Chapter 13

The clock had ticked past nine thirty by the time the house fell silent. He listened at her door for another ten minutes to ensure she was finally out.

One desire consumed him as he bounded down the stairs.

Simon

Of course Celeste had bolted the door, forcing Seth to stop and painstakingly open each of the half-dozen locks. He was out of practice. It had been over two years since the room had been used for either one of them.

Celeste called the space her penance chamber, but for Simon and Seth it was at best a prison. At its worst, the stink of blood and urine baked into the stone walls choked off any hope of freedom or fresh air. No number of drains in the floor could ever truly cleanse away the stains, while echoes of their screams haunted any entrance, merited or not

Today was a worst kind of day. Because Seth knew what would greet him once he got inside.