“Thomas.” The name came out in a whisper as he looked back down the hall. And I could tell the moment he was going to run, just before he took the step back.
I reached out and grabbed his wrists, pressing him against the wall, pinning his hands to the wall in a grip so tight I swore I could feel a bone or two snap. The way he whimpered under me, with his big brown eyes staring up at me, wide and full of tears, only confirmed I must have broken something.
With a sigh, I leaned in and brought my lips to his ear. “Tsk tsk, Thomas. You’ve been a very naughty boy.”
The young man let out another whimper as he squirmed and tried to pull free of my grasp, but it was no use.
“Please. Just let me go. Whatever you want, you can have it,” he tried to reason. “I won’t tell anyone you were back here. No one has to know anything.”
“You’re right, you won’t tell anyone that I was back here.” I rubbed my stubbled cheek against the smooth baby soft skin of his neck before I pulled him away from the wall, clasping his hands behind his back, and marched him down to the exit and into the alley. By the time I pushed the door open, Thomas worked himself into a frenzy.
I hated criers. Why couldn’t people greet the end of their lives with a little dignity?
“Please,” he tried to beg again as I pushed him out the door, “I don’t even know who you are. You don’t have to do this.”
My hand went into my pocket and twisted along the thin cylinder there as I slowly pulled it out.
“That’s where you’re wrong, Thomas. I do have to do this. It wasn’t supposed to be you. Honestly, you just ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. But, your death will serve a purpose.” I gave him a smile as I stepped closer, but my words seemed to have caught him off guard, since he hadn’t tried to run.
“A purpose?” He looked up at me, all wide-eyed and innocent, completely bypassing the fact we were talking about his death.
I reached out and cupped his cheek, swiping my thumb over his cheekbone. It was a shame. He really was very pretty.
“You’re going to help me get to my Duncan.”
He stared at me, confused, before I made my move, but by then, it was too late.
My arms wrapped around him, pulling him into a tight embrace as my arm came up and the needle pricked the side of his neck.
Thomas’ eyes widened with fear and his mouth went slack as his body went weightless in my arms. I gently laid him down on the ground and watched as he struggled to move. His breathing slowed as he reached out to me. I stood, waiting against the wall with my arms and legs crossed, before his breathing finally stopped.
When I was sure he was dead, I stripped him of his uniform and pulled it on over my clothes. It was a little snug, but I didn’t think anyone would be paying close enough attention this late in the evening.
The wedding reception had to be winding down by now. I just needed to blend in enough to slip by unnoticed throughthe back halls. Then I could sneak into the reception and pretend to be a guest.
At least, until I made my way to the bar. Tohim. And claimed my prize.
Duncan was mine.
He wasn’t going to escape me. There was no escaping the beast that lived under my skin.
It was time to make my move and get Duncan out of the ballroom without anyone seeing.
2
AIDEN
Tension and booze flowed through my veins. It wasn’t an ideal combination, but then again, I hadn’t asked to attendtheesocial event of the season. Instead, I’d been unceremoniously kidnapped by my best friend, who insisted I was the perfect plus-one for the occasion.
What Victoria had failed to mention as she dragged me along to her cousin’s wedding, was the fact it was Halloween-themed. And not just color scheme and a few tasteful decorations.
The asshole who came up with the bright idea of holiday-themed weddings,especiallyHalloween-themed weddings, needed to be shot. Pronto.
My fingers picked at the stringy cobwebs draped across the edge of the bar and flicked at a plastic spider. It skittered across the shiny blood red bar top, until it slid off the edge on the other side of the bar. Damn. Maybe I shouldn’t have done that, considering that was the only company I had for the evening.
I snorted into my drink, the bartender giving me the side-eye. Honestly, half the night I thought he was hitting on me and the other half I thought he was trying to get rid of me. It hadleft me half hard and fully frustrated that I couldn’t get a read on the guy. He politely smiled at most of my flirting but didn’t give me much to work with.
Knowing my luck, he was probably straight and thought I was a creep.
