Chapter Fourteen
Tokyo
Iwatch Alec, from the cover of the crowd as the bass rattles my ribs and the fake blood dries sticky on my skin. The group of men participating in this year's hunt slowly walk down the stairs and begin to blend into the crowd.
It’s going to be a bitch. Trying to keep people from dying while also avoiding Kai. That man is going to be the death of me one day. I let out a sigh, sliding my mask back into place and continuing my way through the crowd. My mind is consumed with thoughts of him.
Kai.
The look on his face when he saw me was almost enough for me to say fuck all of this and just run off with him. But I couldn’t, not when I did this...
Not after what I did to her.
She trusted me. That was her first mistake.
All I can hope for now is that the drugs are beginning to wear off.
I didn’t give her enough to have her strung out—in order for my plan to work, she needs to be lucid enough to hold her own.
Which reminds me, there’s another person I need to avoid if I want to make it out of this place alive.
Couples dressed in cute costumes walk hand in hand as they make it deeper into the house, unaware of the certain death they are walking towards.
I keep my distance, waiting for the first clown to pop up before they ambush, and pray that I have it in me to kill…
Not one.
But two of them, at the same fucking time.
Some techno house mix of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” begins to play, and smoke curls around us as the hallway narrows, getting darker.
I have to give it to Alec, this shit is scary, and if it wasn’t for the real-life danger, the Wicked Raves would be a fucking vibe.
The lights flicker—red and then black.
Then nothing.
The couples mutter curses and stifle screams.
My grip on the bat tightens, swirling it as I walk down the hallway, and my breathing picks up—adrenaline rushes through me.
The air is thick. It smells of sulfur, corn syrup, and a faint metallic scent.
Laughter echoes. Not human though, but instead from the clown animatronic that popped out from behind the wall.
My cue.
Call me a big fat hero, or just fucking stupid, but here goes nothing.
The laugh continues its loop, like a soundtrack from hell. Two shadows shift at the end of the corridor; their masks are the only thing I can see as one brandishes a knife. I go to move, but something strong wraps around my waist, pulling me away and slamming me hard against the drywall.
The beat drops.
I go to scream.
But warm hands cover my mouth. “Shh,” Kai says as he pulls off his mask. Mine has already been pushed aside because I could hardly breathe. “Roman’s here.”
My heart lurches inside my chest. I try to pull away but he presses harder into me. “Stop running, girl, I got you.” With his hand still on my mouth, the other cages my hip. I try not to melt, really try not to think about how good it feels. How safe—even here—it feels.
All I want is him.
Our eyes lock. Rage. Hunger. Hurt.
All dancing in those beautiful browns. I don’t know which one of us leans in first, all I know is he kisses me hard. A kiss that says fuck you and I’ve missed you in the same breath.
And I devour him.
Because I need to. I want to.
For just this moment, I allow myself to drown in the man I call my brother. His warm tongue slides against mine, my hands fist his shirt. Pulling him closer, needing to feel the weight of him—the feel of him. My leg moves up, curling around his hip, feet digging into his firm ass.
When a shadow casts over us, neon stitches emerge from the smoke as the mask slowly rises. A flicker of motion. Then–
“Boo,” Roman growls as he pulls Kai off me, slamming him hard into the drywall. “Fuck, Kai,” I mutter, trying to move towards him, but with all this commotion, I didn’t notice that my bat had fallen from my hand.
I go to move for it but feel Roman’s hand fisting my hair. Thankfully, it’s the wig. But then he grabs again, and this time, he connects with my scalp, nails biting into my skull. “Where is she, Tokyo?”
I don’t answer. I’m too focused on trying to get out of his grip, when from the corner of my eye. I see Kai grab my bat and swing it straight into Roman’s leg.
“FUCK!” he growls out. As the lights begin to flicker from red to black, Roman roars and stumbles back.
“TOKYO! GO!” Kai shouts over the music when two more orange-masked fuckers come into view. Roman smashes his fist into the drywall, putting it straight through it. “I don’t have the time for this,” he grits out, grabbing the first unlucky bastard and smashing his head repeatedly into the wall.
I don’t know what happens first, the man's body going still or the red splatters across the wall, but all I do know is that I watch him slide down the wall, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. Roman lunges for me again just as Kai tackles him into the ground.
“GO! I'LL FIND YOU.” Kai grits out.
I look at the men as they wrestle each other when another masked man comes from around the corner. I move quickly, grabbing my bat as the smoke goes off again and the beat picks up. Aiming straight for his head, and swing.
I bash him straight into the wooden door frame, his head twisting at an unnatural angle. A strong hand grabs my ankle, pulling me off my feet. When I look down, Roman’s eyes gleam with hate—they look like they are glowing.
Kai has him in a chokehold, but it’s clearly only managing to piss him off. “I’m gonna kill you,” he chokes out as I kick his hand off my ankle, casting one final look at Kai. I bite back the urge to puke as I leave my heart behind.