Sinful: A Dark Asylum Bully Romance (The Boys of Chapel Crest Book 5)

“He’s been up there a long time.” Church paced the living room, his fingers raking through his blond hair every few minutes while he cast quick looks to the clock.

“It’s OK,” I said, trying to cling to positivity.

Stitches sat forward on the couch and rested his elbows on his knees, his tatted fingers twined together. He looked exhausted. Hell, we all were. None of us had been getting much sleep since we’d brought Sirena home a week and a half ago. All had gone fine. Church stayed behind with her while we attended classes and therapy. Cady has been threatening our lives over not being able to see her. We’d told her she was sick, but after the first three days, it was becoming a hard sell.

When we’d gotten Asylum to come to her that day that she’d asked for him, she’d slept through it, and he hadn’t been back since. Now, here he was.

“I’m worried, man. Whoever did this is still out there.” Stitches glanced at me and then to Church.

I nodded. He was right. It wasn’t Bryce. We hadn’t seen him since we’d attacked him in the woods. We were beside ourselves, trying to figure out what the hell was going on with Sirena meeting whoever was in the woods. We were being patient, though. It’s all we could do at this point with her.

“We’ll keep her safe,” I said.

“We said that last time. Look what happened.” Church swore softly and stopped his pacing to stare up at the ceiling like he was contemplating it all.

We were all quiet for a moment before I said what I’d been thinking since this happened.

“Maybe you’re right. Maybe we can’t keep her safe. Maybe. . .”

“Don’t fucking say it, Valentine. I’m not in the mood,” Church said, glaring at me and going to his chair to sit. He slid back and scowled.

“What are we going to do about Cady? She threatened to feed me my own cock today on my walk back here after therapy.” Stitches looked at each of us in turn. “She pulled out a fucking spork and told me it was what she’d use to mutilate my dick from my body before she toasted it over a fire and force-fed it to me.”

I shook my head. Cady was wild.

“Claws will lose it if we tell her,” Church said. “Sirena needs to be healed. She needs to decide if she wants Cady to know.”

“It could be weeks. We can’t hold her off that long. I’m not even sure we can last another day.” I breathed out and rubbed my eyes. “Plus, it’s the holidays, man.”

I couldn’t take this damn stress. I pulled my lighter out and went to flipping it opened and closed, counting softly as I did it while igniting the flame for a moment before starting all over.

“Fuck the holidays. We don’t celebrate that shit anyway. We’ll figure it out.” Church turned his head as Asylum came downstairs.

“Watchers,” Asylum said, inclining his head at us.

“How did it go?” Church demanded.

“It went. . . well.” Asylum flashed a grin at us. “Little firefly has made a decision. We must help her carry it out with precision. To win the game. We stoke the flame. It’s going to get bloody, boys. Buckle up.”

I raised my brows at him. Asylum was nothing if not entertaining with his rhymes. He tended to confuse and frustrate me more than anything as of late, though.

“What happened?” Stitches asked.

I gestured for Asylum to sit. He did so at the end of the leather couch and surveyed us with his blue eyes.

“She has made a choice. We are going to guide her through it.”

“She spoke?” Church was all ears while he stared Asylum down. She’d come a long way in the last few weeks and was communicating more. Then, this entire ordeal pretty much sealed her lips and made her regress. It was two steps forward and a million back.

Asylum nodded. “She has. It’s unlocked the next step. It’s a good thing because everything has just been a haze to me lately. Her choice tonight let me know where she is on things.”

“Did she say who hurt her?” Stitches demanded before I could ask it.

Asylum’s hands visibly shook. “She did not. I didn’t push it either. She will tell us eventually. We just need to have patience.”

“What if he hurts her again? Whoever it was?” I swallowed hard. “I swore I’d protect her, and I failed her.”

“Me too,” Stitches whispered.

“I think we all failed her. So many things could have been done differently.” Church sighed, his voice shaking slightly. “I need to find this motherfucker and kill him. I need it more than anything else in the world right now.”

We were all feeling it. It really sucked. It was definitely a contributing factor to my lack of sleep as of late.

I restarted my lighter ritual, hoping it brought me some comfort but knowing it was just igniting the agitation within me. I was a moth to the flame it seemed because I couldn’t force myself to stop. It was my one vice, and I was going to use the hell out of it.

“Relax, Dante. All roads lead to our destiny. Even the rough ones. We must endure the pain so that we are made stronger in the end.” Asylum’s gaze traveled to the stairs. I couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking.

“Her,” he answered softly. “Always her.”

I glanced at Church, who wore a frown.

I swore this guy could get into our heads. It unnerved me.

“No worries, Asher. It doesn’t work like that either.” Asylum looked at me. “I’m not in your head. Your thoughts are safe.”

I cast a quick look to Church and Stitches.

“Then how. . .?” I asked, not even knowing how to finish the sentence.

He shrugged and pointed to his head. “Voices. Messages from beyond. I just. . . know. I don’t get to choose when it happens. It just does.”

“So you’re not in my head? Can’t. . . hear my thoughts?”

He cocked his head left at me and narrowed his eyes. “We just. . . feel you. That’s all.”

“Like with Sirena?” Stitches called out.

Asylum nodded. “Yeah.”

I’d have pressed the subject more if I thought his answer would change, but I knew Asylum. He never gave away secrets. At least not until he needed to. I worried about what all this meant. I didn’t want to lose my heaven. The thought twisted my insides into a tight, painful ball.

