Sin.

An immortal act is considered being a transgression against the higher law. Does killing Asiel's father while he was getting high in the bathroom count as a sin? My body stands on a mountain of lies, vices, staring at the bottomless floor. It didn't hurt me to kill him — it broke me to watch the glimmers in Asiel's eyes disappear.

I don't entirely regret it.

In simple terms, it was either losing Asiel or his father, and his father was a piece of shit. It's truly a blessing for him to be slain in a delicate way. If it were up to me, I would carve out his eyes and give him a joker smile. That's only the beginning — I'll drain his blood little by little to keep him alive until I have my fun with him.

Woah, it got a little dark there.

Asiel exits the church entry with his brown frizzy hair obscuring his eyes. My heart twists into a knot as if a knife pierces my organ, splitting it into fragments. He's all decked out in a black suit with a matching tie. Pent-up emotions threaten to burst forth in one giant, sweltering wave when making eye contact with his bloodshot eyes.

He looks like he's holding onto a single thread that can snap at any moment. His father passing away triples the stress already on his shoulders. It's agonizing to watch him spread himself so thin. People are only bound to break. It's human nature to break down. It's one of the many lessons I learned from Asiel.

But he's holding everything in.

Instantly, I wrap my hands around him, snuggling into his chest and getting a whiff of his citrus scent. A gasp of air involuntarily leaves his lips when I slam my body into his, but he lays his head over mine. I don't know how to comfort people, but I hope my hug is enough to mask the pain for a minute or two.

"Do you feel comfortable waiting out here?" Asiel asks, thrusting a strand of my hair behind my ear. "You can come in. You're my familia."

I suppress a flinch at the mention of familia. "Yeah. It doesn't feel right to go in. Sorry, but I'm here to support you."

There are plenty of reasons why I don't want to walk into church. For one, I'm definitely going to burst into flames the second I step in. God has a lot of forgiveness, but I think mine has run out. Two, the guilt stretches through my veins at only seeing Asiel shattered-- I won't survive having to sit next to his mother. Even though he was a shitty husband and father, he meant something to them.

Here I go, being selfish again.

He kisses my forehead, causing the butterflies to flutter in my belly. "What would I do without you? I feel like I'm drowning under so much pressure, and you're my only lifeline. Thank you for being here for me."

My stomach sinks. "Always." I give him a quick peck on the cheek, leaving a red mark. "Any updates?"

Asiel stuffs his hands in his pockets, his throat flexing with a hard swallow. "I-I haven't had time to mention this." He pulls a white feather from his pocket, laying it elegantly in his palm. "I found this on the hospital bed when they rolled out my papa. It wasn't Luka. Ander's killer is still alive."

My chest tightens as another lie leaves my lips. "What if it was a copycat? The Mictlantecuhtli is a God in the underground. Naturally, there would be people trying to use her tactics."

He shakes his head, dangling the feather in his fingertips. "No. It's the real Mictlantecuhtli. Who else will target my familia? It's only time before Mictlantecuhtli comes after me. Or worse-- you."

My eyes widen. "Asiel."

"Mika." I flinched at the sound of his shaky voice. "Should we even get married? I'm putting you in jeopardy. They're going to come after you if you're with me."

His words rip the bandaid off my guilt, causing the scabs to bleed again. Fucking hell. Asiel, you don't understand how badly I want to explain everything that happened in the past few months. The good and the unforgivable. I can't stand looking at the faint purple smudges beneath his bloodshot eyes.

But he wouldn't believe me. It's his most beloved cousin, after all.

He needs concrete proof.

My hand latches onto his, squeezing him. "Then let them. Nothing can take us down. We're the definition of indestructible. It's you and me against the world, Asiel. Let's be the Romeo and Juliet of our story."

Asiel arches an eyebrow. "Out of all the couples, you want to be like Romeo and Juliet? Fuck Romeo and Juliet. They aren't us. They can't ever have what we have."

I shake my head with amusement. "I know that's right."

A familiar older woman's head pokes out from the entryway with a black veil over her face. "Asiel?" She calls, her hands trembling as she flickers in both directions. "Asiel!"

"Must be time for the ceremony to start," Asiel says, dropping a long, loving kiss on my knuckles, leaving a sizzling third-degree burn on my skin as a remembrance of his love. "Let's go on a date afterward. To distract ourselves from the imploding world around us."

I nod. "Okay."

For the first time in a while, he flashes one of those boyish grins-- his signature as he waves goodbye and hurries over to his mother. My chest squeezes until it almost explodes on the white walls of the church exterior. How long do funerals last because it's going to be a long hour to wait for him?

I don't mind.

There's no other place I rather be than on Asiel's side.

People pour into the church in their dark clothing with gifts galore to shower Mr. Morterero. Seriously? He has this many followers? Should I be surprised? I'm sure a lot of fucked up people idolized the Mictlantecuhtli.

