Glen and his boyfriend Aiden live a mostly peaceful life in New York City, but then Aiden’s abusive ex, Stephan, comes back into the picture. After an odd encounter with a Catholic priest, Glen begins acting strangely.<br><br>He attributes it to stress at first, but then things get even worse. Glen experiences mental blackouts, and when he comes to, he finds he has been up to no good. A stolen wallet here, a violent loss of temper there, and an unsettling trend of nightmares plague him.<br><br>Glen prays he isn’t losing his mind and hopes he can regain control of himself, but when Stephan slips back into old habits and goes after Aiden, the darkness in Glen’s soul takes over again. Can Glen subdue his inner demons before they consume him, or is it already too late?

Vitia ex Virtus

“Sweetheart, say something,” Glen urged, keeping his tone low and calm even though a storm raged inside him. Aiden remained silent. Glen sighed. “Did Stephan do this to you?” he asked, lightly touching one of the bite marks on Aiden’s arm.


Glen’s knuckles cracked as he balled his hands into fists. “Did he force himself on you?”


Aiden froze. He didn’t even appear to be breathing. Glen didn’t know how he hadn’t dried out yet, but more tears continued to flow from Aiden’s eyes. He got up to get Aiden a glass of water instead. That Aiden took, still staring at the mug on the table, and sipped at it.


“It just happened,” he murmured, so quietly Glen had to strain to hear.


Glen sat on the couch next to him. “Tell me. Tell me what happened.”


Chapter 32