I’m panicking. Willow and I haven’t known how to talk to Atlas and Briar about our relationship with death. How the fuck do you even have that conversation?
I get off on killing people, and my alpha smiles afterward like she just had some Xanax.
Nope. That still sounds fucking insane to me!
“Jude. Hey. Breathe!” Atlas says, his long strides bringing him in front of me in an instant. His hand fists in my hair before his lips mash against mine, as if to give me mouth to mouth.
Instead, I cling to Atlas as I kiss him, throwing every ounce of anxiety and passion back at him.
“Holy hell,” he growls, coming up for air. “Tell me what happened.”
“Willow and I were driving past a motel in Ridley’s Hawk and saw the guys that were bothering me at The Rusty Pipe,” I begin. My words tumble over each other, in an effort to get them out as quickly as possible. “We went back to teach them some manners.”
“The kind that involves some kind of saw?” Briar asks teasingly, her flashlight shining down on the body. “I like your style. Let me guess, the guy with the black hair wasn’t at the motel, right?”
“No, apparently he left,” I mumble.
“We were going to go back for him,” Willow blurts out. “This is bad, right? Do you not want to see us anymore?”
“What if I told you I killed the other asshole who was bothering Jude? Briar told me we needed to get rid of him, so that’s what I did. He now has an axe-sized hole in his head,” Atlas shrugs, taking the flashlight from Briar to shine it down at… oh my god, is that another body? “Before you freak out and think everything is fucked up, this isn’t a deal breaker for Briar or I. As you can see, we enjoy the same extracurricular activities. Although, I am surprised that this is working out so well. Is this your first kill outside of self defense?”
“Ah no… It’s not even the tenth,” Willow winces. “My brain isn’t wired like other people, as you know. Killing scratches all the happy places inside of me. It’s like taking a giant pill that just relaxes me and chills out my thoughts.”
“Oh thank fuck,” Briar groans, tilting her head back as she lets out a heavy sigh of relief. “Atlas and I have been worried sick about you finding out what we do in our spare time and that you’d be mad if you found out we kill regularly as well.” Briar lowers her head, grinning happily at me. “I’m so excited you’re murderers too! I swear, it’s like Christmas morning right now.”
I chuckle because not only is she adorable, I love her excitement too. Is this really happening right now? Because I sure as hell hope so.
“How did you get him to lay still for long enough to almost decapitate him?” Briar asks, shining her flashlight to check out our work.
“We chased him around like a horror movie,” I say sheepishly. “Willow and I enjoy fucked up games when we kill. It feels better when they’re completely scared out of their minds. The endorphins are almost as good as when I dance.”
“Ah, that’s why you enjoy it,” Atlas says, nodding sagely as he grabs the dead body’s arms and legs. He begins to carry him up to the site where we bury our victims, while Briar loops her arms through Willow and mine.
“See!” Briar slaps Atlas’ arm as we start to follow after him. “I told you we should consider torture. Sure, it’s more messy and more to clean up, but it seems like so much more fun.”
“Next time, Little Rose,” Atlas chuckles.
I’m a little shell shocked as we follow.
Briar turns to me. “I kill when I’m angry, and someone is fucking with the safety of where I live,” Briar confesses. “I despise when people touch what isn’t theirs, and lack of consent makes me insane.”
The passion in her voice makes me wonder about her past, but it’s not my place to ask. Not yet. The story is hers to tell us when she’s ready.
“And Atlas?” Willow asks.
“He kills the people who fuck up in his club. They leave and they never come back. I own this land, and currently I’m using it to bury the bodies of those who threaten to fuck with my zen,” she explains. “I think it’s interesting that you came here.”
“Willow and I found it in our first few weeks of living in Ridley’s Hawk, but neither of us knew anything about Widows Peak at that time,” I confess quickly. “It was just a convenient place to bury our bodies.”
“I think we do what is necessary to quiet our demons,” Briar says. “Atlas and I will never judge someone for that. Who knows? First we get to bury bodies together, next we may get to kill.”
“I would love that,” Willow says shyly. “This is the first kill I’ve had in weeks. I put the keys in the freezer the other day. It’s been rough.”
“In an effort to save your keys, we definitely need a kill date,” Briar grins. “I’ve been looking into torture. I think I kill my victims too quickly.”
“It’s more fun when they scream,” I say excitedly. “Willow and I chased that guy with masks, a hammer, and a saw. It was a really good time.”
How is this working out so perfectly? I love my life right now.
