Chapter Sixteen
The doors to the grand hall stood open and a blur of masks and costumes swirled inside Blackvellyn Hall. I hesitated, already studying faces for glimpses of skull masks. Weirdly, despite it being Halloween, there wasn’t a single skull mask in sight. Maybe only the Reapers had exclusive rights to skull masks in Blackvellyn. It wouldn”t surprise me. Most students seemed to react with either derision or suspicion when I brought them up in conversation, but each time, they all reacted with an element of fear. This society truly seemed to rule over the student body here, and if some of the rumours I’d heard were true, they controlled most of the faculty members too.
Kate, looped her arm through mine, pulling me towards the open doors. A shiver travelled down my spine as we stepped into the grand hall. The chandeliers hung low, casting an eerie glow over the crowd of laughing students, their faces hidden behind an array of masks. My eyes continued to dart around, searching for the skull masks amidst the sea of colours and feathers.
”Look at this place,” Kate said, eyes wide.
”Insane,” I replied, drinking in the sight of Greek columns and marble tiles. The air hummed with energy and decadence. A band, dressed as vampires, were belting out a rock tune at the far end of the room. Students danced wildly, their bodies moving as one, their laughs and screams blending with the rhythm.
”So is Tristan meeting you here soon?” asked Kate.
”Yeah, apparently his housemate had already taken his car, and when Tristan went to get his, it wouldn”t start. That”s why he sent the uber. He said he”ll be here really soon though.”
”Well, at least I”ve got you to myself for a little while,” Kate said, tugging me deeper into the crowd. She stood out starkly against the opulence of the room, her torn black dress and leather jacket an act of defiance in a sea of silk and velvet. Heads turned, whispers followed us as we made our way through the crowd of masked elites towards the bar.
Despite how busy it was, the bar was well stocked and well staffed. Kate managed to get served pretty quickly, and I stared at her when she handed me two shot glasses with a clear liquid inside. She grabbed two more glasses off the bar for herself.
“What is this?” I asked loudly, eyeing the shot glasses with trepidation.
“Sambuca,” answered Kate. “It would be better with coffee beans, but I asked and they don’t have any. Ready?”
“I’m not sure…”
”Paige, live a little,” she shouted in my ear. ”What happened to pushing boundaries? Forget the rules, forget everything. Tonight, we”re whoever we want to be.”
”I know, but shots?” I hesitated.
”Exactly what you need.” Her grin was sharp. ”A little liquid courage.”
My heart raced. The old Paige would”ve said no. But Kate was right. Tonight was about pushing limits. Plus, my mother would never have allowed me to do shots. I grinned.
”Okay.”
”Brave girl,” she praised, and lifted one of the glasses to her lips. I did the same, knocking it back in one as she did. The burning spirit flowed down my throat, and I coughed and spluttered at the strength of it.
Kate laughed and raised her second glass. I shook my head at her grin.
“I hate you.”
She laughed. “You think you hate me now, wait till tomorrow morning. Now drink!”
I tossed the second shot down my throat, and being more prepared this time, found I actually enjoyed the aniseed taste and the growing warmth in my stomach.
Two more shots later and the warmth had spread over my entire body. With the liquid courage coursing through my veins, I noticed that the idea of the Reapers no longer seemed to bother me. Fuck them, I thought to myself. Let them follow me all they like. I”m going to have a good time for once. Kate was right, tonight was about change, about freedom. I looked around, a new wave of excitement rippling through me at the sight of swirling dancers and masked secrets.
”Let”s dance,” I announced.
Kate”s expression lit up. ”That”s more like it!”
She didn”t waste a second, dragging me to the front of the crowd where the music blasted at its loudest. The rhythm took over and I surrendered to it, dancing wildly with Kate.
”Tonight, we”re free,” she shouted over the noise, her smile fierce.
”Free,” I echoed, laughing at myself. I was drunk, but I didn’t care. The music was reverberating through the floor, the coloured lights flashed and my costume made me feel incredible. I was so grateful to Kate. I had almost chickened out when I”d realised how low the neckline fell, and had found the slits up both legs, but Kate had talked me into wearing it and now I felt incredible. Beautiful, free, even sexy.
