28. Hades
Hades
I ease the back door open and slip inside. Warmth surrounds me, as does Presley’s scent. There’s also the faint scent of whatever candle Presley burned earlier and the lingering trace of woodsmoke from the fireplace.
I close the door quietly behind me, pushing it until I hear the telltale click.
Now it’s latched and locked.
Breaking into Presley’s house is disturbingly easy.
And while that door gives me easy access to her, it worries me that it could give someone else access, too.
I need to figure out a way in while securing that door.
But that’s a tomorrow problem.
A soft growl comes from somewhere near the floor.
I look down.
Penny stands several feet away.
Her tiny body is rigid, ears flattened, eyes fixed on me.
For approximately three seconds, she looks like a guard dog.
Then she recognizes me.
Her entire ass starts wagging.
I stare at her. “Pathetic.”
She trots toward me.
I crouch as she reaches me, scratching beneath her chin. “You’re supposed to protect her from men who break into the house.”
Her tongue swipes across my hand.
“You’re fucking terrible at your job.”
Penny licks me again.
“Is your mom asleep?”
Her ears perk. She spins around, then trots toward the hallway.
I remain where I am.
She stops and looks over her shoulder at me.
I raise an eyebrow.
Penny stares.
“Really? Do you lead intruders to her?”
She turns and continues toward the stairs.
I watch her disappear around the corner.
A few seconds later, her head reappears. She stares at me again.
“You cannot be serious.”
Her tail wags.
I shake my head and take a step in Penny’s direction.
She disappears, the sound of her nails growing fainter.
And because I’ve lost whatever remaining dignity I possessed somewhere between stalking a woman through the woods and buying her dog a Halloween sweater, I follow her.
Penny waits at the bottom of the stairs until I reach her. Then she starts climbing.
“Unbelievable.”
Her nails click softly against the wood.
She doesn't even hesitate at the top. She heads straight down the hallway to Presley’s bedroom.
I shake my head.
“If I were here to murder her, this would be entirely your fault.”
Penny keeps walking. No remorse whatsoever.
At Presley's doorway, she slips through the opening.
I stop outside, listening to see if Presley’s awake.
But it’s silent.
Her face from earlier flashes through my mind. The suspicion that appeared when I called her a good girl—twice.
Fucking stupid.
I knew the second the words left my mouth.
And sooner or later, she's going to figure it out if I keep fucking up.
I ease the bedroom door open the rest of the way.
Penny jumps onto the bed.
Presley shifts beneath the covers.
I go still.
She doesn't wake.
Penny circles twice before curling against Presley's legs like she didn't just personally escort a stalker into her bedroom.
I step inside.
Moonlight slips through the curtains, casting enough light across the bed for me to see her.
Long brown hair is spread across the pillow. One hand rests near her face. Her lips are slightly parted.
She looks peaceful.
Completely unaware I'm here.
I move closer.
The urge to touch her hits immediately.
It always does.
Instead, I stand beside the bed and stare.
I came close to losing her tonight.
I curl my hands into fists when I realize they’re shaking.
I’ve never cared this much about a woman in my life.
I can’t lose her.
My gaze traces over her face, thinking about the way she smiles when she sees me. The way she argues with me about books. The way she says my name when she's irritated.
The way she looked at her phone tonight because she wanted Hades to make her feel safe from the man standing outside her house.
I've enjoyed every fucking second of being both men.
The one who frightens her.
And the one she trusts.
I've watched her try to reconcile wanting one while developing feelings for the other.
I've deliberately made it harder.
Because I'm selfish.
I'm fucked up.
But having one part of her stopped being enough almost as soon as I got it.
Eventually, she’ll put the pieces together.
And when she does—
My jaw tightens.
She might hate me.
I fucking despise that thought.
Penny lifts her head, watching me from Presley's legs.
“What?” I whisper.
Her ears twitch.
“I know I’ve done something bad.”
I look back at Presley.
I need to fix this.
Although there probably isn't a permanent solution short of telling her the truth.
I'm not ready to do that.
I'm definitely not ready to find out what happens afterward.
But I can give her something stronger than suspicion.
Proof.
Proof that Hades and the man in the mask cannot possibly be the same person.
I just need another man’s help.
One who's roughly my height.
One I trust.
One who already knows exactly what I've been doing.
My mouth curves.
Wilder is going to fucking hate this.
I reach down and gently move a strand of hair from Presley's cheek.
She sighs in her sleep.
My fingers linger.
Tomorrow, I'll ask her to the festival.
A real date.
No mask. No windows between us. No stolen moments.
Just Presley and me.
And if everything goes according to plan, by the end of the night she'll know one thing with absolute certainty: Hades isn't the man who's been stalking her.
I smile.
Even if I have to chase the masked man through Hollow Creek to prove it.