Ashes (The Boys of Chapel Crest, #2)

by K.G. Reuss

Beautiful. Perfect. Rinny. Our Rinny. Look at me. FUCKING LOOK AT ME.

I was always following her. To classes. To her dorm. To the fucking watchers’ house. I made it my business to invade every facet of her life, whether she knew it or not. I was sure I still haunted her dreams even after all these years.

She was supposed to be dead. Safe. Far away from any fucker who could harm her. She was our Rinny. My forever girl. My everything. I was supposed to meet her in the afterlife after I’d killed all the wicked. We were meant to kiss and make love and dance on moonbeams together. Forever.

She never saw me unless I wanted her to see me. Even when she slumbered, and I stood over her bed in the darkness. Dante Church was making my life difficult though. He also watched her. I had to be careful because he was just as good as me.

Our Rinny. My greatest failure. My greatest weakness. My greatest love.

It was amazing what I was willing to do all in the name of love. And obsession. But my forever girl deserved it all, and I’d make sure she got it.

Church’s words as he had held her in his arms. “He broke her. He broke my specter. Fuck, baby. Come back to me.”

“He won,” Stitches said softly. “She screamed for him.” Church’s body vibrated with rage. “She screamed for me.”

“She screamed for Church. It’s how we found her. She screamed and screamed. It was the last place we looked for her. It took us forever to get inside because the door was locked. By the time we got the lid off and Church pulled her out, she was. . . gone. She was humming. Then she went stiff and hasn’t reacted since.”

“He won’t leave her side. He held her. I watched him beg her to come back to him. He fucking cried.” I turned to Sin finally. “Church never begs or cries. If she doesn’t come back, we’re going to lose him and Stitches.”

I said it was dangerous getting close to her. I said she’d fucking break us, and I was right! Seth won. Let. It. Fucking. Go, Asher. Please. Let her go.” “She’d break you.” I snarled, rising and facing him down, pissed off he refused to feel anything. “You’re so fucking scared of getting hurt that you’re hurting your own damn feelings. If anyone is going to break us apart, it’s you!”

No one fucked with my heaven and got away with it. No one.

“One thing I’m not is a liar.” My hand shook around specter’s. “Sirena is my girl. She belongs to the watchers.”

If I had to, I’d wrap specter into my arms, and we’d leave this fucking place. I wasn’t above taking what was mine. And Sirena Lawrence belonged to me. I’d do whatever I had to do to prove it.

Perfect, sweet girl. My angel. My fucking angel. She was gone. Gone. Gone. She wasn’t coming back to us. Asylum had broken her. Shattered her. Shattered me.

I buried my face in my hands and let out a soft sob I tried to choke down. I wasn’t a crier. But fuck. Angel. I knew she was alive, but my baby was hurting. Sick. Lost. We had to figure out how to get her back.

“Sin should be here soon. He-he misses you too,” Ashes said thickly. Angel blinked rapidly and let out a deep breath before she parted her lips. The sweetest, softest sound left her mouth, albeit raspy and shaky. “Sinful.”

“What is it?” Church demanded, snapping his attention to her. “That song. I-I haven’t heard it in years. She and Seth… They made it up when they were kids. He’d hum it, and she’d sing it. I-I think she wants Seth.”

If I don’t have my forever girl, I’ll take her with me. Death doesn’t frighten me. Third times a charm, right?” “So you’re blackmailing me and threatening to kill siren?” He cocked his head at me, his dark hair falling across his forehead. “I suppose I am.”

I sabotaged everything in my life and always would. Because who could ever love a piece of shit like me? Not Sirena Lawrence, the girl I’d broken, that was for sure.

“I can’t believe Rina made so many friends,” she said, her iciness sliding away for a moment as she looked at siren in bed. “All dickheads, but still.” “Then you’ll like Bryce if you think we’re dicks,” Stitches said. “He’s sweet as pie. He was angel’s boyfriend before she realized she loved us.” “I doubt that,” Cady huffed. “Isn’t it time for your meds?” “Already took them,” Stitches shot back.

How I’d wished I were a better man and had run back to save her. She’d trusted me, and I’d betrayed her. I’d betrayed my family. It was over now though. All of it. She’d never be mine. Never be ours. Asylum would make sure of it. That much I knew.

She was a siren, screaming my sins. They just didn’t know it yet.

Fuck. Fuck. FUCK! Sinful. That was me. A disgusting fucking sinner. She’d named me well. The man who’d tricked her and locked her up with the devil. I was truly sinful. It just made me hate myself even more. I deserved this hell. Sinners got punished, and I wouldn’t be an exception.

“Fine. Tomorrow night—” I started, ready to give him further instructions. “At seven. You’ll text me if anything changes. Meet you on the back patio,” he finished for me, making me crinkle my brows. “Uh, yeah,” I said, confused about how he knew exactly what I was going to say. Maybe it was a coincidence.

How the hell does he do that

You know how much I fucking hate cheaters.” Church slowly approached him. A cut from Sin’s ring against his cheek dribbled blood. I cautiously stepped closer to the two in case someone threw another punch. “What did you say?” Church asked softly as they stared one another down.

“I said I didn’t do what she said I did.” “No. About cheating.” Sin licked his lips. “I said I hate cheaters.” “You insinuated that you’re with specter without saying it,”

We all did crazy things to protect those we loved. Cadence Lawrence would be no exception when it came to Sirena. I knew it right down to my bones.

