My lips tug up into a smile at the memory. She’d opened her heart, legs and family crypt for me under the guise of true love. People will destroy their entire lives for the chance of feeling loved, and that’s just what she did. Last I heard, her mother and sister burned her alive, covering up the murder of course, but magic always leaves a trace.
The instructions of the spell I had obtained were clear. I had to bring out the seven, before the rest could be unleashed. Timing and the right ingredients were everything. Which included the right families. The ones tied to the closing of the veil in the first place. The founding families.
Now I had secured the blood necessary for the potion I would use in twenty-three years’ time, on the same date and time as the original closing of the veil. In that moment the seven would be joined into the son’s bodies. I only hoped the sins would be strong enough to help me finish what I’d started. Purgatory has a way of leeching your power from you over time. I find myself grinding my jaw at the thought, remembering the way the chains felt against my spirit, slicing through to my very essence. The way the whips made of barbed wire felt as they flayed my skin open, over and over again.
I crack my knuckles and head back inside, dismissing my secretary and stashing the potion in my safe.
Making sure the lock snaps into place, I rest my hand on the ice-cold metal housing this key part to my freedom. The spell had ensured those leaving here tonight a lifetime of health and success, as well as their spawn. Especially since I needed those seven boys to reach college age unharmed. I feel the drain on my power deep in my bones, but it’s worth the sacrifice.
I shuffle off to the bedroom, noting this fragile body I’m stuck in, needs rest. Another reminder of why I longed to belong to myself, instead of relying on this sack of blood and bones to house me.
Twenty-three more years, and then you can all come out amongst the world like we were meant to have been all along.I think before drifting off into a fitful sleep, the man I’m tied to still trying to fight me after all this time. He would give in to my whims eventually. They always do.
ChapterOne
SLOAN-PRESENT DAY
SONG: NO TIME TO DIE BY BARBIE SELLERS, VIOLET ORLANDI
My mouth is open in a silent scream as black veins crawl down my body. My tongue is coated in the taste of metallic blueberries while drool slips down into my beard. Every inch of me is in excruciating pain like I’ve never experienced before. My chest constricts as I try to take in a breath, sending the sensation of a thousand knives slicing into my nerves. My lungs burn with the effort to breathe as my body shakes uncontrollably.
I’m still dressed in my Halloween costume from last night. The dregs of the after-party cling to my skin as I fight with every cell of my body to stay awake.
What the fuck was in that pie?
Strong hands hoist me out of the house, jostling my quickly debilitating form. My muscles scream in agony as the pressure to take in a breath builds. I’m hardly aware of my surroundings as I slump over onto a broad muscled back.
Panic claws at my chest as I feel my body struggling to function.
My eyes drip hot burning tears, staining my face as they fall.My long hair slaps across my face as I’m knocked about.
I hear the slamming of a car door as I’m thrown onto the leather interior, the rumble of an engine roars to life beneath me as my own life slips away.My mind snatches on images of my mother and younger brothers. I want more than anything to see them again and wonder if I’ll ever be able to.
Something in me tells me that I might not be that lucky.
“Sloan, stay with us buddy. Come on! Go faster Garrison!” I hear Walker scream as my eyes focus on the tiny black pinpricks forming at the edges of my vision.
“I’m going as fast as I fucking can!”
“Holy fuck, he’s turning purple.” Walker yells. “What do we do?”
“Just keep his airway open, we’re almost there!” Garrison says, punching the gas pedal.
“Shouldn’t I be doing CPR, or something?”
“How the fuck should I know? I’m a business major, not pre-med!”
The car bounces and skids on the gravel road, spitting chunks of rock as we speed down the winding street. Light flickers through the leaves of the trees surrounding the path as the black spots in my vision become larger.
“Sloan! Don’t you dare give up!” Walker yells. I realize he’s shaking me, pushing on my chest with rhythmic pulses.
“I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing!” He says, as he continues to push.
I struggle to stay awake. I want to see my family again. The last time I’d been home to Ash Grove was over two years ago, before I came to this cursed place. When I wasn’t trapped with this Sloth inside of my chest. It feels eerily empty as I sink further into the pain that courses throughout my body. Garrison slams on the car’s brakes, sending me hurtling into the seats in front of me.
“Oh shit!” Walker yells, trying to lift me up.
“Grab him under his arms!” Garrison directs Walker as my head lolls to the side. I feel them maneuvering me out of the car. One set of hands on my ankles and another holding me against their bare chest.
