Noxious (Anathema #1) - Yolanda Olson Page 0,12

that it’s finally happening.

“Yeah?” I ask softly.

“Remember; me first.”

His trembling lip gives way to a devious grin and I nod in agreement. He wants to make the first strike because he wants her to understand why, and I can honestly say that I admire him for that.

I cringe when I realize that his mother is going to bed without even showering. When her sweaty panties and skirt drop on the carpet, I reach over and turn Aftyn’s face away. He shouldn’t have to smell the stench of whore on her because I’m sure hearing it was enough to stoke the flames of rage inside of him as it is.

His breathing is normal which tells me that he’s in control of his emotions. When he interlaces his fingers with mine, I know that he’s ready. But when the confident look in his eyes is accompanied with that damn signature sneer of his, I know it’s time to play.

Aftyn lets go of my hand as he slides out from one side and I from the other. His mother lets out a scream because she wasn’t expecting us to be here, and when she begins to shout at him for being in her room, I reach forward, grab a fistful of her hair, and yank her back toward me.

Aftyn climbs onto the bed, knees on either side of her legs and leans down into her face, “Hi, Mom.”

She begins to struggle violently against me when he places the small hatchet on the other side of his knee, but I tighten my grip and put the blade of mine against her throat.

“I’m not gonna be able to hold onto the bitch much longer,” I bark at him as she reaches up and scratches the side of my face.

“Sorry, Wills. I just wanted her to look into the eyes she hates the most one last time,” he tells me quietly before he picks up his hatchet again, raises it over his head, then brings it down as hard as he can, and when he hesitates for the slightest second, I tell him what he needs to hear.

“Do it, Aftyn. She deserves it.”

Nine

Caught in the Middle

Dexter

I’ve been feeling sick for the past hour or so, but I haven’t spoken up yet. Partly because Aftyn is sound asleep, but mostly because I don’t think he’d be too happy if we stopped again.

My eyes are slightly open as I watch the world outside go by in a blur. We finally made it out of New York about twenty minutes ago. I’m not sure what states are next, but I’ve never been outside of Scarsdale so this should be a great chance to see the world beyond the town’s limits.

I reach up and gingerly touch the bump on the back of my head. It isn’t wet anymore so I know it’s stopped bleeding, which means I should be okay sooner rather than later. One less thing for Aftyn to hate me over.

“Hey.”

I turn my head a little too quickly toward the front of the truck, grimace, then smile at Willa’s eyes in the rear-view mirror.

“Hey,” I reply softly.

“How you doing back there?” she asks as she turns her eyes toward the highway again.

I shrug. “I’m okay, I guess. I’m not bleeding anymore.”

She nods, then steals a glance at Aftyn who shifts in his chair, then goes back to snoring quietly.

“He could sleep through a goddamn nuclear war,” she says with a chuckle.

I lean my head against the window again and go back to watching the blurry shadows of the landscape and occasional headlights of random cars breezing by us.

“Can I ask you something?” Willa finally says after a few moments of silence.

“Sure.”

“How the hell did you get into the back of the car without me seeing you?”

I steal a glance at her eyes, smile nervously and wonder if I should tell her the truth. But when Aftyn shifts in his chair again, then sits up, I know the conversation is over.

“Where are we?” he asks in a groggy tone. I can hear the sound of him smacking his lips and it makes me smile. I don’t want to fuck Aftyn—at least I don’t think I do, but I wouldn’t mind touching his mouth. To me, it’s his best feature and deserves a little bit of praise.

“New Jersey.”

“I guess that’s better than nothing,” he remarks as he sits up and leans forward. I close my eyes and listen to the sound of his bones popping as he stretches, then do