Echoes (Dance with My Demons #2)

32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Damon

The candle in my room flickers, sending shadows into havoc, climbing up the walls.

I'm sipping on a glass of aged bourbon, the bottle on the bed next to me as I wait.

I've sent Grey to search through Arthur's office for information. He's probably due back any minute with his findings. It's around two in the morning—we probably only have five hours before Arthur returns. He'll know immediately that we've been in there, and I'm expecting backlash.

But I can barely focus on that.

I'm repentant, disgusted with myself.

I don't remember the last time I lost control. I'm supposed to be the master of it, the one who never falters. After all, I'm setting the example. The society needs me, now more than ever, and for a brief thirty seconds, I nearly ruined everything I have worked hard to build.

And I fucking did the unthinkable.

Not only did I enter into a period of mania, breaking my most absolute rule… I did it with fucking Avery .

I cannot stand her. Her docile act, her knack for getting into trouble. She has everyone wrapped around her little fingers… except for me.

I was tolerating her for the sake of Grey, but slowly, somewhere along the way, I think she got to me as well.

In retrospect, I should have seen it coming. From the first moment she argued back, to the time she slapped me, I should have recognized that I had her figured out wrong.

Avery isn't like the other women here. Underneath the layers of nauseating emotions, she's fearless. She has no regard for herself, and while that normally wouldn't bother me, today it did for some reason.

She's been treating me like I'm her friend .

I'm not her fucking friend. I'm her leader.

But the way she smiles and jokes with me, as if she's not afraid of repercussions, it's something I haven't dealt with in a long time.

I'm used to people bowing down, following orders, and respecting me out of fear, but never has anyone at Lilydale treated me like a friend.

Like they're my equal.

It's outrageous. I should have put a stop to it long ago, strangled her with my reins. I should have impaled her on my crown, choked her with my thorns. But I've been too distracted with Cirque business.

And now she's infecting me like a virus.

My door opens and I gaze up as Grey walks in, covered in blood. I shouldn't be surprised to see him like that, but I thought we had a window where they wouldn't be disturbed.

Unless it's Avery blood. That would solve all my problems right now.

"Damon," he greets coldly, and instantly, I know.

She told him.

"Grey," I mutter back, holding the glass to my lips as I take another sip. "Did you find anything?"

He leans against the wall, body tense and emanating danger. "No, I didn't."

"I see you had a run-in with someone," I point out, tilting the glass toward his blood-stained shirt.

"A new guard interrupted us," he replies casually. "He's no longer with us."

I nod. "Fair enough. Why don't you get on with it?" I direct, knowing he's biting his tongue.

Grey's eyes darken at my standoffish attitude, anger and tension bouncing between us.

"You kissed her."

"Don't remind me."

His eyes flash, staring at me wildly. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" he asks, and for once, I'm not sure if he's referring to the fact I lost control, or because I kissed Avery.

My eyes narrow on his, lowering the glass. "It was a mistake," I spit out angrily. "A simple moment of pathetic weakness. It won't happen again."

"It better not," he warns. "Because I'll knock you off your throne so fast, Deadman."

"I'd like to see you try," I snap back. "But that's beside the point." I take a pause, knowing there's only one thing left to do. I hate doing it, but for him, I'll give in.

"And what's that?"

"I'm sorry."

It's the sincerest apology I can muster. At the end of the day, he is the one I care the most about in this place, and I'm not too proud to realize that I've fucked up with him. He's my brother, my best friend… the one I need for the next steps in my plan.

Grey goes quiet for a moment, surveying me. Finally, he calms down, some of the anger leaving his face.

"Don't ever touch her again," he growls quietly. "You don't even like her."

Now it's my turn to fall silent. I want to agree with him more than anything. But truthfully, I'm not sure what I feel. It's all foreign to me, and I hate myself for it.

"Damon," he snaps. " Do you like her ?"

"I don't know," I grumble. "I tolerate her. But perhaps she's growing on me. She's shown us great loyalty recently."

He gazes at me incredulously, lost for words. Shaking my head, I finish the contents of my drink, putting the glass down.

"Don't overthink it, Grey. It was a mistake. It's not going to happen again. Even if she does mean something, it's nothing compared to what she means to you. I have other things I need to focus on."

"I want to kill you," he admits with a growl. "But I won't."

"How noble of you," I taunt, taking a deep breath to steady myself. "So, nothing in Arthur's office?"

Grey's face softens, a small smile appearing on his face. "We couldn't see anything. I was then distracted. I would prepare for some fallout in the morning."

I rub my forehead. "Grey… is there a dead body in his office?"

"Yes," he replies coolly. "And his desk will need replacing. He won't be pleased."

"When is he ever?"

He stalks over, swiping the bottle of bourbon off the bed. Popping off the cap, he takes a swig, sitting down next to me. "I've put Avery to bed. We had to detour so she could take a shower. I think you should call a meeting tomorrow."

I nod in agreement. "We'll do it at free time. I don't think this can wait. Tell everyone in the morning."

Grey stands, taking the bottle with him. "I'll do that." He pauses at the door, looking over his shoulder. "And Deadman? That conversation isn't finished yet. Don't fuck with her. I'll let it go this time, but if you do it again, you'll have a different war on your hands."

I linger around the facility, watching everyone carefully.

So far, the day has started like normal. No one has said anything about the events of last night. I expected Arthur to come barreling through my door this morning, but there was no sign of him.

It's eerily quiet and peaceful, not what I was expecting at all.