A gloomy shadow blocks the sun beaming in the sky by resting his arm against the wall, obscuring my view of the golden yolk in the sky. Using his empty hand, Mateo pushes the side of his hair back and flashes a grim smile.

"How does it feel like attending the funeral of the man you just killed?" He asks casually, smiling.

I force a smug smile on my lips. "Lovely."

His finger inches down the slope of my nose, dragging leisurely on my bottom lip. "Does it hurt to watch your boyfriend lose his mind? Just wait until I take everything away. His father was just the start."

My face flinches at his ghastly touch. "Why? What do you get out of it? Didn't Mr. Morterero favor you? What did you get from killing him?"

Mateo clicks his tongue. "We aren't partners, Mika. Those questions are reserved for my partners. You are measly--" An amused smile stretches across his lips. "Just my bitch."

My eyes twitch. "If you want me to keep doing the heavy lifting for you, then I'm going to need an explanation."

His smile fades as he grips my arm, squeezing the shit tight enough to leave a bruise in its wake. "You don't need shit. I don't know what made you think you have any authority in our relationship. You serve me like how you serve everything with a pulse. Remember, you're nothing."

My nose flare. "Whatever. Will you let me go now?"

Using his other hand, Mateo grips my cheek, pinching the skin on the apple of my cheek. "I will. But first..." A sinister smirk curls on his lips. "Bark for me."

I scoff, taken aback. "What?"

"You heard me," he says, his eyes flaring with entertainment. "Be an obedient bitch. Get on your knees and bark for me."

My blood boils as if an explosion ticks down to the inevitable end. Against my fucking will, I lower myself to my knees and curl my palms into fists brutal enough to leave marks in them. I hate this with a burning passion, but there is nothing I can do. So, I swallow my pride and perform the horrific, humiliating act if it means Asiel stays breathing for the night.

Was this my punishment?

No, it can't be.

A person like Mateo, a killer like Mateo, didn't deserve to torture me for all my wrongdoings. Ignoring Mateo's gaze, I bark like a fucking dog and lose a shred of dignity and respect for myself.

A burst of laughter escapes his lips as he pets my head, throwing my hair into a jumbled mess on my head. "Since you were a good pet, Mika, I'll tell you. I killed Don Morterero because he had other plans on who to make Jefe— I wasn't going to let him get the chance to name that son of a bitch. Continue to do as I say and I'll keep your man safe. Got it?"

Losing another shred of respect, I glance at him, still kneeling on the floor. "What about Tania?"

His eyebrows scrunch up. "Tania? What about her?"

Hoisting myself up, I brush the strands away from my eyes. "She genuinely loves you. You can do whatever you need to, but leave her out of it. Tania isn't a part of this."

He yawns, glancing at the Rolex watch on his wrist. "Tania knows her place, Mika. As long as she stays there and you do what you need to do, then she will be left alone. Sadly, what I feel for her can only go so far. So, don't force my hand, Mika. I wouldn't want to hurt her, but it depends on you."

"You are a disgusting piece of shit," I spat, scrunching my nose in disgust.

Mateo shrugs. "So I have heard. Now, excuse me. I have to mourn my father figure. He was taken away too early."

Like a psychopath, tears cascade down his cheeks like a broken dam as he walks into the church entry. He doesn't fail to stare into my soul with wicked eyes before disappearing into the ceremony. Wow. If Mateo walks in without bursting into flames, then I am sure I could, too. Interesting.

Scoping the perimeter, I find every parked car empty and the door of the church closing. It's begun. Digging into my pocket, I pull a cigarette out and flick my finger over the flit to turn the lighter on. The fire burst into an orange, reddish flame, darkening the tip of the stick. I shake the flit off the cig and take a long drag, filling my lungs until I can't hold my breath.

My eyes close as I retain the smoke in my lungs, tarnishing the healthy tissues in my organs. If I'm ruining myself on the outside-- might as well do it on the inside. Slowly, my mouth plunges open to air out the smoke, and I relax immediately, as if I was lying on the grass. Cigarettes get a harsh reputation-- it isn't their fault that nicotine is so addictive.

Just like how I didn't choose to be so gorgeous.

My pulse thunders at the sound of crackling branches. A yelp slips from my lips when my cig tumbles out of my hand and hits the ground. Fuck. Now, I have to waste another one? Does the universe know how expensive cigarette packs are? Being addicted to nicotine is expensive, bitch.

With an eye roll, I reach for my package and flick the top open. My heart thumps in warning as the glowing sun disappears behind either a cloud or a figure.

"Boo!" Pacho screams, bucking my shoulders back and forth.

My cigarette pack collapses to the floor, spilling my babies on the dirty stone ground. "Fucking hell, Pacho!" A pout spreads over my lips as I pick up my cigarettes. "You owe me a new pack. Also, extremely rude to have me yell bloody murder outside a funeral home."

