Dead of Summer

Chapter 8

When the rest of the day goes normally, I can’t stop the surprise that bubbles to life in my throat. It’s hard to watch Kayde get tackled by Daniel during Capture the Flag without wincing and fearing for Daniel’s life.

But it’s also difficult to remind myself that this smiling, friendly camp counselor really isn’t what he pretends to be.

By the time the day is over and the kids are in bed, my fingers are sore from how much I’ve cracked my knuckles and wrung my hands together nervously. Somehow, Kins never really noticed how on edge I’d been all day.

But then again, she has better things to care about. Like Liza. I’m happy for her, in a way. But in other ways I wish she was more attentive. I wish she’d noticed, or asked, or?—

Well, it’s not like I can tell her anyway.

No matter how much I want to. Because every time I talk to her, I feel Kayde’s eyes burning into my spine. Real or imagined, it’s enough to send me on my way prematurely every time, until I’ve turned into a jumpy, tense mess who knows she won’t be able to sleep at all.

“Fuck,” I mumble, flexing my fingers with a wince. I’ve got to leave my knuckles alone for the night, unless I want this aching to continue into tomorrow. But it’s hard when all I have to do is stand on the little deck leading up to my side of the cabin and stare out at the darkness like something’s going to happen.

God, I hope nothing does.

My heart pounds in my throat, and I hesitate. Kayde hasn’t asked me for anything. Hasn’t told me what he wants, or what I’m supposed to be doing to live up to my side of our stupid, awful, irrational deal.

Should I stay here and wait for him? The thought immediately causes me to recoil, and it’s hard not to compare myself to a rabbit caught in a trap waiting for the hunter to come and skin her. It’s a terrible thought; a bad analogy I want to forget the moment it occurs.

But I’m not going to stand here all night, either. My hesitation lasts only a second longer before I dart into my room, shove my phone into my back pocket, and grab the small shower bag that sits on the small table by the door. There’s a towel slung over the table as well, and I grab it to drape it over my shoulder before leaving my small room once again.

Something tugs at me when I’m at the foot of the wooden stairs. My kids aren’t alone, really. Bobcat Cabin is maybe twenty feet away, and Darcy—for all that she’s irresponsible and not particularly reliable for other counselors—would never let the girls commit murder.

Not without her blessing, anyway.

My hurried steps take me to the further away shower house, the one in the trees where most of the campers are a little too skittish to go after dark. When I want privacy, especially for a hot shower, I always go the extra two hundred feet to get it.

Tonight, while no exception, has me jumping at every single shadow and noise from the woods.

What if he can’t find me? The thought is both reassuring and horrifying as I step into the empty shower house with its five deep stalls. While they aren’t five star luxury, this is a summer camp after all, Fink had enough done to the shower houses a few years ago to ensure we got enough hot water for a long shower and stalls that gave everyone as much privacy as possible.

Selfishly, it’s one of my favorite things he’s done to Camp Crestview. I slip into the farthest shower stall, it’s wide enough for me to almost stretch out my arms without touching the walls, and is separated into the shower itself and a small cubicle with a built-in bench and hooks. My towel goes on the bench, along with my shorts and tee, and by the time I’ve turned on the shower to let it warm up, I’m shivering behind the closed curtain that blocks me off from the rest of the warmly lit bathroom.

Honestly, I prefer this particular shower stall because it’s the furthest from the door, only has one neighbor, and the light doesn’t quite reach it. Shadows creep along the white tile, and I know once I’m properly in the shower with that curtain shut as well, everything will be blissfully dim so I can close my eyes and just think.

Normally, I would relax. This is my alone time, and some of the only me-time I get all summer.

Normally, however, Kayde doesn’t exist.

I shudder, arms wrapped around my body as I press my thighs together nervously. Goosebumps break out along the skin of my arms as I wait, staring at the steam starting to rise from the water hitting the tile in front of me.

At least I’m alone, right?

My imminent nervous breakdown would be much more embarrassing with an audience, that’s for sure. And the silence of the woods is more comforting than nerve-racking. I’ve always liked the silence and the dark.

I just hope Kayde’s bullshit isn’t going to ruin it for me.

Finally, when I’m sure the water is near scalding, I step into the stall and pull the curtain closed, plunging the cubicle into shadow that, while bright enough for me to see everything, is still dim enough for my shoulders to droop and a soft sigh to fall from my lips. The water is hot, almost too much, and quickly plasters my long auburn hair to my head and shoulders, the soft waves straightening and stretching down my spine like fingers.

