Odium

ODIUM AN INFERNO WORLD NOVEL W. P. WOODBINE All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever without written permission by the publisher. For information address Winter Paige/W. P. Woodbine at [email protected] First W. P. Woodbine/Winter Paige print edition June 2023 No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Cover design © 2023 by Dark City Designs Book design and production by Dark City Designs Line Editing by Dawn Yacovetta Proof Reading by Amanda Gibson CONTENTS Greene Family Rules Trigger Warning: Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 A Note from Leiv Name Index Playlist Acknowledgments About the Author Before you bring me down, it is my belief that you will stop breathing. -Joe Exotic GREENE FAMILY RULES Rule one: Good girls listen to Daddy. Rule two: Know those who aim to corrupt and destroy your home as you know yourself. Rule three: Disobedience is met with quick and severe punishment. Leniency is a disservice dealt only by weak men. Rule four: Women must always keep busy. Unfocused female minds and lazy bodies are likely to fall from the path. Rule five: Protect family at all costs. Rule six: The weak are to be eliminated. Rule seven: Do not mention the disgraced. Rule eight: Never deny the head of the family affection. Ever. TRIGGER WARNING: Bound by depravity, sealed with blood, and severed only in death, Luke Greene’s bloodline continues to thrive in this Greene household. We live by our own set of rules without regret, knowing no earthly penance could ever atone for our transgressions, our acts so vile that evil itself awaits each generation, etching its claim upon our souls at conception. It’s time you remember: There is no hope found within these pages. No heroes on white horses or respectable hand kisses. No light at the end of the tunnel, waiting with your feel-good, fade-to-black-happily-ever-after. We’re all villains here, and the things we’ll show you would make most readers run… which is exactly how Leiv likes it. But, for the worthy few… This. Is. Home. This is Odium… PROLOGUE My mother never trusted quiet loners. She said anyone showing up out of nowhere—utterly alone and uninterested in simple pleasantries—wasn’t to be trusted. She told me they were runnin’ to or runnin’ from something, and nine times out of ten, that something was as rotten as the soul doin’ the runnin’. But what did my mother know? She gave birth to a quiet loner. Then again, I was the one who finally killed her. Sounds like a philosophical question for Daddy… too bad he won’t fucking talk to me. I sigh, pulling my hood back slightly, and peek up at the waitress standing in front of my table. She looks pissed, and I couldn’t give a single fuck if I tried. Not that I would. I pull my right earbud out of my ear and give it a small sarcastic shake. “Breathe. It’s not healthy to vibrate over whatever you’re talking at me about.” “Your bill,” she drags out while chewing loudly on her gum. “My bill is what? A dolphin? On the moon? You know what? If you hand it to me, I’ll do this magical trick where I pay for my meal. I mean I can’t even tip ya without the slip, sweetie.” I take my wallet from my pocket and open it up, dramatically thumbing through the few bills inside. I’m full of shit, and we both know it. I have, like, three bucks. “Oh? You’re actually going to pay this time? I’ll alert the press,” she snorts, rolling her eyes. She really is an unpleasant bitch. “Like I showed you a second ago, Umbridge, your sarcasm magic holds no power here. Which explains why I didn’t hear a word you said before.” She opens her mouth to speak, but I point to the earbud in my left ear still playing music. “You should really make sure people know you’re talking to them before you stress out like that. If you’re ever going to acclimate, you need to relax like a true muggle. No worries, you’ll get it next time. Let’s go settle up now.” I smirk. I don’t know why I’m fucking with her like this. We both know I’m not going to pay for anything. I motion for her to walk back behind the front counter and stand. I shoulder my bag and glance out the front glass to check for employees who may be out smoking. It’s all clear. I walk around the last table by the exit and make a hard right. She curses like she’s actually surprised when I blow through the front door, and I can still hear her when I kick into a jog the second my sneakers hit the gravel. I laugh when I realize I can hear actual feet slapping the ground behind me as I round the dumpster. I don’t risk looking back before I squeeze through the small hole in the chain-link fence, careful not to bump my belly. But we all know they won’t follow me much farther. No sane person would. By the time I’ve made it to the tree line, I have slowed to a casual walk. She’s nothing but shouted echoes at this point. No one would dare walk this close to the Greene property. No one other than a Greene. I may not have grown up on these lands, but my father did. My father never forgot me. For as long as I can remember, Haden never missed a visit with me. My mother tried to keep him away, but he would always come for me.