Judicium (Devil's Playground Book 3) Read online

  COPYRIGHT

  JUDICIUM by Natalie Bennett

  © 2022 by Natalie Bennett. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying without the written permission of the publisher or author. The exception would be in the case of brief quotations embodied in the critical articles or reviews and pages where the publisher or author specifically grants permission.

  BLURB

  Tick tock…it’s time for judgment.

  The blood we spilled came after the riddles.

  Betrayal followed by those we trusted.

  There are so many things we could have done differently, saving ourselves from future heartache.

  Now, it’s too late to recast the die.

  By everything tainted and maleficent, we’re forever bonded.

  Every tragedy has an origin.

  This is where ours begins.

  Contents

  COPYRIGHT

  BLURB

  DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND

  AUTHOR NOTE

  PLAYLIST

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  EPILOGUE

  DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND

  CARMINE

  CALAMITY

  THE END

  THE SECT

  NEFARIOUS

  SOCIALS

  CONTENT WARNING

  DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND

  PERICULUM

  MALEFICIUM

  JUDICIUM

  DAEMONIUM-2023

  OBSCURUM-2023

  Coming Soon!

  TORMENTUM: DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND: U

  AUTHOR NOTE

  Hi!

  Judicium is solely meant to fill in some of the backstory that precedes Periculum. It is purposely vague and more plot-driven than steamy. (I promise the final books will have plenty.) If you’re reading this and new to the series, you’re going to have a lot more questions than answers and probably be really confused. I highly recommend beginning with Periculum.

  If you’re a day one viewer of the Devil’s Playground, you’ll still have some questions, but you’ll also get a few answers. There are plenty of easter eggs layered in here too for both this series and the spin-off. If you find you want to skip this one and go straight to Daemonium, that’s fine too! You will not be left confused. Everything comes together by the end of Obscurum.

  If you need a TW click here.

  Happy reading!

  PLAYLIST

  Spotify

  J Cole—She knows

  Ozzy Osbourne—Don’t Blame Me

  Phantogram—Black Out Days

  Cameron Hayes—Superego

  K. Flay—Black Wave

  Mickey Valen—Chills (dark version)

  Willow Smith—PURGE

  Ari Abdul—Babydoll

  The Neighborhood—Fallen Star

  Kiiara—Numb

  The Weeknd—Wicked Games

  CHAPTER ONE

  This definitely wasn’t how I saw my night going. If my parents found out where I was, I’d be helping them decide on my tombstone inscription and choosing a casket come morning.

  With the way things were at home right now, maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. I didn’t want to die but a vacation a few feet underground wasn’t sounding too terrible.

  I weaved around a couple that was practically dry humping in the middle of the makeshift dance floor, searching the mass of gyrating bodies for my sister. The sheer amount of people here made it hard to search for one specific person.

  It would’ve been helpful if she told me what she had on. At the very least she could’ve relayed where I should go for us to meet up.

  A guy dressed as a creepy pig bumped into me from behind, nearly knocking me down. The liquid in the cup I was holding sloshed over the side and onto my hand.

  I steadied myself and glared at the back of his latex head as he shuffled by without offering an apology. He reeked of alcohol and something else. Why the hell was he even wearing a costume? Did he somehow confuse June with October?

  Ugh. I hated everything about this situation. I hadn’t seen or heard from my sister in nearly three weeks. The last time I saw her was when our mother quite literally threw her out of the house. She dragged her across the floor and through the front door. It was one of the only times I’d seen her get physical with my siblings.

  Fast forward to thirty minutes or so ago when I’d just stepped forward to order my large popcorn from the concession stand and she sent a random text asking me to meet her here.

  Of course, I came. I don’t know why she did though. Lamia had always loved to party but given her current predicament this wasn’t anywhere she should be. Even I had declined tonight’s invite. I knew there would be a larger crowd than usual given it was early summer.

  Some of these people were fresh out of high school. Others were university students like Lamia. A few had graduated from both a long time ago and still made an appearance. I personally found that to be a little disturbing when it came to the guys looking to pick up girls.

  I continued making my way around the room, every so often recognizing a peer amongst the nameless, sweaty strangers.

  The mansion had been transformed into a miniature nightclub decked out to the max for this occasion.

  I’m not sure his parents would agree, but Troy Sainte had truly outdone himself this year. I’d ask him to help me find my sister, but I knew he’d want something in return, namely a blow job. That wasn’t happening. I’d sooner choke on a piece of shit.

  With a defeated huff, I turned on my heel and rescanned the room as far as my eye could see. Taking a good look at the crowd, I began to make sense of why Lamia chose to meet here.

  When she was thrown out, she was essentially exiled from my life. We weren’t supposed to be speaking anymore. This was a perfect place to meet without being spotted by someone on our parents’ payroll or looking to kiss some ass.

  We were too well known to go anywhere local without risking it getting back to them. I would’ve agreed to that too, though. She was worth the potential consequences. Unlike the rest of the family, I couldn’t just forget her existence. I missed her more with each passing day.