I’m going to have to deal with this. With him. After my shower, I should find him before he tears the camp apart looking for me. Maybe, if I prove that I’m more serious than he thought I was last night, I can offset some of whatever he wants from me.

Or maybe he was bluffing the whole time.

Yeah right, a voice scoffs in my brain, and I can’t help the rueful, humorless smirk that pulls at my lips under the hot spray. There’s no way he wasn’t telling the truth about his plans or what he’d wanted to do. Not with the ax, the cruelty, and?—

My eyes slam shut and I press my face against the cool tile under the shower head, letting the water cascade over my back. I have a while. Thirty minutes before the water even starts to cool, and since the day was such a busy one, I’m sure my girls are dead asleep.

Or summoning the devil in my absence.

The water feels too good on my back for me to move, and the darkness behind my eyelids is safer than any other part of Camp Crestview tonight, so I don’t open my eyes. My hands flex, uncurling from my shoulders as I press my fingers against the cold tile as well, hoping to give myself an excuse to stop cracking my knuckles and making the ache building there worse.

I should hurry.That thought filters through my head even over the mind-numbingly perfect heat of the water on my skin. I have to find Kayde, to make sure he isn’t hurting anyone. To see?—

The gasp that leaves my throat is closer to a scream than not when fingers curl over my shoulders, digging into my knotted muscles with friendly intent.

“Shhh.” A jaw brushes mine, the sound so close to my skin that I feel it sink into me. “Don’t be so loud, sweetheart.” The fingers tighten, until they’re just on the okay side of painful.

Not that it makes this any better.

My eyes fly open so I can stare at the tile. Though as Kayde pulls back, I jerk my head to the side, gaze wide as I meet his light brown eyes that stare at me from under long, enviable lashes.

There’s no trace of Lassie in him tonight, however. No, this is the Kayde from the woods. Not the one from the pool the first day I’d met him.

“What are you—?” I’m too shocked to fight him as he lightly urges me to turn, and only belatedly do I remember I’m fucking naked in the shower. My arms move quickly, wrapping around my chest as I press my thighs together tightly to hide as much as I can from him.

Not that he seems to share the same sentiment. Kayde stands in the shower completely nude, and I force my eyes to stay on his face instead of allowing them to wander like the macabre fascination in my gut whispers for me to do.

“What am I doing here?” His brows raise by increments, incredulous. “Did you forget about our deal? Did Darcy give you memory loss with that tackle during Capture the Flag?” He reaches out, his fingers smoothing over my cheek where I know I still have the barest hint of an abrasion from today’s games.

“I thought—I just—” No. This won’t work. He steps closer until he’s half under the spray, a look of amusement in his darkening gaze. He enjoys my fear too much for me to let this continue.

Sucking in a breath, I curl my fingers against my palms until my nails bite into my skin. The pain is quick and sharp, and it allows me to take one more breath to ground myself before I lift my chin and let my shoulders fall.

“I didn’t expect for you to be so impatient that you had to follow me into the women’s showers,” I say at last, my tone as cold as I can manage.

If I’d expected, or hoped, for my words to shock him or humiliate him, that flies out the window at the quick grin pulling at his mouth. He reaches out once more, fingers splaying around the base of my neck and pushing me until my back hits the tile.

“You know, Summer. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re not a fan of me.” His tone is deceptively mild and strangely friendly, but I don’t give him an answer. “I’d think you’re mad at me, instead of looking forward to our little game.”

“What can I say?” I shrug, my arms still crossed over my chest. “I’m all gamed out after today. I’ve had enough of being on my knees in the dirt.”

“What a pity,” Kayde is quick to respond, like he wants to punish me for my words. “Because I haven’t gotten my fill of seeing you there.”

His words prompt me into inhaling sharply, and I wish I could meld with the wall, or pry off a piece of it to smack him with.

“What do you want?” It’s such a stupid question, but I can’t stop myself from asking it anyway. No matter how dumb it feels on my lips, especially when dark amusement is reflected in his gaze.

“You know what I want. What you told me you’d give me,” Kayde replies, voice low in his chest. “We made a deal, and I’ve come to collect, sweetheart. It’s not really that complicated.” He doesn’t say it sweetly, or playfully. His words are cruel and condescending; like I really am an idiot asking stupid as fuck questions.