“Why do you think you’ll lose her?” Asylum murmured.

I looked at him, blinking rapidly and stopping the flipping of my lighter lid. If he wasn’t in my damn head, it sure as hell felt like he was.

Stitches glanced at me while Church narrowed his eyes at Asylum.

The corners of Asylum’s lips twitched before he spoke. “We could all be a big happy family someday if you relax a little.”

We were quiet for a moment. I didn’t even know what to say to that. It wasn’t a shocker Asylum wanted in with us, but he’d never really come right out and said it. Everything had been a hint at it. But hell, maybe this was just another hint at what was inevitable. On the other hand, I knew she’d been scared of him, so I was confused about what the hell was actually going on.

“She chooses,” Church murmured, a sad look in his eyes. Despite it, his voice was firm.

Asylum’s blue eyes sparkled. “Indeed she does, Dante. I think you’ll like where this is headed.”

“But not Sin,” Church continued, clearing his throat. “I’m open to the possibility of. . . you, but I will not entertain Sinclair Priest. Not after what he did to her and all the fucking shit it led to.”

I glanced at Stitches, who frowned and sat forward. I’d never really considered anything past Sin locking her in the coffin with Asylum, but Church’s words made me think. It really all snowballed from Sin’s decision. Perhaps none of this would have happened had Sin not done that.

Asylum didn’t move a muscle. He simply sat where he was, surveying Church.

When he finally spoke, his voice was soft and uncharacteristic of the psycho I knew.

“I am not without sin when it comes to my firefly. My forever girl. I think we are all guilty in some way in regard to her. Perhaps if we bonded in that darkness rather than repel one another, then maybe some good, some revenge, some beautiful retribution, could come from it. Let’s not be too hasty. Let’s allow her the time she needs to. . . blossom. To become our little monster.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, his words sending a chill through me. “What are you planning, Seth?”

“Asylum,” he corrected, looking to me. “That is my name. As for what I am planning. . . well, it’s not really me. It’s her. She wants revenge. I’ve promised it in any way I can make it happen for her. We. We. WE.” His legs bounced. He reached up and tugged at his black hair, and let out a snarl. “I fucking said we. Goddamn it.”

I shot a quick look to Stitches and Church to see them watching him with the same confused looks on their faces.

Asylum let out a ragged breath before snapping his head up and letting out a groan.

“Fuck. Shut the fuck up. I can’t get a fucking moment of silence. Just give me a fucking minute. I’ll tell them. I’m going to fucking do it. Fuck. FUCK.”

We watched as Asylum got to his feet abruptly, his chest heaving, his blue eyes flashing. He went to the wall and banged his head off it several times.

“What the fuck?” Stitches said, getting to his feet with Church and me.

“I said fucking shut up,” Asylum whispered.

We stood watching Asylum as he continued to stare at the wall, his breathing deep.

Finally, he turned to us, a trickle of blood running from his forehead and down the bridge of his nose.

“She wants revenge,” he murmured. “I’ve promised to let her have it. She wants to kill the person who hurt her. When she gives a name, we will secure whoever it was and let her have her way with him. There are no negotiations on this. She chooses. We’ve agreed.”

I swallowed thickly at his words.

“Did she say she wants to. . . kill him?” I asked, nausea twisting in my guts. The thought of my sweet heaven murdering someone made me sick in all sorts of ways. Not all those ways were bad, though. Some of them were a joyful sickness. The kind I tried to not let out.

Because I wanted whoever hurt her to be dead too.

But I wanted him to suffer first.

“He will suffer.” Asylum locked his eyes on mine. “We’ll make sure of it. Are you in, Asher Valentine?”

I nodded without a word. I wanted this for her. I wanted her to have her revenge. To feel in control again. She needed it, and I’d never deny her what she wanted or needed.

Asylum nodded back at me and looked to Stitches. “Malachi?”

“If it’s what she wants,” he said softly. “Then so be it.”

Asylum looked to Church, who stood emotionless in his spot, his green eyes dull.

“Dante?” Asylum asked. “Will you let this happen?”

Church was quiet for so long that I didn’t think he’d answer.

When he did, his words were fierce.

“On two conditions,” he said, stepping forward. “We play with him first if we get him.”

“Absolutely. Playtime is my favorite time.” Asylum’s eyes glimmered with wickedness. He licked his lips. “And the second condition?”

“If her hand fails her, I get to be the one to kill him.”

Asylum cocked his head to the left, the tiniest smile on his lips. “Are you certain that’s what you want, Dante? You eat everything you kill.”

“I am, and I do,” Church said, the gleam back in his eyes.

“I’ll let you use my favorite fork.” Asylum grinned.

“No need. I have my own.” A wicked smile spread across Church’s face. Chills raced along my skin.

“Then let’s get our little monster ready, shall we?” Asylum looked at us each in turn. “Let her blossom in her own unique way. We shouldn’t force it, but we should encourage it.”

We all gave him the confirmation he needed. His eyes sparkled, the blood still trickling down his face.

“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” he said, nodding.

I didn’t say a word, but I had a feeling he was closer to being right than wrong.

We just had to figure out how we were going to get past the Sinclair Priest problem because I actually did miss him and wanted him back.

Church needed to realize he was worth it.

I sent out a silent prayer that Sin proved it in the very near future.