“How do you do that?” he asked, crinkling his dark brows at me. “Do what?” I slid my feet into my shoes. “Know what I’m going to say?” “You always ask me that,” I pointed out. “And my answer is?” I strode to my door with him following. We stepped into the hall, and the door clicked and locked behind us. “That you just do what the voices tell you to.” He rolled his eyes, making me smirk. “Exactly.” It was way fucking deeper than that, but explaining the intricacies of what the fuck I was wasn’t something I wanted to dip my toes into. I was different.

It didn’t bother me to take a life. I found little joy in it though. There were much more satisfying things to do, like feed people their eyeballs after I carved them out of their skulls with a dinner fork.

Now, I felt like I was on fire, and she was both the water and the gasoline. It was driving me insane.

She could be ours again. Taught and trained to obey. Desperate to be yours again. You could protect her from the monsters. If you say no, she’ll be in worse danger. “But I am the danger,” I whispered so softly I knew Sully couldn’t hear my words. I’d break her again, this time to keep her alive… Sometimes danger is what keeps the heart beating and the mind alert. We want her. . . here she is. Ours. Take. HER. Own. HER. CLAIM HER! FUCKING CLAIM HER! She could be ours. Not theirs. “Ours,” I whispered, a thrill running up my spine. Forever. “Promise?” I asked softly. Sully cocked his head at me and raised a brow again. Forever.

“I want her back, Dante. I can’t fucking exist like this. Knowing she’s stuck in a bed and lost in her mind? Knowing she’s probably fucking terrified? It’s tearing my goddamn heart out, man. I-I can’t—”

“What do we do when we feel like we can’t breathe, brother?” “W-we fucking do it anyway,” he answered in a shaky voice. “And what do we do when we get lost in the darkness?” “W-we become the darkness.” He breathed out, the trembling slowing in his body. “Right. And what do we do when we need help?” “We t-trust each other to protect our sanity.”

I didn’t want Ashes to lose it. He was the sanest of all of us. If he slipped and fell, it’d be a fucking feeding frenzy of crazy. Asylum really would end up buried beneath a new hot tub.

“I’ll explain it to you this way. As much as I know you want to kill me and bury me beneath a new hot tub…” He shot a quick look at me, a smirk on his lips. I crinkled my brows. I’d never said that shit out loud. How the fuck… ?

It’s freaking me out, how does he know this stuff

“Where I’m from, good girls worship their god, not their demons.” I pressed my palms to my knees, shifting forward. “Where I’m from, we let gods think that.”

“You don’t scare me,” I said, my words laced with honesty. “You and your fucking voices.” “That’s because we haven’t tried.” He cocked his head at me. “Let’s pray we don’t have to.”

Tell Stitches hanging himself won’t fix the mess. I’d tell him quickly though since he’s tying the rope now.” He stepped down the stairs and looked over at Sin. “I’ll be seeing you soon, Sinclair.” “Fuck you,” Sin grunted. Asylum let out a soft laugh. “Go cut your boy out of his closet. You have about thirty seconds.” And with those words, he departed into the night. I glanced at Ashes and then Sin before darting into the house, something telling me just maybe Asylum knew what he was talking about.

He let out a garbled sob as Stitches hung from the bar in his closet, his face red, his body twitching.

What. The. Fuck. How did asylum know that shit?!?!?!?!?!

“I’d never considered what my life would be like past Chapel Crest, but you made me see a future. A real one. Me and you with the guys. Happy. Free of the shit in our lives. I still feel that way. I still see that future for all of us together.” I swallowed thickly. “You just need to come back, baby. I’ll take you to our spot at Pictured Rocks. I’ll make love to you beneath the stars. I’ll whisper to you how much I love you because I do, heaven. I love you so fucking much.”

“I fucking love you, Sirena,” I whispered. “I can’t do this without you. Come back. Please. I don’t even care how long it takes. I’ll wait forever if I have to.”

“Do you intend on keeping your promise to us of giving her back?” I shot back. All I wanted to do was shroud her from him and keep her tucked away safely beside me. “Absolutely,” he said solemnly. “I figure the payoff is worth it.” I snorted. “And what’s the payoff?” He smirked at me, his blue eyes flashing. “No spoilers, Valentine. Only cliffhangers.”

How the hell did you know he was going to do that?” I demanded. He shrugged and picked a piece of lint off Sirena’s comforter. “Some call it crazy. Others call it intuitive. And then there are those who would say I got lucky. What do you say?” I studied him for a moment. He stared back at me with bright blue eyes, his black hair a mess on his head, his white uniform shirt not buttoned to the top and his red tie loose. “I say you’re not telling us how the hell you really knew.” He gave me a Cheshire smile. “You’re smart, Valentine. I like that. Perhaps if you comply, I’ll tell you my secret.”

“Her family is coming. Sully is coming. We must be cautious.” I frowned at him as Cady stepped into the room, a sullen look on her face. Her gaze jumped between me and Seth, her face morphing into one of anger as she openly glared at Seth. Before she could speak, Sully stepped into the room with her mom and stepfather.

“Fuck you, Seth. Seriously. What do you think you can do for her?” “I’m not Seth. I’m Asylum,” he said. “You don’t trust me. And you shouldn’t. But you can’t deny that I made her scream. If I can make her scream, I can make her talk. So have a little faith, Asher. Everything happens for a reason.”

“You’re in there. I know you are. Please. Find your way out. Find your way back to me. To us. I thought we were strong, but without you, we’re not. This is breaking us.”

How was it possible to fall in love with someone so fast? Because you’ve waited a lifetime for her.

I love you. “I’ll wait for you, Sirena,” I said, tears trickling down my cheeks. I wiped at them and released her hand. “We all will.”

From the moment I’d first seen her, I knew I was in trouble.