The night wore on, but Tristan still hadn”t shown yet. I was disappointed, but at the same time, the alcohol had cheered me up and I was having a great time. The drinks continued to flow and the dance floor became a wild sea of whirling bodies and flickering lights. Every now and then, Kate would disappear into the crowd, only to reappear moments later with more drinks. She was in her element, and her confidence was infectious. I let myself get caught up in the rhythm, dancing and laughing without a care in the world. An attractive man dressed as a gladiator moved up next to Kate, smiling at her, and extending his hand. She took it and he pulled her closer to dance. I smiled at them, moving a little further away, and closing my eyes, swaying to the music.
A pair of hands settled on my waist, and for a moment, I flashed back to the nightclub two weeks ago and my sexy rescuer, but when I looked down, my partner’s slender arms were covered in black shirt sleeves and there was no sign of any tattoos.
”I was already upset I was late, but had I known you looked like this, I would have definitely left sooner.”
I spun around and looked up at Tristan. Blue eyes sparkled behind a plain black bandana tied around his head and pulled down over his face, with eye holes cut so he could see out. He pulled me close against his chest, arms sliding around me as we started to sway to the music.
”Where have you been?” I asked. ”And who are you supposed to be?”
”I”m Zorro, obviously,” he said, with mock hurt in his voice. ”And I am sorry again for not being able to pick up you and Kate tonight, Paige. I meant to be here an hour ago, but I needed to talk to the police, and they took ages.”
”The police? Why?”
”Come with me.” He took my hand and pulled me off the dancefloor, heading through one of the doors and into a deserted corridor. We could still hear the music from the ballroom, but I could hear him speak much better too.
”So, when I said the car wouldn”t start, I was actually telling a little white lie. I got into the car to come and pick you and Kate up, cause I figured she could sit on your lap or something seeing as it wasn”t far to come, but as I got near the end of my street I noticed that there was something wrong with the brakes. Luckily I wasn”t going too fast and the roads were quiet, so I let it drift to a stop and called a mechanic friend I have.” Tristan sighed. ”Someone had interfered with the brakes, Paige. They”d cut the cables.”
”Oh my God,” I said. ”Tristan, you could have been killed. Are you ok?” I slipped my arms around his waist, scenes of tangled metal filling my mind.
He pressed his lips to my hair. ”I”m fine, Paige. I just called the police so they could look into it. Someone was trying to hurt me tonight, and I knew I had enemies, but I never thought they”d go this far. I could have had you and Kate in the car, and lost control. You both could have been hurt.”
I shivered, the reality sinking in. The thought of what could have happened chilled me to the bone, but the fact that Tristan was here, safe and sound, brought a comforting warmth.
”But we”re okay,” I said, pulling away from him slightly to look into his eyes. ”We”re all okay.”
His eyes bore into mine, a swirl of emotions that mirrored my own. He pulled me back into his arms and kissed me. Tender at first, like it always was, but then I felt his tongue slip between my lips, dancing with mine. I opened my mouth, allowing him deeper and he sighed. His hand slid up to cup the back of my head as he deepened the kiss, the heat between us building.
His lips moved against mine with a desperate urgency that I returned with equal fervour. I could feel his heart hammering against my chest and knew mine matched beat for beat. His hand moved to the small of my back and pulled me closer, our bodies pressed flush against each other.
“Tristan,” I sighed, as his mouth left mine, and travelled along my jaw and down the side of my throat. A thrill ran through me as he guided me back a step, pressing me against the wall. His hand ran down my side then round and over my ass, pulling me against him.
