Tacet a Mortuis (The Elite King's Club 3)

“I—I...” Now I was the one rendered speechless. He looked more on edge than normal. His messy fine dark hair was scruffy on his head, his face showed a couple day’s stubble, the lines around his mouth were more indented than normal, and his eyes, so dark, so haunting, like the peak of midnight on a calm bleak night, looked—tormented. He wore a dark hoodie and jeans.

“Madison,” he slurred in his half accent.

“Daemon, I—” I launched toward him, my arms squeezing around his torso. “God, I missed you so much!” I didn’t even realize that tears were pouring out of my eyes, wetting his hoodie. His body was stiff, his arms refusing to reciprocate my hug.

“Adfui etiam…”

I didn’t have my app to translate, and I didn’t care what he had said, just that he had said anything at all meant a lot to me. Finally, an arm hooked around my waist and he buried his face in my hair.

“Sorry. So sorry, Madison.”

“Shhh.” I squeezed him tighter. Daemon hadn’t been a part of my life for very long, but as soon as I saw him, I knew. He knew. We had an instant bond and now I could never imagine my life without him. Probably had something to do with the fact that we were twins. “Nothing matters. It doesn’t matter. Dad is getting your charges lifted, and hell, I’ll lie on oath and say it was someone else that I didn’t see—just to get you out.”

I took this chance to look up at him. God he was beautiful.

“Madison, amore perit.” His thumb softly pushed away my tears, then he leaned toward my ear and whispered, “Love dies.” I really needed to take some Latin Classes If I was ever going to keep up with these boys and the language they all speak so fluently.

I sobered. “I’m starting to realize that.” I walked in farther and he closed the door behind me. Taking a seat on his bed, I drew my knees up to my chest.

“Have you…” he paused, searching for the word he was looking for. His lack of knowledge of English has warmed to me, and I usually just end his sentences now.

“Told him that I loved him?”

He nodded, his brows furrowing in worry.

“No,” I shook my head. “And I guess, he wouldn’t want to hear it now.”

“Why?” he inquired, walking toward the bed and taking a seat beside me. I lay back, my hands coming to rest behind my head. “I guess I messed up. I sort of kissed Nate—again, and Brantley, when I shouldn’t have wanted them all, all this time, and I haven’t wanted them, but there were times when I did want them all. But I love Bishop, and he’s irreplaceable in all sense of the word, but I also have so much anger toward him with this life, the secrets he has held from me, and for the love of God.” I sat up, resting on my elbows. “He knows something about Tillie!” I’m well aware my imbalanced brother probably didn’t give a flying fuck about my teen drama, but I also knew that he probably didn’t know what the fuck I was talking about.

He visibly stilled beside me, and I turned to face him. “Daemon?”

He shook his head and sighed. “She safe. For now.”

“What!” I shoot off the bed. “What do you mean? What do you know?”

“Too much,” was all he said, absently looking over my shoulder. He laid backward and curled into a ball, and my chest tightened. He was suffering so much, and I couldn’t do anything to help him.

Leaving him to get through what he was battling with, I left his bedroom and walked into mine. He knew something about Tillie too. I needed to see her. She needed to come home and keep Nate on a leash. Flopping down onto my unmade bed, I cringed at how it felt. The sheets felt like betrayal and the pillows smelled of deceit. I quickly flew to my feet and stripped my bed clean. I carried the sheets out my door and dropped them in the hallway, walking to the linen cupboard and taking out fresh pillowcases, sheets and then search for a blanket cover.

“Come on,” I groaned, flipping through the masses of linen but coming out with nothing. I sunk onto the floor, fighting tears again. I majorly fucked up.

“You ok?” Nate asked, coming toward me. “No offense, but you don’t look too good.”

I snorted, wiping my nose and swallowing through the swollen boulder in my throat. “I—I’ll be fine.” Then I move my eyes to his. “I need to go see Bishop.”

“Ah, I don’t think that’s a very good idea right now, just saying…”

Standing to my feet, I shove everything back into the closet and close it. “I’m going to see him, Nate. Whether he wants to see me or not.”