Everyone is either in their rooms or in their professional appointments—a few people passing by with guards as I wait by the library entrance for Grey.

When he arrives, we head inside for some privacy, sitting at the back of the room.

"The society is ready," he says, kicking his feet up onto the table. "We'll meet here at the start of free time."

"Good," I reply, leaning back in my seat. "Bring Avery and Ashwood too."

Grey's eyes narrow slightly but he just nods. "I'll grab her at free time. I believe she's with Dr. Markel at the moment and then has an appointment with that new asshole."

Movement out of the corner of my eye catches my attention, and I watch, bemused as Ashwood strolls into the library. He makes a beeline for us, and judging by the look on his face, he followed us in.

"What can I do for you?" I ask as he stops at the edge of the table.

The two other men exchange a glance, more pleasant than usual. I can't help but note that apparently Avery also has the skill of bringing peace—impressive when you consider the fact that it's between two of the most psychotic men in here.

"I'm waiting here for Avery. I'm not letting her out of my sight," Ashwood says casually, taking a seat.

I raise an eyebrow. "Aren't you meant to be in a session?"

"Aren't you ?" he shoots back.

Laughing, I close my eyes. Theo Ashwood and myself are cut from the same cloth—and I can respect that.

All of us are meant to be in session or locked away, but we fight the system, because we know that they are just wasting their time. We don't need salvation—we'd rather slit our own throats than be subjected to that psychobabble bullshit.

"She with Elsher?" Grey asks Ashwood, who nods in reply.

"I'll grab her from the guard when she's out," he answers. "I don't trust anyone."

"For good reason," I snipe back.

The library door swings open with a bang, cutting me off. The three of us look over, my eyebrows lifting in surprise as Christopher storms toward us. Grey rises from his seat, ready to grab him, but I hold my hand up, wanting to hear him out.

"Christopher," I greet. "Shouldn't you be working?"

He glances over at Theo. "Someone didn't turn up for their session—yet again."

"You can save your breath. I'm not interested," he replies firmly. "You can wait for your next patient and play with your dick for all I care."

Christopher turns his attention to me, appearing more frazzled than usual. "What the fuck did you do, Damon?"

I look at him innocently. " I haven't done anything. But go on then—elaborate for us."

"Arthur is going insane," he spits out. "They found the mutilated body of a guard in his office this morning."

My eyes shift to Grey, who just shrugs, answering casually. "He pissed me off."

Looking back to Christopher, I wave my hand around lazily. "You have your answer. Off you go."

"You don't understand," he says through clenched teeth. "You've just set things in motion. It's happening— today ."

I raise an eyebrow, leaning forward. "What is?"

Christopher scoffs. "Don't play stupid with me, Damon. You know exactly what Arthur's plan is. You think you're the only one who does? I've known all along. That's why I tried to stop it."

Grey looks at me, concern etched on his face. "Deadman…"

"What do you mean you tried to stop it?" I ask, curiosity getting the better of me. I always suspected that Christopher may have had an idea of the real secrets of Lilydale, but a bigger part of me figured he was here just to piss me off.

Christopher runs a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "Avery's been on Arthur's list for a while. And whatever you fucking did has pushed him over the edge."

"Get to your fucking point," I snap, getting frustrated.

He takes a breath, eyes darting between the three of us. "I'm the one who framed Avery. I had someone plant the staff card in her pocket."

The three of us fly out of our seats. Before I can stop him, Grey has Christopher by the throat, slamming him into a bookshelf.

" You fucking framed her?" he yells.

I walk over, putting my hand on Grey's shoulder. We can't afford another homicide right now. "Hold on a minute," I say to Grey, fury underlining my voice. "I want to hear him out first."

Christopher falls to his feet as Grey lets go, fists curled. My cousin straightens up, looking directly at me.

"I was trying to get her out of Lilydale," he says sharply. "That way Arthur and your father couldn't get to her. I knew she was a target."

Theo storms over, shoving my shoulder to get my attention. "What the hell is he talking about?"

My mind spins endlessly in circles, trying to make sense of Christopher's confession. We knew it was a possibility, but I assumed with Avery being close to Grey, they would go for someone easier.

I run my hand over my face, stepping back. "Fuck."

"Someone better tell me what the fuck is going on right now," Theo snaps.

Grey breathes heavily, trying to calm himself. His fists are shaking, desperate to hit something. "We need to find Avery—now."

I turn to Theo, realizing I have no choice but to tell him. We need everyone on board, and right now, we need his help too.

"My family owns the facility, Ashwood. They have a very generous financial contract in place with the government—human testing on mentally ill youths for scientific research. It's how they get the bulk of their money."

Theo stares at me, wild-eyed. "And they are planning on conducting science experiments on Avery? On all of us?"

I nod, glancing over at Grey. "We've managed to stop it the past few months, but they will be getting desperate. Charitable donations aren't enough to cover the maintenance costs to run this place. That's why I invented Cirque des Morts— to stop them."

"Where's Avery?" he spits out, looking at Christopher. "Where the fuck is she right now?"

Christopher looks at us with a troubled glance. "She's with Dr. Elsher, I believe."

Grey shoves him out of the way, heading toward the library doors. Theo and I quickly follow, Christopher tailing us.

As we barrel into the corridor, I spot Jillian, darting toward us with a panicked expression.

"Damon!" she shouts, skidding to a halt in front of me. "We've lost access to the cameras. Everything has gone offline. They've taken back control."

My stomach drops. I swing my head to look at Grey, trepidation on both of our faces. "Find her—right fucking now."