“Paige,” he murmured, his teeth grazing over my skin. He kissed me again, harder this time, his breath unsteady and I gasped for breath as his hand moved down my leg, scooping underneath and wrapping it around his waist. He pressed himself against me and I felt heat pool between my legs at the feel of his hard cock pressing against me through my skirt. Unable to fight this desire that had suddenly taken hold of me, I reached up, my hands tangling in his hair pulling him closer as desire raged within me like a wildfire. He thrust against me in a rhythm my own hips matched, pushing back against him as his kiss left me breathless. My heart pounded in my chest, but it wasn”t fear. It was anticipation.
This was what my mother had kept me from. This is what I had been missing, and this taste had simply left me craving more. Heat spread through me, my body responding to his touch in ways I had never imagined possible. My legs felt weak as I clung onto him, his strong arms holding me up.
Suddenly, the music outside swelled louder, the beat pounding like a seductive call. Tristan broke our kiss, his lips leaving mine with a soft gasp.
”Tristan...” I whispered his name, my voice shaky. He looked at me, his eyes dark with desire. He cupped my cheeks, his thumbs caressing my skin.
”Are you okay?” he asked, concern washing over him. I nodded, slightly breathless.
”I”m more than okay,” I replied. His lips curled into a smile and he pulled me closer, his hands resting on the small of my back.
”You”re amazing,” he whispered against my lips before pulling back. “And I want you so damn much, but we can’t do this. Not here, and not now.”
”Let”s go back inside,” he suggested smoothly, offering me his hand which I took hesitantly.
Back at the party, the music was still loud and everyone seemed as oblivious as ever to our absence. Kate was still dancing expertly with the gladiator man, both of them laughing wildly.
”Paige,” Tristan began, stroking a lock of my hair behind my ear with a small smile on his face. ”Tonight has been... unpredictable, but I”d still like to enjoy what”s left of it with you. Will you dance with me?”
“I’d love to,” I said, smiling shyly up at him. My body still ached for him, but he’d been right. If I was going to lose my virginity to him, I didn’t want to do it in a university hallway.
He pulled me back onto the dancefloor and wrapped his arms around my waist, his body fitting against me as though it was made to. His fingers slid into my hair, and I leaned into him, my heart pounding in my chest.
He moved with the rhythm of the music, his hips swaying against mine. His hands slid down my back, resting on my hips as he pulled me closer to him.
”Tristan,” I whispered into his ear, feeling a shiver run up his spine.
”Yes?” His voice was low and husky.
”I”m glad we came tonight,” I confessed. ”I”m glad you”re here.”
“I’m glad too.” I felt a sudden vibration from his body, and he reached down, pulling out his phone. His face tightened, a strange looking passing across his face and he sighed.
“What is it?” I asked, worried now.
“It’s fine, it’s just… my dad asking about the car. I have to go and call him. I’m sorry Paige, it might take a little while. Will you be ok?”
“I’ll be fine, go,” I said, giving him a gentle shove. He brushed his lips over mine.
“I wish tonight could have lasted longer,” he said.
“Then hurry and come back to me,” I said, smiling at him. He returned it, but his seemed sad somehow, and I frowned as he disappeared into the crowd.
“Paige.”
I turned to see David standing behind me.
“You look incredible.”
“Thank you,” I said. ”How did you know it was me?”
“Oh, just your hair, the way you move,” he answered, moving closer. “Dance with me?”
It wasn’t really a question, and I felt really awkward refusing when he was already moving with me to the music.
”Uh, sure,” I said.
”Good.”
”Everyone”s watching,” I said. “Should you be dancing with a student?”
“No one knows it’s us,” he said, leaning forward and pressing his nose to my hair. I fought the urge to shudder. I really didn’t feel anything towards him other than as a student and a friendly teacher, but I didn’t want to make a scene or make things awkward between us for the rest of the year. One dance, I thought, then I’ll make an excuse to go to the bathroom or something.
”Smile, Paige,” he instructed. ”We”re just dancing.”
”Right,” I forced the corners of my mouth up. Just dancing.
Suddenly, the lights dimmed and a hush fell over the crowd. I took the opportunity to try and pull away from David but his grip on my waist tightened.