  My sister was one of my best friends which is why I assumed she would be eagerly looking for me too. She had to know that I’d be coming with Melantha and Gracelyn. I rarely went anywhere without those two.

  Where the hell could she be for her not to have spotted any of us yet? I was starting to grow concerned. Had she left for some reason? We’d been searching a good twenty minutes and she was no longer reading any of my texts

  It was too loud in here to call her.

  The sheer volume of the music wasn’t going to allow for that. I could feel the bass through the tips of my red-bottomed pumps.

  Just as I avoided a head-on collision with a girl in a mini skirt, Gracelyn reached out a hand to help me escape the vortex of aggressive twerking I’d almost been sucked into.

  “You find Mia?” she leaned in and yelled, damn near destroying my eardrum in her attempt to be heard over the music.

  I spared her the same pain and shook my head to indicate I hadn’t had any luck. She tapped the red cup in my hand with a perfectly manicured nail. “What’s this?”

  I shrugged and mouthed back, “I don’t know.”

  Her pretty face morphed into a scowl, and she snatched the drink away making me laugh. I hadn’t planned on
drinking it. I wasn’t an idiot.

  Some random guy who could’ve passed as an extra in Blade since he thought it was cool to wear sunglasses indoors had given it to me, saying something about being at a party empty-handed.

  I’d been looking for a place to ditch it without having to venture all the way back to the kitchen. Gracelyn simply dumped the contents in a random decorative vase before placing the cup beside a few others that had been abandoned.

  I nudged her shoulder to ease us further away from the makeshift dance floor. “Where’s, Mel?”

  She looped her arm through mine and pointed in the general direction of the patio. I continued to keep an eye out for my sister as we made the short journey to that side of the house. As we were passing the spacious billiard room, I did a quick check to make sure she wasn’t with the group of people gathered inside.

  I didn’t see Lamia, but someone else did catch my eye. Again. He was the last person I expected to see here. I’d had both the pleasure and displeasure of falling into our usual routine multiple times since my arrival. He was with his usual crew, plus a few stragglers. I’d heard he and his friends typically stuck to parties that were so private you only knew the location the day of and through a secretive messaging system. I had no clue how true this was or not.

  Secrets and mystery were a natural part of the lives we lived, meaning it could be a truth, lie, or a mix of both. That’s why I didn’t put much stock in the rumor mill. I knew firsthand how hard it was to fact-check the information circulating through it.

  He stood beside the pool table with a stick in hand, waiting for his turn to shoot. He glanced away from the game taking place. Our eyes met and a shiver of awareness snaked down my spine.

  It didn’t matter how many times I saw him. This reaction was something he seemed to exclusively evoke.

  My illicit attraction to him was more than skin deep. I wouldn’t argue how fine the guy was, though. I’d always thought he was gorgeous. Not in the way the sun was when it shined in a clear blue sky, but more like a thunderstorm in the middle of the night, filling the darkness with fleeting sparks of light.

  His eyes were strikingly blue, standing out against his naturally tan skin. It was a similar shade to Gracelyn’s whereas mine was more bronze thanks to my mix of Hispanic and Italian genes. Our connection lasted only a few seconds if that. His supple lips pressed firmly together, and he returned his focus to the game going on, causing a strand of his dark brown hair to fall from its resting place.

  He’d changed up the cut since I last saw him, leaving it long on top and short on the sides. Not paying any attention to where I was going, I almost walked right into an angled section of the wall. I dodged it at the last second with a tug from Grace.

  “I told you to watch out,” she admonished with a laugh.

  “I was checking for my sister.”

  “Sure, you were.”

  “I was,” I argued without any real heat.

  “Okay, well, I think Lamia’s idea is to blend with the crowd. Hanging around those guys is exactly the opposite of blending in.”

  This was true.

  Their popularity aside, they weren’t the kind of company we would keep. Our families had a whole Hatfield’s and McCoy’s thing going on. I didn’t know all the specifics of why or what began such a long-winded feud.

  Whatever it was had been the reason for underlying tension between the other families involved in the politics of our world for as long as I could remember.

  Sides were chosen, not based on right or wrong but by who they felt would come out on top whenever all was said and done, which was a risky gamble if you asked me. I thought it would be smarter to remain neutral and align yourself with the better opponent when the timing was right.

  Secondly, was simply because of them, who they were.

  On the surface, they were gorgeous, intelligent, wealthy, and charming when necessary. If you were to peel back all their layers, you would find the inside wasn’t nearly as beguiling. Like Pandora’s box, you’d see what kind of evil and cunning viciousness could be found in alluring packages.

  These attributes were typically bold red flags for girls brought up in a mundane fashion. I couldn’t imagine what that would be like, raised safe and secure instead of in a world of bloodshed and power struggles. It made guys like Ciaran a hot commodity, giving me more incentive to stay away from him.