“Yeah, but I didn’t quite expect it in the shower,” I hiss back, hoping I don’t sound nearly as terrified as I feel.

He could kill me.That thought bounces around in my skull as he looks me over thoughtfully; not even trying to hide that he’s not looking at my face. Unlike me, he apparently doesn’t care about decency or politeness.

Though unlike me, he knew he wasn’t alone when he stripped out of his clothes and stepped into the shower behind me.

“You should expect me everywhere, Summer.” His hand moves, coming up to grip my chin lightly. “Anywhere you are is somewhere I’d love to play with you. The shower, your cabin, the woods…” He shrugs, his blond hair straight and plastered to his shoulders as he stares down at me. “I’m sure we could think of lots of fun places to play our game.”

More than anything, I want to push him away from me. I hate the way his fingers feel gripping my chin. I hate the simmering of his warm brown gaze as he stares at me like there’s nowhere else he’d rather be. “I’ve been waiting for this,” he murmurs, dragging my attention back to his face from wherever my fantasies of killing him had taken me.

“What?” I blink, taken aback by his words.

“I’ve been waiting for this,” Kayde replies in a growl, stepping closer to make the space between us evaporate. I tighten my arms around my chest, heart pounding under my ribs, and try not to let him see how nervous I am.

How nervous he makes me.

“I thought you were adorable during tug-of-war,” he purrs, his nose brushing my jaw as I try to take a step back and remember I’m already flush with the cold tile wall. His hands move to skim along my hips, but all I can do is stand there and take it. “You and your feral little campers. Did you know one of them growled at my boys?”

“They do that,” I whisper, hating the softness of my voice and the way my arms tremble. “They don’t like losing.”

“They were so desperate to win, weren’t they?” Kayde agrees sweetly, as his fingers stroke at my forearms before moving to my hands that are tucked against my sides. “Reminds me of someone, actually.” Slowly, but without hesitation, Kayde works to unhook my fingers from around my ribs, prying them off one by one until they’re clasped around his hands instead of my own body.

When I expect him to push further, however, he doesn’t. Kayde’s wicked smile darkens as he moves to skim his lips up my neck, along my jaw, until I shudder and grit my teeth together hard enough for the muscles in my jaw to squeak in protest.

“I’d like to see you desperate, I think,” Kayde muses, ducking down just enough to brush his lips to mine sweetly. It’s a request, not a demand. And that makes it all the worse.

Because he’s giving me a choice, even though we both know I have no choice at all.

The second time he brushes my lips with his, my fingers tighten around his. I hear a soft sound from between his lips, though before I can even guess at its intent, I tilt my chin up just enough for him to see my consent for what he wants from me. My lips part just enough, and when his tongue brushes against mine and a low purr echoes from his mouth to my own, I can’t help but sigh through my nose and wish this was anyone else in the entire world.

Because Kayde Lane is a damn good kisser.

Even with his hands occupied under my fingers, he manages to urge me to tilt my head back further for him, his teeth and tongue dominate the kiss easily, and so clearly want more. His hands twitch against mine, and I find myself gripping him tighter where his skin presses against mine, hoping he lets go rather than pushes for something more.

But, really, I should know better than to hope.

When Kayde pulls away, it’s with a soft growl against my lips. For one terrifying moment, I’m sure he’s going to spit in my mouth again, and it’s impossible not to remember the slow slide and burn of it from last night. But when his lips curl up into a smile and his gaze turns taunting, I realize that’s not on his mind right now.

“Put your arms down, sweetheart,” Kayde murmurs, lips a few inches from my ear and words barely audible over the spray.

I don’t want to.

The words bubble toward my lips, but I swallow them down before they can make it into the air between us. Still I can’t help the small shake of my head, though my eyes close hard as soon as I do it.

“Are you telling me no? You want me to stop?” His tone doesn’t change. There’s no irritation or impatience in his voice. His fingers still skim against as much of my sides as they can while I hold him tight. “If this is too much for you, Summer, I’ll leave you alone. I’ll walk away.”

Oh, but if only it were that simple.

I hesitate for too long, however. He pulls away, extracting his fingers from mine, and without hesitation moves toward the shower curtain separating us from the bench with my clothes and the camp outside of the shower house. But I can’t let him go, no matter how much the sudden increase to my personal space makes the knot around my heart loosen.

