Tall. Muscular. Dead eyes. Death. It’s all I saw as I looked at them.
“Welcome, Lorenzo,” Church said, standing to greet us with the two men. The men were silent. Young. Roughly our age.
“And my sister. Hello, love. Are you well?” Church immediately cradled her face. “You’re crying. Why?”
“Hormones,” she said.
He grimaced. “Unfortunate nightmare. Sirena also suffers their wrath.”
“I’ll call her,” Rosalie said.
“Please do.” He released her and gestured for us to sit at his fireplace.
I took a seat next to Rosalie on the leather couch. Church sat across from me in his chair, and the two men took up the remaining chairs, still wordless.
“I don’t believe you’ve met my new friends. Lorenzo, Rosalie, this is Silas De Santis.” He nodded to the guy with the black hair and vibrant blue eyes. Definitely a De Santis.
The man’s face never changed, but he was holding a few marbles in his hand and rolled them around as he stared at me.
“He is Asylum’s brother,” Church continued. “Goes by the name Marbles.”
“Hello,” I greeted him. I knew a madman when I saw one. This guy was way worse than Asylum. Asylum at least had some semblance of his sanity left. This one… definitely not. The aura around him made me think he was thinking of ten ways to murder me before we left the room.
The tiniest smirk cut his lips upward as he stared me down.
“I like you,” he said in a silky voice. “Lorenzo.” He let my name roll off his tongue.
I said nothing as Rosalie scooted closer to me. She was clearly unnerved by him as well.
“I would not kill you,” Marbles continued. “Instead, I’d keep you to play with.”
I blinked at him. He was in my fucking head. Just like Asylum did when I was near him.
“Not like Asylum. Asylum is special. But me? I’m crazy.” He let out a laugh that sent chills racing down my spine. He stopped laughing abruptly and sat forward. He lifted a black marble from his palm to show me.
“I have killed three men this week with this very same marble,” Marbles said. “I let them choke on it.”
“H-How did you get it back. After?” Rosalie ventured.
I was honestly surprised she spoke.
Marbles laughed again, his blue eyes wild as he showed us his hands.
“I dug it out with my bare hands, of course. Tearing flesh beneath my nails really makes me feel… alive.” Another wild laugh erupted from him.
Rosalie shrank away from him and was practically in my lap. I instinctively wrapped my arm around her.
Church noticed, his green eyes narrowing on us, but he said nothing as he looked to the other man.
Longer black hair that fell just past his shoulders. Gray eyes. A pocket watch peeked out from his leather jacket pocket.
“Lorenzo, this is Nox… Virelli.”
I sat up straighter, my heart pounding hard.
“Hello, Lorenzo,” Nox greeted me softly. “I’ve beenkillingto meet you.”
I looked to Church. “What is the meaning of this?”