  Grace and I found our way outside where a lavish outdoor retreat awaited. The Saintes’ massive in-ground pool had been utilized for tonight’s festivity. People were simultaneously drinking while swimming naked.

  I hoped a few of the guys in there were growers and not showers or they’d be living down that embarrassment for years to come.

  Melantha was waiting for us in the only area of the patio that wasn’t congested with foot traffic. With her navy blue and pink hair styled in two adorable sailor buns, she was easy to spot.

  “Did you find her?” she asked as soon as we were within hearing distance.

  “Nope.” I popped my lips on the p.

  Grace turned and looked towards the pool. “I think we’ve searched this whole place from top to bottom.”

  I positioned myself between them and leaned against the cement railing that served as a decorative fence around the flagstone.

  “Maybe she’s on a mattress being bent into an origami.”

  “That might be true, but it’s not helpful,” Grace replied with a laugh.

  I frowned. “Mia would not go running off for a quickie when she knew we were coming but thank you two so much for that visual.”

  “What else would you expect her to be doing while waiting? She’s finally free to shack up with the guy that put a baby in her. They’re probably like bunnies right now,” Mel retorted.

  She made it sound like being exiled from our family was a good thing. I hated to admit that I understood exactly where she was coming from, but my sister had been robbed of everything aside from her first name for daring to fall for a guy my parents didn’t choose.

  I was far from wholly accepting that she’d been living a secret life without ever confiding in me, but I wasn’t angry. If anything, I was hurt. I’d never betray her trust so why did she keep something so monumental all to herself?

  I hoped whoever she’d gotten involved with was well enough off to take care of her until she found her feet. I knew she would be fine in the long run. My sister was a strong and intelligent young woman. This wouldn’t be enough to douse the flame of her future. Still, I’d feel a lot better after I saw her to confirm this with my own two eyes.

  Pulling my cell from the pocket of my romper, I checked to see how we were on time and then tried to call her. I was immediately met with the robotic voice of her message system.

  “Her phone isn’t on anymore.” I drew in a heavy breath, trapping the scent of barbecue, liquor, and pot in my lungs. Slowly exhaling, I slid my cell back into my pocket, contemplating what to do now. “It’s a quarter to nine. The movie was two hours and dinner would maybe be another, what? Two if we’re pushing it?”

  “Maybe we can say we decided to go to a later showing,” Gracelyn suggested, fixing her hazel eyes on my face.

  I stared at her a beat. “Are…are you being serious?”

  She shrugged. “Is that so unrealistic?”

  “My mother sniffs out lies faster than a K9 does when cocaine is dangling in front of its face.”

  “Mine is probably staring into her freaky ass crystal ball watching us right now,” Mel joked.

  I looked towards where Sainte’s backyard became overtaken by trees. Between them was a pathway lined with paper lanterns. Would Mia have gone down there? It didn’t make sense to do that when she knew I’d be coming here to meet her. She’d read the initial text I sent back and said she would be waiting. I hope that meant at the house and not in the damn woods.

  Grace tucked a strand of blonde hair behind one ear and toed the flagstone with the suede point of her black thigh-high
boot.

  “What do you think we should do?”

  Boisterous laughter erupted from the opposite side of the patio as a few of the people we’d seen in the den came outside. I glanced at them briefly before returning my attention to Grace and Mel.

  “I’ll do one final sweep upstairs. You two should at least try and enjoy yourselves for a little.”

  Mel gave me a disapproving stare. “You know we wouldn’t do that. Besides, three heads are better than one. We can check the first floor again. She’s gotta be around here somewhere.”

  “Yeah, why don’t we meet here in ten?” Grace proposed.

  “Okay.” I nodded in agreement, offering them a smile of appreciation.

  “Lana!” Troy’s inebriated voice called out to me as we made our way back across the patio. “Come swim with me beautiful!”

  I looked his way and laughed. He was riding a giant unicorn floatie, naked, of course, with a beer in his hand. Someone had better be planning to sanitize or burn all the inflatables these random genitals were rubbing against. Drain the whole damn pool while they were at it because gross.

  “So, that’s how it is?” Troy pouted when I didn’t reply.

  I acknowledged his catcall with another smile and nothing more. He immediately moved on to Mel and Grace, who ignored him altogether. Troy couldn’t be taken seriously. He was a cutie, having a strong resemblance to a younger David Beckham with a bit more muscle. That was precisely the problem. He used his looks for his benefit.

  If you had a pretty face, you were on Sainte’s list of future conquests and an open target for his persistent charms.

  I felt a different set of eyes watching us as we stepped inside and went our separate ways. I knew who I’d find if I turned my head, which is precisely why I didn’t. There was no point in continuing to entertain myself with his attention right now.

  By the time I reached the bottom of the staircase, I was thinking I should have asked for twenty minutes instead of ten.

  Getting through the mostly intoxicated crowd had been a task in itself. I jogged up the wideset wooden steps, darting around a couple making out near the top.