AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You must pay for your sins, Penelope. As long as you’re alive, your soul belongs to us.” His cold, beady eyes drag back to mine. “The only reason we’ve yet to take you by force is because your brother wants you pliant and submissive. An offering, if you will. However,” he growls, his face turning into a snarl, “if you do not return by choice? Then the fate of your youngest sister might be dire indeed. Either way, your little dalliance with the devil is over,child.”
Lucy.
“Wha—what would you do to her?” I stutter, my voice cracking.
“Are you heedless enough to find out?” he spits out.
He gives me one last disdained sneer, muttering under his breath like an afterthought, “By his touch, we live.” And swiftly unlocks the door, opening it with me still trembling against it. I stumble forward, shock suffocating my senses and let him walk out, the threat he just spat hanging over my head like a deadly guillotine.
I swallow hard, and then swallow again, taking a few steps towards the mirror to catch my breath and will my heart to beat a little slower. I place my shaky palms on the sink and lean forward, my head dropping between my shoulders, eyelids fluttering closed. I stay as still as a statue until I’m certain I can control my emotions, which must have beentoolong because as soon as I walk out, I find Connor leaning against the opposite wall.
My heart skips a beat, breath catching in my throat.
“Stalk much?” I say a bit too hotheadedly, thankfully, with no quiver in my voice.
He grins, clearly amused, but his face falls serious once his gaze has had time to linger on me.
“Everything okay, darling?”
Shit.
He can’t know what just happened. Not when I still don’t know what my next move is.
I clear my throat, and force a smile, tucking my clutch under my arm. “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”
His eyes continue to peruse me up and down. I’m about to break into a nervous sweat when finally, he just hums and pushes off the wall, leading us back to the ballroom.
The rest of the evening is a blur of pleasantries. My mind splintered into a millions pieces, trying to avoid looking at the wrecking ball that just smashed into my perfectly constructed life of lies. I answer when spoken too. I laugh when appropriate. Shake hands. Clink glasses. Eat hors d’oeuvres and pretend they don’t taste like ash. I smile at Connor when his eyes find mine. And even let him kiss me once or twice more before the night is over.
This time, I feel nothing.
I’m locked behind a wall of terror.
And by the time I find myself alone in Connor’s guest room again.
I know what I need to do.
Chapter 34
There’satickleonmy cheek, and I swat it away half-asleep. My eyes are closed but I can tell it’s morning. I flop on my back, the sheets tangled around my hips and the tickle returns accompanied by something wet nudging my face.
“The fuck!” I yell out, yanking my eyes open and sitting up, ready to kill whatever just made its way onto my bed. What I find staring back isthat thingmaking itself comfortable on my imported duvet—not before butting its orange furry head against my thigh like it's trying to tell me something.
“The hell you want, demon?”
I try to shoo it away but it just sits there, unbothered. I swear it's glaring at me and I inadvertently fall into a staring contest with the damn thing.
After a few loaded seconds, now less sleep-groggy, I come back to my senses and I realize how dumb I must look. But then a shiver of foreboding trickles down my spine, and I’m out of bed before I can even understand the feeling.
I pad down the hallway towards Lenix’s room. The strange feeling heightens with every step I take, especially when I realize her door is wide open. Nothing looks out of place, but somehow it feels unbearably empty when I step inside. The cat follows me in, and I nearly trip over the animal while it meows profusely.
“Can you shut the fuck up?” I snap, but it just meows even louder.
My gut feeling solidifies when I find the closet empty.
An indefinable feeling overtakes me and I become deathly still. It’s followed by an emotion I know intimately: anger. I slam the closet door closed and stalk back into my room, swiping my phone from the bedside table and pulling up the camera feeds.
I knew she was acting strange last night, from the moment she came back from the bathroom. She put on a good show, but I could tell. She was too placid, her eyes vacant.
