The fire crackled in the sitting room as Celeste, Marcus, and Julian sat under the weight of an unspoken history. Marcus sipped from a glass of whiskey while Julian nervously tapped his fingers against the arm of the chair. Marco and Rollan stood watchfully near the door, their presence a silent reminder of the escalating tension. Liam had taken the animals out for a walk, oblivious to the storm brewing inside.
"Let's get to it," Celeste said, leaning forward. Her piercing gaze pinned Marcus in place. "You said you're still bound to me, but the last time I saw either of you, Riot was the one who…" She trailed off.
"Got rid of us?" Marcus finished with a bitter smirk. "Yeah, he did. But not in the way you think."
Marcus leaned back, swirling his glass. "Riot never trusted us, not since the moment he found out about our bond. He didn't like the idea of anyone having a claim on you that wasn't him. At first, he tried to intimidate us—threatened to expose The Circle, to make life hell for both of us if we didn't leave quietly."
"And then?" Celeste asked, her voice sharp.
Julian sighed. "And then he got creative. He set us up. Had people plant evidence linking us to…unspeakable things. We were forced to leave or face prison."
"Why didn't you come to me?" Celeste's voice cracked slightly.
"We tried," Marcus said, his voice hard. "But Riot kept you under his thumb. We couldn't get close without risking everything."
Before Celeste could respond, the front door creaked open. Liam entered, his cheeks flushed from the cold as two dogs scampered in behind him. He paused when he saw the tension in the room.
"Am I interrupting something?" he asked.
Celeste stood, her expression softening as she walked toward him. "No. Come in. There's someone you should meet."
She gestured toward Marcus and Julian. Liam's gaze flicked to them, his polite smile faltering slightly. "So, these are the infamous Marcus and Julian."
Marcus extended a hand, his charm slipping effortlessly into place. "And you must be Liam. I've heard…so much about you."
The handshake lingered a second too long, and Liam's brow furrowed as he pulled away.
Julian stood as well, nodding awkwardly. "Nice to meet you," he said, his tone subdued compared to Marcus's smooth confidence.
The rest of the evening passed uneventfully—or so it seemed. After a tense dinner, Marcus and Julian were escorted off the property by Marco and Rollan. Celeste stood on the porch, watching as the car carrying her former binders disappeared into the darkness.
But the night wasn't done with her yet.
Hours later, as Celeste sat alone in the library, her phone buzzed with an alert. It was a breaking news notification:
"Car accident on Route 17 leaves one dead. Victim identified as Julian Ellis, former associate of pop icon Celeste."
Celeste's stomach dropped. She opened the article, skimming the details. Julian's car had gone off the road and collided with a tree. Authorities were calling it a "freak accident."
But Celeste knew better.
She clenched her phone, her mind racing. Had The Circle silenced Julian? Or was there something—or someone—else at play?
Marcus returned the next morning, his expression grim but his demeanor eerily calm. "Julian's gone," he said simply, standing in the doorway.
"I know," Celeste replied, her voice hollow.
Marcus stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "I'm staying."
"What?"
"I'm not leaving you alone, Celeste. Not now. Not with everything happening."
Liam appeared at the top of the stairs, his expression unreadable. "If he's staying, he follows the rules," he said.
Marcus turned to him, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Of course."
The weeks that followed were a blur of adjustments. Marcus settled into the guest house, though he seemed to spend more time in the main house than not. Celeste, Liam, and Marcus began falling into a rhythm—one that felt surprisingly natural despite the lingering tension.
But something else began to stir beneath the surface.
One chilly evening, as the three of them sat by the fireplace, Liam spoke up. "There's something strange about this…bond you two share," he said, his tone careful.
Marcus glanced at Celeste, his smirk returning. "It's more than strange. It's…spiritual."
Liam's gaze lingered on Marcus, his expression conflicted. "I think I can feel it."
Celeste's breath caught. She had noticed it, too—the subtle shifts in Liam's behavior, the way his eyes sometimes lingered on Marcus. And Marcus…well, he wasn't exactly subtle.
"What are you saying?" Celeste asked, her voice low.
Liam hesitated. "I'm saying…maybe we should embrace it. All of it. Together."
Marcus's smirk widened. "I like the way you think."
The idea took root quickly. They began experimenting with rituals—small, harmless things at first. Celeste suggested they use fish blood as offerings, constructing a beautiful pond in the backyard to serve as their source. Liam and Marcus seemed satisfied with the arrangement, unaware of the deeper sacrifices Celeste was still making in secret for Eleanor.
For the first time in years, Celeste felt a strange sense of balance. But beneath the surface, the secrets she kept threatened to unravel everything.
…