I lift my head, and our eyes lock, a cruel smirk curving his lips as he rounds the couch with slow, measured steps. “Maybe you and Camryn intended for this to happen. Maybe the demon lives in you.”
“I was in here when Lily was injured.”
“But where was Camryn? Maybe you work together.”
I follow him with my eyes, on edge, while he does a full circle of the seating area. There’s a palpable sinister air around him, and when he walks behind me, I break out in a cold sweat.
He laughs again, exposing the column of his throat. “Camryn stabbed Lily. Admit it.”
“You motherfucker,” I hiss. “Camryn is missing.”
He pauses across the coffee table and raises an eyebrow. “Is she? Are you sure about that?”
“Aron,” Gwen pleads but falls silent when I stand to my full height.
“Let him talk. Let’s hear what he has to say.”
Aron’s smirk deepens. “This demon story that you’ve made up, it’s convenient, don’t you think? The moment you showed up in town, our friends started dying, and you fed us all this bullshit about demons and ghosts.” He pretends to look around. “But I haven’t seen any evidence of any demons yet.”
“Admit that you stabbed her.” My voice is low and tense. I’m barely able to keep my anger on a leash. If he keeps pushing, I’ll soon snap. “You kidnapped Camryn in her sleep.”
“Pray tell, where did I drag her to?”
“Maybe you killed her in the forest.” I don’t want to let my thoughts stray there, but I can’t deny the obvious—Camryn isn’t here.
“Newsflash.” He leans closer. “She never left the house. We have surveillance to prove it.”
“She’s not here,” I grit out, and his smirk grows. We meet in the middle of the room, circling each other, drawn together like magnets.
You could cut the tension in the air with a knife.
I’m vaguely aware of Gwen pleading with us to stop fighting, to stop feeding the demon. But I shut her out, intent on Aron, the boy who’s had his eyes on my girl from day one. Now she’s missing, and he’s behind it. I know he is.
“Maybe you hurt her.” His lips pull to the side, his eyes darkening. “You were the last one to see her, after all.”
“You think I had something to do with it?” I spit.
“Maybe the demon entered you, and you killed her before hiding her body somewhere in the house.” He looks up at the roof. “Maybe she’s stuffed in the attic. Or…” He fixes his eyes on me again. “Maybe the demon had nothing to do with it. Perhaps you snapped and killed her all on your own. A demon makes for an easy scapegoat.”
“Shut your fucking mouth.” My voice vibrates with anger. I’m two seconds away from breaking his neck like a fucking twig.
“Maybe you raped her, too.”
That’s it. I fly at him.
Red is all I see as my body collides with his, and we crash against the wall behind us. I drive my fist into his smug face, and he grabs my shirt then head-butts me full force, causing me to stagger back. The room spins for a few seconds. I’ve barely recovered when he sacks me, sending us crashing into the glass coffee table, which shatters. Gwen screams, jumping out of the way.
I roll on top of Aron, punching his face and ribs. All the while, he laughs. Fucking laughs. His chin and teeth are smeared in blood from his busted nose. My knuckles are cracked.
I don’t fucking stop.
Not until he grabs an object on the floor and chucks it at the side of my head. I topple over onto my back, pressing my hand to the bleeding cut on my temple. “Shit…” I’ll need stitches.
“I’m going to kill you,” Aron growls, pushing up on his elbows and climbing to his feet. He spits a wad of blood on the floor. “You’re dead.”
I watch him clutch his bruised ribs, and then my gaze slides past him to the bookshelves. A porcelain doll sits on top of two books stacked on their sides.
Blood trickles from the crack in its cheek. “Fuck!” I shoot to my feet, the world spinning as I lift my hand to hold Aron back. “Look behind you, man. The doll…”