“Wait.” A rush of pride floods me when I don’t stutter, and my voice even sounds somewhat steady. “I didn’t?—”

“I told you I’d leave if you said no at any time,” Kayde replies, glancing over his shoulder at me with hooded eyes. “If you don’t want this, I’m not going to force you, sweetheart. It was your idea to do this…wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” I agree, hot water pouring down my body as I step more squarely into the spray so I can reach out and try to grab him if he moves away. “Yeah, I did. I didn’t tell you no. I didn’t say stop.” Though it’s not like I’m subtle about how much I want him to go away.

And he knows that just as well as I do.

“Come…come back. Don’t leave, okay?” My voice wavers, just when I need to sound like I’m sure of this most. But I try to ignore it, and I reach one arm out to him, wishing it was easier to drop the other one when he’s looking at me so expectantly.

“I need more than this,” Kayde warns, though he isn’t moving toward the door anymore. His hand comes up to mine, and he entwines his fingers with mine as he turns back to me, expectant. “Last chance, Summer. Do I stay or go?”

Go, I want to scream at him, hating how my fingers shake. Go, go, GO?—

“Stay,” I whisper, reaching out my other hand. I won’t let him leave if I can help it. I won’t let him kill anyone. And if this is what I have to do to keep him from hurting Kinsley, my campers, or the other counselors, then I’ll do it. No matter how much I don’t want to.

Butterflies take off in my stomach as I tug him back to the spray, hating the flush of heat in my neck and cheeks as he finally drops his gaze from my face to the rest of me that he can now see. Unexpectedly, a groan sounds out, and the smile that curls his lips isn’t malicious or taunting.

“How could I say no, hmm?” Kayde asks, walking me back into the wall until my back is flush with it again. This time he grips my hips, his fingers digging into my skin, before dragging his hands up my sides.

“Can I ask you something?” His words catch me off guard, and all I can do is lift one incredulous brow in his direction. He knows he has the power here. He can ask or tell me anything he wants, and I have to take it without complaint.

“What?” I mutter, when it’s clear he’s waiting for some kind of verbal acknowledgment of the question.

“Aren’t you worried I’ll hurt you?” His fingers tighten just a bit more, until I’m sure that tomorrow, the pale skin just above my hip bones will be littered with bruises in the shape of his fingerprints. “Summer…” He leans forward, his jaw brushing against mine and causing my breath to hitch in my throat before he whispers, so sweetly my teeth hurt, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you? You didn’t make me promise not to hurt you. Not to really hurt you, sweetheart.” He drags my body away from the wall, just enough that all the space between us disappears.

Suddenly, I’m pressed flush against Kayde Lane, his hands keeping me anchored in place as he pulls away just enough for me to see the completely manic, terrifying grin crawling over his features. “Why in the world would you agree to play with me without even giving me rules, hmm?”

When he doesn’t go on, I realize it’s a real question. He’s actually asking, though it feels like a rhetorical question to me.

“Because…” I didn’t think about it is such a bad answer. Kinsley would scream at me if she knew what I’d done, and he’s right. I could’ve—should’ve—put some limitations on this. “Because if I had, if I’d told you what you could or couldn’t do, would you have agreed?” I ask finally, eyes on his.

Kayde, for his part, just looks at me. His grip loosens just a touch, until it doesn’t feel so bruising, and the terrifying, manic smile fades to something more…thoughtful. For a few moments, the only sound in the shower house is the water cascading down on both of us, running over his shoulders and down to where our bodies are pressed together. Where I’m trying not to think about.

“Smart girl,” he murmurs at last, a touch of pride in his voice. “But then again, I wouldn’t expect anything else from you, Summer. Otherwise you wouldn’t be my final girl. My little lone survivor who so desperately wants to come out of this without too much trauma. Perfect little sweetheart.” What starts as praise turns progressively meaner, though his voice retains the same too-friendly edge.

“But you really should know…” He leans forward again, until his lips brush mine with every word. “I’m looking forward to making you regret your lack of rules for our game.” Without hesitation he bites down hard on my lower lip, and it’s all I can do to hold back a shriek as blood trickles onto my tongue amidst his chuckling purr. I cross my fingers that this is at least somewhat a bluff on his part.

Even though we both know it really, definitely isn’t.