Pacho throws his head back and laughs. "It's entertaining for me." I flick my middle finger up at him. "Here, take this-- it's a new pack. I'll buy you one every day for a week to make up for it."

"Wow!" My eyebrows jolt to my forehead. "Is this your way of flirty? Because I'm fully committed to your cousin." I wiggle my wedding finger in his face. "But if you're interested, I have plenty of friends searching for a boyfriend or a fuck. Either or will do."

"Do you take every kind gesture from a guy as flirting?" He arches a brow, waving the cigarette pack in my face.

My eyes narrow into silts. "I mean, I'm pretty hot. Who wouldn't flirt with me?"

He cocks his head to the side, laughing. "Fair."

I stick a cig between my teeth. "Why aren't you inside?"

"I can ask the same for you."

I almost choke on my own spit. "Nosy much?"

"I am because we're partners," he says, his intense, piercing eyes staring into my soul. "Why was Mateo talking to you? When did you guys become a thing?"

"What are you talking about?" I mumble, the cig between the teeth muttering my words into nonsense chatter.

Pacho tips his head to the side and steals the cigarette from my lips. "You are not getting this back until you confess why the fuck Mateo is talking to you? He hates your guts. It doesn't make sense."

"The feeling is mutual," I mutter under my breath.

He raises his eyebrows, scolding me like a child. "Mika!"

Throwing him completely off-guard, I slap my palm against his lips, gripping his cheeks and lowering him to face me at my eye level. "Don't you fucking dare scold me like I'm anything but barely an acquaintance to you. Let's just say-- I know who put the hit on Ander."

Pacho's eyes widen with horror as he mumbles into my hands.

"Shhh," I say, glancing around in case anyone joins in on the listening party. "Pacho, this is serious. Mateo is planning to get rid of Asiel, too. Why? I'm not exactly sure, and if you couldn't tell-- I'm not exactly buddy-buddy with him, so."

Slowly, I remove my hand from his mouth, and he whispers, "What are we going to do?"

"Expose him," I confess, gnawing at my lip. "I just need to find concrete evidence of his involvement with everything."

My mind spirals into a tornado of half-ended possibilities. Where do I look? Mateo seems to have everything under wraps, and with thirteen years under his belt, he knows his ways around appearing innocent. Everyone always leaves a trail of evidence-- no matter how perfect they seem. Look at me; I thought no one could touch me until I got myself wrapped in this mess. Now, I'm going to do the same with Mateo.

Show him someone can take him down a peg.

Pacho snaps his fingers. "What about your pimp? Diablo?"

My face morphs into a look of confusion. "Yeah? What does he have anything to do with this?"

He grabs my shoulder, bringing his lips to my ear. "Diablo and Mateo are closer than you think. All those years ago, the member he ratted you out to was Mateo. They've had a mutual understanding ever since. Maybe he has files that incriminate Mateo."

Shaking my head, I chew on my nail buds, desperately needing a manicure. "Fuck. Okay. Well, there's nothing at Diablo's Paraiso. I checked every nook and cranny in the place. His house is an option, but he's going to fucking kill me. We're barely friends these days with my resignation on the horizon."

Pacho rakes his fingers through his hair. "D-Do you want me t-?"

"No," I reply. "I need your brain for something else. I got this. If Diablo kills me, then so be it. Beats giving Mateo the pleasure of seeing me go down with the ship."

He gently elbows my shoulder. "You will be fine. Diablo is in love with you. You can't kill him, and he can't kill you. It works both ways. Just use his love for you as leverage."

I clap my hands with a cheerful smile on my face. "Look at you giving me tips on how to seduce a man. Wow! How tables have turned. You know, at the end of this, you're going down with the ship, too."

He tips his invisible hat down with a little smirk. "I wouldn't have it no other way. Just make sure it's you that takes me out, or I'll have to come back from the dead."

I grip his ear like a child. "Now, go attend your uncle's funeral before people start asking questions."

When he's gone, I'm left with the million ways I can take Mateo down with the flick of my finger. If only it was that easy. If what Pacho says is the truth, then Diablo has a lot of explaining to do. He's a man with receipts and keeps everything together.

The question is, where would he keep everything?

Do you guys think Diablo and Mateo could be working together? What would they both get from working together? I'll love to hear your theories and thoughts 👀

Who else wanted to punch Mateo when he made Mika bark? Who else is waiting for him to die? Who do you think should do it — Asiel or Mika?

How do you guys want everything to go down 🤭😂I wanna hear all your perfect endings.

Thank you for getting this story at 400k (when I upload this, it probably be at 399, but I'm close enough!) I'm super super grateful for you guys and I can't wait to read all your comments!!

Love ya💜🤍💜🤍💜