanna stood in the middle, and as Marlena approached, she noticed pictures lining the entire length of the long rectangular table.

Her stomach dropped, and she stopped in place when the pictures became visible to her.

Evidence of last night’s party was spread out along the table in this morning’s Tolevarre Chronicles. It read: “Easy, Sleazy Caelum Sisters & Their Night Out in Amora.”

Marlena felt her body go numb, and she forced herself to look up from the pictures to her parents.

“Would you care to explain what the fuck this is about?” Jonan asked through gritted teeth.

Most of the pictures were of Vega. Dancing with the guy Marlena had seen her with, making out with him, shooting back shots, and then finally… one of her sneaking off to the wine cellar where pictures were blurry—but it didn’t take a genius to figure out what happened behind those closed doors.

There were only a handful of Marlena, but there was no argument that they were her. In one of the pictures, Marlena seemed to be looking directly at the camera, and it caught her sneaking into that upstairs bedroom where Marlena had felt wanted for the first time in her life.

Ryanna tapped her foot, and for a moment, it was the only sound in the room while Marlena’s eyes began to wander over the pictures laid in front of her again. “You can start speaking at any time, Marlena,” her mother sneered.

Her eyes rose, catching her hateful stare. Marlena couldn’t take this anymore. The hatred, the constant disappointment. She was at her breaking point… How much could one person take before they snapped?

“I’m curious…” Marlena started. “Am I supposed to have no fun in my life, ever?” Her head cocked to the side, watching her mother’s jaw drop and her father’s stupid fucking vein throb in his forehead.