The Burning Roses : A Thornes & Roses Prequel: A twisted, taboo short story by Dani René

Author:Dani René [René, Dani]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781739935207
Publisher: Dani René Books
Published: 2021-08-18T18:30:00+00:00

5

Brody

I’m dressed all in black. The outfits we chose will allow us to hide in the shadows to ensure Mali’s fearful glances as she races through the woods won’t spot us easily. With my balaclava in hand, my stomach twists in knowing. Tonight, things will change. I’ll dip into the darkness that resides within me, and I’ll give in to the monster that I’ve hidden so well since coming to Thorne Haven.

My mind focuses on what we’re doing tonight. I can’t wait to see the fear in those pretty eyes when we get Mali all alone. I take after Creed more than he can stand. I know my brother is wary of me at times, and I don’t blame him. But there are things in my past that have made me the way I am.

When I came to Thorne Haven, I was a broken kid. I didn’t know how to be around good people. Even now, I struggle when it comes to normal interactions. Perhaps my real folks broke me so bad, I’ll never heal from it.

The nightmares have stopped, but the lingering images that flit through my mind are still there—the scenes I witnessed when I was far too young to know about them. I swing my leg over my bike and start the engine. The roar of the beast between my legs settles my anxiety, and I pull out of the garage before snaking down the long driveway.

Thorne manor isn’t far, and in the dim light of the silver moon, I can see the turrets which peek through the trees. This is a ghost town, not because there aren’t any people living here, but because there are so many secrets hidden amongst the trees, and within the walls of both our homes, they haunt us daily.

I want to dive into the history of the town. I crave to learn just what went on here in the past, but Dad doesn’t want us digging up old wives’ tales. That’s what he said anyway.

When he found me in the library going through the enormous tomes, he told me to focus on school. And since then, he’s moved all the volumes to his office. But what he doesn’t know is I’ll find out what he’s hiding and when I do, I’ll bring it all to light.

It’s not long when I’m pulling up to the front door of the Thorne home and killing the engine. I kick out the bike stand and saunter into the house to find the guys on the patio.

Guests mill around the garden, drinks in hand, all of them our age. Students from the local college, and seniors from the high school, are all mingling with each other. The music is so loud, it thumps through me, gifting me a quick reminder about a time long ago when I hated loud noises.

Shaking my head free of the memory, I head toward Damien and Cass, who are leaning against the far wall, watching Creed chat up Mali. She’s a

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