Page 51 of Corrupt Shadows
We both turn toward the asylum. My fingers curl around the cold, rough texture of the rusty iron bar as I gaze up at the towering, gray-bricked building. The ivy has completely taken over the front of the building, with its leaves smothering every inch of space and its vines snaking their way around the pillars and through the cracks in the windows. The sky above comes alive. Stars twinkle against the black canvass.
I can feel the wind’s icy breath as it howls around Rosa and me. My hair becomes a tangled web, wrapping itself around my neck and face.
Rosa presses her arms against her narrow waist, her pink nails leaving half-crescent marks on her skin. “I can’t believe you used to come here for fun.” Her brown eyes scan the top story, her gaze lingering on a single window, as if she’s watching for movement. “Doesn’t it creep you out, the amount of devil-worshipping and stuff that’s happened here?”
As I clear my throat, I sweep my hair over my shoulder. “If you’re scared, then you don’t have to come inside. Like I said earlier, I can do this alone. In fact, I’d prefer it.”
“I’m not leaving you alone with a demon psycho stalking your every move.”
I let out a long sigh. It has been three days since Lorcan’s appeared in the mirror. He probably assumed his little trick would scare Rosa away—except it’s had the opposite effect. She took a small vacation from work and hasn’t left my side since.
I love her for it. Her fierce loyalty would be comforting in any other situation, but we are both out of our depth here. She’s in danger. She’s remained stubborn, despite my constant warnings and trying to get her to let me do this alone.
The only thing left is to confess everything. Lorcan heightens my magic, and I can’t trust myself to be around her with him present. I’ve taken another benzo, now that Rosa prescribed some after my doctor refused. I’m glad she agreed. I can’t just stop taking them cold turkey. But she made me promise to use them as intended and not to abuse them. She’s limited me to three a day maximum, which isn’t helping as much as I need. It takes at least ten pills or more daily to keep my magic from surfacing, but I’m glad it’s at least taking the edge off my anxiety, its intended use.
His words replay in my head like a broken record. Show me your shadows, little witch.
The tote bag, filled with summoning items, slips from my fingers and lands by my feet. “Rosa, please go home. I’m fine here, really. Once we step foot inside there, we’re in danger.”
She shakes her head and I sigh. I guess I have no choice but to tell the truth, even if she hates me for it.
“You should know something—”
“Don’t try scaring me away,” she says, interrupting me. “I’m not leaving you. Pushing me away won’t work, although God knows you’ve tried.”
I let go of the gate and lean back against the iron fence. My fingers cling to the cool metal, and a shiver travels up my spine as the frosty wind slices through my jacket. When I tug on the drawstrings, I notice the frayed edges, then wrap one around the end of my finger. “This isn’t some scare tactic. It’s life or death.”
She rolls her eyes. “I have a gun, the necklace in my bag, and the holy water you gave me.” She pulls the little bottle from her purse. “I dipped the bullets in the water first.”
“That’s… actually really smart, although I doubt one will hit him through a mirror.”
“You said he came through before,” she replied. “He killed Jay, then tried to hurt you. You’re right to be terrified, and I’m not taking any chances.”
I rub the side of my neck and nod in agreement, but it’s a lie. He didn’t hurt me. Instead, he used me and left me confused, covered in cum and blood. I hate him for making me want it again. I hate that it was so good that I can’t stop thinking about him.
Heat sears between my legs, and I clench my thighs. Rosa tilts her head, her gaze locked onto mine as if she can sense the lie hiding behind my eyes. The wind dies down, and silence permeates the asylum and the woods guarding it. “The demon isn’t the only threat,” I say, and my stomach knots.
She’s going to hate me after this. I place the plastic cup with the last drips of my iced coffee on the ground, then place the book that will hopefully summon Lorcan into the bag, freeing my hands. I grab a cigarette, needing one if I’m to have this conversation.
A deep crease forms on her forehead, and she lifts a perfectly groomed brow. “You mean ghosts?”
I shake my head. Rosa shudders as the temperature drops another degree. Frost clings to the skeletal leaves gliding in front of the gate under a gentle breeze.
She tsk-tsks. “What then?”
I shift my stance and avert my gaze. “It’s me. I’m dangerous.”
She laugh-snorts. “Shut up. No, you’re not.”
My breaths mists in front of me. “I’m a murderer,” I blurt, the weight of my words hanging in the air. “I’ve killed people, Rosa. Five, to be exact.”
She remains perfectly still, unblinking and fixated on me, as if she expects me to say just kidding. Her arms lower to her sides, as if she’s forgotten the cold.
“Almost ten years ago, I killed my brother. He was the first.” I blow out a puff of smoke. “The man who adopted me, Edward,” I say, wrinkling my nose, ”protected me after the Order killed my entire family. I’m the only one left in my bloodline.” I pause, but she doesn’t say anything, so I continue. “I’m a shadow witch. I have shadow magic and death magic inside of me. It’s a part of who I am. Anyway, Edward kept my being alive a secret from everyone. Only his wife and son knew. He was called Caden…” I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block out the horrific memory of him being blown into a thousand pieces. “He met his end because he tried to help me.” Tears well in my eyes. “Edward did experiments on me to keep my magic suppressed, but it only made it worse. The more I tried to ignore and beat the magic inside of me away, the more unpredictable it became. Caden tried to help me let a bit of the magic out. I felt like I was going to combust.”
She wets her lips and releases a tense breath. “Why did you kill him? Caden?”
I clear my throat to mask the quiver in my voice, then shift my gaze toward my black boots. I throw the last of my cigarette to the ground and put it out under my heel. “My magic kind of burst out of me and he… blew up. The, um… others, the four,” I say, stumbling over my words. “They were after Caden. I fled from town to town, trying to stay a step ahead of Edward. He wouldn’t have told the Order who I really was because, well, then he’d be dead for saving me in the first place. But if he was desperate enough to find me, he may have told them I’m a witch, just not the witch. The Order hunts all of us.” I pull my bottom lip between my teeth trying to slow my breathing. My heart pounds against my ribcage as I recount each of my victims.