”No, Paige,” he warned, his voice low. “You promised me a dance.” He smiled as though he was teasing, but it didn”t reach his eyes.
”David, let me go,” I said, struggling to keep my voice steady. He ignored me, turning me around slowly to the haunting music. My heart pounded in my chest and my palms started to sweat. I felt like a deer caught in headlights. I looked to the side, trying to find Kate, but the rest of the dancers had stopped moving, all turned towards the doors at the other end of the hall.
A collective gasp rolled through the ballroom and I turned to see what everyone was looking at.
Suddenly, the music shifted into a darker, more intense beat compelling the room. The lights fell into a dramatic darkness and when they came back, the doors had opened revealing a large group of eerily clad figures. They were tall and broad-shouldered, dressed head to toe in pitch black robes with skull masks. The Reapers had arrived.
The figures made their way through the crowd, black cloaks sweeping and skull masks gleaming menacingly and a shiver went down my spine.
”Paige?” David murmured in my ear.
”Who are they?” I asked David.
”The Deadmen’s Club. They come every year,” he said, voice flat as he watched them move through the crowd. “A society of the most elite students at Blackvellyn. They’re dangerous, Paige. Don’t go mixing with them. You’d be nothing more than prey to them.”
The music rose again, that strange haunting melody from before, and I watched, entranced, as one reached for the hand of a girl dressed as Marie Antoinette. She giggled, twirling into his arms. A murmur of excitement rippled through the room as the Reapers began to choose partners from among the crowd. Their smooth, confident movements exuded something both dangerous and alluring. Another Reaper beckoned to a Cleopatra, her laughter ringing clear across the room. One by one, they wove through the crowd, their movements fluid and deliberate.
”They seem harmless,” I commented, trying to ignore the tightness in David”s grip.
”They aren’t,” he snapped. “But don”t worry, Paige. I’ll keep you safe.”
His arm tightened around my waist, yanking me closer. I stumbled against him, the scent of his cologne stifling.
”Easy,” I gasped.
”Stay with me, Paige,” he commanded, eyes scanning the sea of masked faces and swirling costumes.
The music throbbed through the grand hall, a heartbeat that pulsed beneath my skin. My gaze caught on a Reaper, his skull mask a stark contrast to the opulence around us. His head turned slightly, as if sensing my stare.
”David, you”re hurting me.” My voice was firm, edged with annoyance.
”Sorry,” he muttered, but his grip remained unyielding as he turned me around to the music, his body blocking me from sight.
Suddenly, a shadow crossed between us. I looked up to see an imposing figure dressed in long hooded black robes and a skull mask. A Reaper.
”I believe this dance is mine,” the Reaper said, his voice masked by the costume but unmistakably powerful.
”Excuse me?” David pulled away from me slightly, frowning at the new arrival.
The Reaper only tilted his head to one side, regarding David through the hollow eye sockets of his skull mask. His silence was intimidating.
David stiffened. ”She”s with me.”
”Am I?” I challenged, emboldened by the stranger”s presence. David”s hold faltered, and I seized my chance, slipping from his grasp.
”Paige—” David”s protest cut off as I placed my hand in the Reaper”s.
In a swift movement, the Reaper pulled me into an embrace, his hands firm on my waist. I looked back at David, my heart pounding in my chest. But I couldn”t deny the thrill that coursed through my veins with each touch of the Reaper”s hands on my body. His grip was strong and sure, a stark contrast to David”s stifling hold.
”Who are you?” I murmured into his ear, my voice barely audible over the intoxicating beat of the music. He didn”t respond, only pulling me closer as we moved gracefully across the dance floor.
”Does it matter?” His voice rolled over me, low and smooth.
I should have been scared, my heart racing for all the wrong reasons. But I wasn”t. The danger, the thrill—it excited me. His other hand found the small of my back, pressing me closer as we moved to the rhythm of the music. The rest of the room seemed to fade into soft focus as he began to guide me in a dance. I raised my other hand to his shoulder, feeling the muscular firmness beneath the robe. His movements were controlled, confident, as though he had done this a thousand times before. There was a predatory grace to him, a sense of danger that sent a thrill of anticipation coursing through me. David watched, stunned, as we began to sway to the rhythm of the haunting music. The crowd around us erupted into whispers, their gazes shifting between me and David.
