Verboten: An Inferno World Novella

He took a step forward, leaned against the tree, and crossed his arms over his black T-shirt. I couldn’t see his eyes until he pulled his sunglasses off his face. The dark orbs pulled me in, and when he crooked his finger at me in the same way I had at his fight, I stepped forward toward what I knew would be the life I was always meant to lead.

thigh and pointed at me as he waned down to chuckles. “I knew it.” He shook his head. “Not so different after all, are you, baby brother?”

“Fuck. You.” My nostrils flared and I stared right into his face. He may have always had the upper hand on me when I was younger, but he had no idea the damage I would cause and lengths I would go to to protect my niece.

“Why don’t you just admit that you’ve fucked her?” He leaned back in the seat, his lips pulled up into a shit-eating grin. “Why can’t you say that you like being inside pussy that came from your bloodline?”

I ground my teeth together, not willing to answer because it was more than that. It was more with Beth, both she and I knew that, and I didn’t have to explain it to him.

The silence stretched between us and finally he stood. “It’s not your fault.” His voice was softer now, and I looked over at him. “It’s just the way we are.” He shrugged and pushed his hands into his pockets. “You gotta accept it and live the life you wanna live, and if that means fucking her”—he tilted his head at Beth—“then so be it.”

He moved across the living room, halting at the door, and glanced back. I didn’t know if he was waiting for an answer, but I didn’t expect him to say, “I hope you got rid of the weapon, wouldn’t want that young thing being all on her own with only her uncle Pater to help her, would you?”

I heard his threat loud and clear, though I doubted if he’d follow through with it. Either way, he had nothing to worry about and neither did Beth. I’d take this secret to my grave, whether that was sooner or later.

thigh and pointed at me as he waned down to chuckles. “I knew it.” He shook his head. “Not so different after all, are you, baby brother?”

“Fuck. You.” My nostrils flared and I stared right into his face. He may have always had the upper hand on me when I was younger, but he had no idea the damage I would cause and lengths I would go to to protect my niece.

“Why don’t you just admit that you’ve fucked her?” He leaned back in the seat, his lips pulled up into a shit-eating grin. “Why can’t you say that you like being inside pussy that came from your bloodline?”

I ground my teeth together, not willing to answer because it was more than that. It was more with Beth, both she and I knew that, and I didn’t have to explain it to him.

The silence stretched between us and finally he stood. “It’s not your fault.” His voice was softer now, and I looked over at him. “It’s just the way we are.” He shrugged and pushed his hands into his pockets. “You gotta accept it and live the life you wanna live, and if that means fucking her”—he tilted his head at Beth—“then so be it.”

He moved across the living room, halting at the door, and glanced back. I didn’t know if he was waiting for an answer, but I didn’t expect him to say, “I hope you got rid of the weapon, wouldn’t want that young thing being all on her own with only her uncle Pater to help her, would you?”

I heard his threat loud and clear, though I doubted if he’d follow through with it. Either way, he had nothing to worry about and neither did Beth. I’d take this secret

I covered Beth’s body with a blanket as the detectives left, telling us that when she woke up she’d need to head to the station and then stay in a hotel. In the meantime, all that was left in this house were me, her, and my oldest brother, Luke.

The man who took what he was brought up with to the next level. We’d only heard murmurings about who he was and what he’d done in his life. I’d even gone to his house once and seen the way he lived, but I hadn’t stayed longer than an hour.

His house was full of demons no priest could exorcise.

Luke leaned back in the chair that Hal had always sat in and stared down at Beth. I hated the way he was looking at her, but I also knew she wasn’t to his taste. There wasn’t enough of his blood running through her veins for him to entertain the notion of her.

“She’s such a small innocent girl, huh?” I gritted my teeth, not willing to let him bait me. He raised his brow and I crossed my arms over my chest where I stood against the wall. “I wonder if Hal ever felt what it was like to be inside his own flesh and—”

“Shut the fuck up!” I roared, his words too close to home for comfort.

His answer was to laugh at me. A full-blown laugh that made him err on the edge of crazy. He slapped his hand against his

We’d taken two lives without thought, and part of me wished I hated myself for it, but I didn’t.

The voices continued on around me, but none of them mattered, not until Uncle Jacob’s mixed in.

I lifted my head, my gaze finding his as he stepped farther into the room, and I blinked. I was starting to doubt our story holding up, not just because I’d been up all night, but the lack of sleep was also coupled with the pounding of my head where I’d done a too good job at trying to knock myself out for the sake of our story.

“Baby girl,” he sighed, and crouched down in front of me. “I’m so sorry.” His words rang true, but I knew he wasn’t talking about their lives no longer being in rotation, but what had been happening before that. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled my head to his chest where he proceeded to rock me. “You’re doing good, baby girl. I promise, it’ll all be over soon.”

I closed my eyes and let his body engulf mine, wishing I had a fast-forward button that could bring me out on the other side.

We’d taken two lives without thought, and part of me wished I hated myself for it, but I didn’t.

The voices continued on around me, but none of them mattered, not until Uncle Jacob’s mixed in.

I lifted my head, my gaze finding his as he stepped farther into the room, and I blinked. I was starting to doubt our story

Uncle Jacob.

“Beth?” he asked, his deep voice causing my back to straighten. My body screamed at me to move away from him, but it was the veiled look in his eyes that had me nodding my head in answer. “I’m so sorry for your loss.” He was saying the words, but I felt the edge to them. It was the same edge I had, like he didn’t give a shit about the fact that someone had just been murdered. “I’m your uncle.”

He moved over to my dad’s chair, and all I could think about was that being the first thing I would burn from this house. I’d burn it all down to the ground if I didn’t need to sell it.

I nodded at the man I’d never met before.

“I called Jacob, he’s on his way.” He lifted a brow but when I didn’t say anything, he turned to face one of the detectives. “Can you tell me what happened.”

Night turned into morning, and I was still sitting in my living room, surrounded with officers when another man entered the house. It was a man I’d never met before, but as soon as he looked at me, I knew he was a relative. There was no mistaking the same way his lips curved like Dad’s or the

here.”

I groaned at the thought, let the knife tumble from my grip, and lifted up onto my tiptoes. “I want you to.”

He bent down and hooked his arms around my thighs, coercing me to wrap my legs around his waist, and moved us over to my bed. Within seconds he’d pulled his jeans down and entered me, and I didn’t care one bit that there were two dead bodies lying at our feet.

“You’re so fuckin' hot right now.” He dipped his head down and pressed his lips to mine, but it wasn’t the quick kiss he’d given me outside not fifteen minutes ago. This one was so much more than that. He dipped his tongue inside my mouth and twirled it with mine, pressing his body against me and showing me how turned on he was.

“So are you,” I managed to say when I pulled away and caught my breath.

“If it wasn’t for the fact that we need to come up with a plan, I’d fuck you right