Mephitic (Anathema #2) - Yolanda Olson Page 0,18

willing to claim it.

“No thanks, Red,” Lakyn replies as he glances at me in the rearview mirror. “I want him to meet his Aunt Beatrix. Maybe after.”

He smirks at Aftyn who’s turned to face him. I can see how angry he is because his neck is crimson, but instead of speaking back, Aftyn shifts to face the windshield and slumps in the seat.

I think it’s nice that he’s finally listening to his father. After all, isn’t that what good children are supposed to do?

I’ve never been a good kid, and I don’t even remember my parents, but if Lakyn was my daddy I’d probably be inclined to listen. They go quiet and I lean back in the seat, laying the side of my head against the cool glass. It still smells like that bitch in here, so I’ll have to do something about that eventually.

I never did have a car of my own, but I think Lakyn would let me have this one considering he probably won’t want it after we get back.

But I decide not to let my thoughts settle on Willa. Not when I can still smell the faint scent of dried blood just underneath where my chin is.

Based on what I saw, it doesn’t seem realistic that those two had the balls to off anyone themselves. Even though Aftyn told Willa he killed Dexter… no one actually saw the body. Although, by now I’m pretty confident that when Aftyn said this was supposed to be a two-person trip, he meant it.

He could have just knocked the other guy out though and left him in the bathroom.

“Hey,” I say, reaching around and tapping him on his shoulder.

Aftyn jumps damn near out of his skin as he swats my hand away and glares at my reflection in the side mirror.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” he barks.

Lakyn chuckles but doesn’t intercede. I think he’s interested by the possible exchange we’re going to have, so I may as well make it worth his while.

“You never did tell me about this bloodstain,” I say as innocently as I can. “Did Willa do it? It must have been her ‘cause it doesn’t seem like you’ve got the best parts of your dad inside of you. You just wear it where it can be seen like a mask, but you suppress the rest. How come?”

Lakyn lets out an impressed, low whistle.

I grin and decide to dig at Aftyn a little deeper when he just grits his teeth harder.

“Or maybe you just got your period? Is that what happened? I think that’d be more believable than you taking out Willa’s bestie.” I glance over at his dad. “Hey, Lakyn? Maybe we should stop for tampons at some point. Don’t know if Aftyn’s pussy has dried up yet.”

Suddenly my head jerks back and light explodes in front of my eyes. A searing pain begins to burn through my face as I hit the back seat and immediately raise my hands to my face.

“I told you to shut the fuck up,” Aftyn seethes quietly.

I blink rapidly a few times trying to shake the cobwebs away and my eyes water when the pain starts to take hold. I’m not crying because he hurt my feelings, hell, it’s the most impressive thing he’s done so far. It’s just the body’s natural reaction to being sucker punched by a crybaby.

“Didn’t think you had it in you,” Lakyn tells him with a smirk. “But try not to do that again, eh?”

“You want some too?” Aftyn snaps at him.

Lakyn laughs good-naturedly as he goes back to his music and to ignoring his son.

Though I’m honestly starting to doubt the parentage here. Aftyn may look like Lakyn, yet he doesn’t seem to have his confidence. Or at the very least, he lost it back in the woods somewhere—if he had any part in killing that couple at all.

I reach for my backpack and start rifling around inside of it. The knife I took from the woods still has flecks of Willa’s blood near the handle and, apparently, Aftyn wants to join her.

Which is quite fine by me, and probably Lakyn too.

I pull the knife out and start to move toward Aftyn when the truck suddenly swerves onto the side of the road.

I hit the door hard because I wasn’t expecting it, and I almost end up cutting myself too.

“What the fuck?” Aftyn barks at Lakyn, who’s watching me through the rearview mirror.

“Get out, kid. I think we need some rules,” he tells Aftyn, his