”Let them watch,” he murmured in my ear as our bodies aligned with the seductive tempo. His voice sent chills down my spine, its low timbre a dark promise. My pulse quickened with each solid step we took on the wide dance floor, the bone-white skull mask before me never wavering. The haunting melody filled the room, weaving itself through each couple and lacing them together in a euphonic web. I caught glimpses of the other guests, their faces hidden behind masks, a sea of anonymity. The music thrummed in my veins, an insistent beat that mirrored the quickening of my heart.
”Easy,” he whispered, his breath hot against my ear.
I tried to match his steps, but the world tipped dangerously. My chest tightened, panic clawing its way up my throat. This wasn”t the thrill I sought; it was too much, too fast. I needed air, space. But his hold was a vice, pushing out everything except the pressure of his body against mine.
”Stop,” I gasped. ”Please.”
”The final dance,” he purred in my ear, his voice sending shivers along the length of my spine. ”Are you ready?” Before I could answer, he swept me off my feet, spinning me in a whirlwind of motion that left me dizzy and breathless. The room spun around me like a carousel, the faces of the onlookers distorting into a kaleidoscope of masks and colours.
Instead, his hand snaked around my waist, pulling me closer still. The dance was no longer ours. It belonged to the onlookers, to the Reapers now encircling us like spectres of judgement.
”Let go,” I tried again, my voice barely a whisper.
“Never,” he growled in my ear. “I will never let you go.”
Suddenly, the music ended and the room plunged into a hush. The Reaper held me tight against him, our bodies still pressed together in an intimate embrace. Something about the silence of the room was more terrifying than the fast-paced dance. I felt a tremor run down my spine-- fear or excitement, I wasn”t sure. He turned me slowly in his arms, and I saw clearly that the crowd had encircled us completely. The room was silent except for the pounding rhythm of my heart. The crowd had vanished into obscurity beneath the cloak of masks and silence, their eyes trained on us in anticipation. One hand tightened on my hip, pulling me back against him. I felt the unmistakable hardness of him through his robes and gasped. His other hand slid upwards, cupping my breast, his thumb rubbing over my nipple through the fabric. A bolt of desire shot through me, even as my mouth dropped open in shock. Around us, everyone stood silently, just watching. The room blurred at the edge of my vision as lust and fear mingled. His touch burned through the fabric of my costume, lighting a fire in my core.
”Stop,” I managed to choke out.
”No,” he whispered, his voice husky. ”You are mine now. And I will do to you what I choose… Persephone.”
His grip tightened on me, and I couldn”t deny the pooling warmth between my thighs even amid my confusion. The air in the room felt heavy, electric, as if everyone in attendance was holding their breath. His fingers trailed along my skin, igniting a flame I couldn”t put out. I couldn’t take my eyes away from the seas of masked faces watching intently as this man caressed me.
“I”m not Persephone,” I tried again.
“But tonight, you are,” he whispered back, his masked face inches away from mine. His warm breath ghosted over my skin, inciting a shiver that travelled down my spine. I could feel his thumb drawing lazy circles over my nipple, sending jolts of pleasure zipping through me.
I couldn”t breathe.
The sense of danger was palpable now, thick in the air like sweet poison. Every instinct in me screamed to run, but his touch was mesmerising and I was frozen in his arms.
“Time to go, Persephone. Time to leave the land of the living and join me in the world of the dead.”
”Wha—”
In one fluid motion, his other hand produced a cloth from somewhere within the folds of his robe. Before I could react, the cloth covered my nose and mouth. A sickly sweet scent filled my nostrils, clogging my senses. My limbs grew heavy, the grand ballroom tilting into obscurity. The last thing I registered was the sound of my own muffled scream, then the world slipped away completely, leaving me adrift in an endless night.