Malum Discordiae (Tennebrose, #1)

by Ashlyn Drewek

“I want you so fucking bad.” “Which part?” I asked, nipping his lush lower lip. He sucked in a breath and gave me a smirk. “Whatever I can get.” “In a dirty, old barn?” I wrinkled my nose for effect. “Beggars can’t be choosers. And I’m fucking begging you, Cash.”

Raising his brows suggestively, he pivoted and strolled off in the opposite direction. A group of crows flew by overhead, keeping pace with him, like some sort of avian entourage. I shook my head, half exasperated with him and half in awe.

Lucius set off at the fastest pace he could manage through the tangled woods. I refused to look back. Even when the crows gliding along overhead offered an update on what he was doing, I declined. I didn’t want to know what he was doing. I didn’t fucking care anymore.

So long as I lived, I’d never fucking forgive him — or myself.

“Why are you concerned with where Cassius is?” Because he could be out there, plotting revenge? Because he could be summoning a hundred demons to rip me to shreds now that I didn’t have his stupid amulet? Because no matter how much I tried to fucking hate him, all I wanted to do was see him, to know he was ok, and that I didn’t totally destroy him?

I landed hard, my arm bent behind me in a way arms weren’t meant to go. A loud snap sounded in my ears and a wave of nausea hit me before I’d even stopped rolling. The last thing I heard was Graeme yelling my name before my eyelids sank closed.

And in a sickening parallel of six years ago, I did what Lydia Corbin did — I returned a broken son to his family. The only difference between now and then was Cassius still had a pulse and I’d be damned if he lost it because he was trying to save me.

I did as he instructed before handing the knife back, relieved he wasn’t going to tap into the source like a fucking vampire. It was kind of hot when Cassius did it, but his dad? Ugh. No thanks.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I don’t care if you spend the rest of your life hating me. I’ll never stop apologizing for everything I’ve done.”

was just as shocked by Dad’s statement. Looking down at our hands, my gaze traveled up Graeme’s arm to his face. From the faint pink in his cheeks and the way he glanced down before looking up again, I knew it was true. He loved me. He fucking loved me. I didn’t know how. Frankly, I didn’t know why. But he did. The inevitable question was — did I love him? Underneath all of the hate and anger and stupid lust, was there something else? Was it love that made my blood come alive? Love that made the knot in my chest loosen whenever he was around? I had no fucking clue. I’d never loved anyone before. Not like that.

I captured his face between my hands and pressed my lips against his, as much to comfort him as it was to shut him up. Talking about anything heavy was going to ruin our happy little moment and after everything lately, I didn’t think it would have been good for either one of us. He let out a shaky breath, the corner of his mouth ticking up. “What was that for?” “Because I think I love you too.” Just saying the words made my heart rate triple. At the same time, it spread that warm, thrumming energy around my body even faster. He gave me the dopiest smile ever and dragged a knuckle under his eye to wipe away a non-existent tear. “Those are the nicest seven words you’ve ever said to me.”

I, in turn, followed him. “What’s wrong?” “The crypt,” was all he said as we barreled down the path. Oh, goodie. Just where I wanted to go.

“I’m not ashamed of you,” Graeme repeated as he caught up to me. Lacing his fingers through mine, he matched each of my strides with his own. “How could I be? You’re the most out-of-this-world, intense person I’ve ever met in my entire life. You’re smart and passionate and have the most amazing ass I’ve ever seen.” “Wow. You know how to make a guy feel special.” “And that!” he said, pulling me to a stop again. “That snarky, deadpan delivery. You’re a complete package. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Ignoring him and his never-ending negativity, I took his face between my hands and forced him to look at me. “I love you,” I repeated, enunciating each word. “I don’t know why. I don’t know how. All I know is how I feel when I’m with you and the thought of you leaving? You might as well rip my heart out and take it with you, because you’re it for me, Cassius. I know it, just like I

know when the leaves will drop or when the first snowfall comes. I fucking know it. And I know you feel it too. On some level.”

I exited the tub knowing three things. One, it was safe to assume someone wanted one or both of us dead. Two, I was scared shitless to actually make my conversion knowing it was entirely possible to die during the middle of it. And three, no matter how fucked up it was, I was one-hundred percent in love with the boy in the next room.

The dark water had no more than swallowed my ankles when I gasped like an idiot. I hoped Cash didn’t mind topping for the next week because I’m pretty sure that’s how long it was going to take for my dick to come out of hiding.

On second thought, Cassius was a lot like an autumn storm. Wild, unpredictable, but strangely comforting when you were prepared to withstand it. Maybe that’s why I loved him, even more than I wanted to admit out loud. Loving someone that much, giving them that much power over you, was bound to fucking hurt, but I couldn’t let him go. Not now.

“Can’t get rid of me that easily.” He tried to laugh but ended up coughing. “Yeah, you’re like a wart. Or a hemorrhoid.” “Aw, babe. You say the sweetest things.”

At a loss for words, I simply nodded. I mean, what was there to say? My mom had spent the past few months murdering my friends, attacking whoever she felt like, including me, and cursing my boyfriend and his family. Now she was dead. Whether she was crazy, hexed, or had been corrupted by a demon was a moot point. In a way, I knew it would always end like this. Maybe not like this, but I knew things would never be the same. We might as well have buried her the day we buried Owen since that was the day my mother really died. That thing hanging there wasn’t my mom. That was an imposter, someone who’d lived in our house for the past six years but hadn’t been a part of our lives. Maybe now she was reunited with Owen. Maybe now she’d finally find the peace that so obviously eluded her in this life. Maybe now I could stop feeling so fucking guilty.

Getting down on one knee, I presented him with a closed black velvet box. “Say you’ll marry me. Tomorrow, after graduation, after med school. I don’t care. All I know is that I’m never going to love anyone the way I love you. I know we’re young, barely even adults most days, but I’m afraid if I don’t ask you right now and stake my claim, some other penguin is going to find a better stone and take you away from me.” I cracked open the box and swallowed down a rush of nerves when his eyes doubled in size. “Cassius Corbin, will you please marry me?”

“You’re such an idiot. There will never be another penguin for me.”

The falling snowflakes formed a ring on the ground around us, like our own protective circle. It was just him and me. The rest of the world didn’t matter. Blood feuds and witch politics meant nothing inside that circle. The only thing that mattered, the only thing that would ever matter, was that Cassius and I had each other. A Corbin and a Hewitt. United in true love at long last. One for the history books, as Old Man Winslow would say.