Chapter 27: Ashes Between Us
The apartment felt like a tomb after our fight, silence pressing in from every wall. Mom stayed in her room, door locked, muffled sobs leaking through like cracks in the plaster. I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling, the hum in my chest reduced to a low, aching throb. Edenville's shadow clung to me—Paul, the stranger Mom called love, tied to that city of snakes where Dad's killers and Mystery M waited. The paper from his car, Marcus's name circled, burned in my pocket, a ghost from Norwegick's past.
Sleep never came. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Dad's face, his laugh over Secretburgers, then Mom's tears, then Paul—snaking through my skull like poison. The hum whispered, urging me to move, to hunt.
By dawn, I was done pacing. The air was too heavy, too full of lies. Not just Mom's—Denis's too. He'd known about Paul, tracked her Edenville trip, fed me smooth bullshit: Nothing suspicious, Ella. She's safe. Relax. All while my mother fell for a man who could be one of them.
The hum spiked hot, pulsing at my temples. Denis had crossed a line.
Mom emerged, face swollen, eyes red-rimmed. She didn't look at me, just poured coffee, hands shaking. The sight might've broken me once, but not now—not after she'd gutted me with her fairy tale. The hum roared, drowning her silent plea.
"I'm going out," I said, voice sharp as a blade.
She flinched. "Ella, please—"
"No." My words sliced through the air. "Not now."
Her lips trembled, but I didn't wait. I yanked on my jacket, boots hammering the floor, the hum screaming for blood. The paper with Marcus's name felt heavy, a lead to answers—or a trap.
Outside, the morning hit like a slap—cold, gray, merciless. I pulled out my phone, thumb hovering over Denis's number. He'd answer. He always did. And when he did, I wouldn't be calm. I wouldn't be patient.
The Female King doesn't forgive liars.
I hit call, my voice ice when he picked up. "Meet me. Now. Docks. Ten minutes."
"Ella, what's—" Denis started, but I cut him off.
"Shut up. Be there."
The docks stank of fish and rust, waves slapping the piers. Denis stood by a crate, his slick smile faltering as I approached, knife tucked in my sleeve. The hum buzzed, sniffing for lies.
"Talk," I said, stepping close. "Paul. Edenville. You knew."
His eyes darted. "Ella, it's not what you think. Paul's just—"
"Don't," I hissed, the hum roaring. "You lied to me. You watched her fall for some Edenville trash while you fed me fairy tales about her being safe. Do you have any idea what I almost did last night? What I almost became?"
Denis swallowed hard, hands raised slightly. "I didn't want to hurt you. I thought maybe—maybe she deserved something good. For once."
I pressed the knife handle, my rage trembling through my fingers. "Good men don't survive in Edenville, Denis. And if Paul's tied to them—even a little—you'll wish I only came at you with this knife."
Denis's face paled. The hum steadied, waiting.