Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
IRIS
I was back in my dorm room, lying in my bed, sobbing quietly.
There was no time.
No plan, no thought – it was just my hands shaking as I pulled on my coat and bolted from Archer’s apartment, the door slamming shut behind me as I cringed at the loud noise.
I ran through the streets of Stonewall, breath tearing from my lungs. Every footstep felt too loud, too exposed.
The clouds had cleared, the watery morning sun shining down, lighting the world. What a shit kind of irony, I thought – that the world gets brighter as my own life becomes dark and bleak.
I prayed to anyone who might be listening – to anyone at all – that he hadn’t noticed yet.
That he didn’t know I was gone.
That he wasn’t already after me for discovering his secret.
Relief had hit me so hard that I almost wept when I saw the ferry about to set off. I had sprinted down the dock as fast as my legs would carry me and just made it as the horn blew – its blast deafening.
The entire journey after that was blurred. A horrible mix of panic, fear, and a gut wrenching sadness, so deep it was agonizing.
I vaguely remember begging a fisherman on the ferry, pleading with him, to drive me back up to the school. I think at first he declined, but then must have seen my face, my distress, and reluctantly agreed.
I don’t remember the drive.
I wiped at my eyes as I curled up in bed, not sure where else to go or what to do. The weight of my stress and confusion bore down, threatening to overwhelm me.
Archer was part of the society. Discipuli de Neptūno.
There was no denying it.
Did he kill Isobella? Was he responsible for her murder?
Isobella told me herself that the members of the Society had to kill as part of their initiation… and Archer was a part of it. And that meant…
That meant…
I had been with him in that greenhouse, when he told me he had to leave for a meeting with Draven – in the middle of the night – right before I saw that figure in the woods.
Saw him in the woods.
A memory slammed into me… When Adora asked Rory if he knew Isobella, it had been Archer who’d told his class that she’d ‘moved away’, and why would they have ever questioned it if it came from someone in charge?
I felt like such a fool.
I knew there were rumours he was mad. I’d seen first hand how even Theo, a fully grown alpha-male arsehole, almost wept from fear at the sight of him. No one knew anything of his past. He was the only faculty who didn’t live on campus.
I was an idiot.
This man had made me feel ways I’d never felt before. He took my virginity and made me feel seen. Understood. Was any of it real? I squeezed my eyes shut and screamed into my pillow. I balled up my fist and smacked the mattress over and over.
The questions swirled and built in my head. What was I supposed to do? Where was I supposed to go? The only thing I could do was wrap the duvet around me tighter and sob, until all my tears had dried up and a numbness crept in, so final, it consumed me.
I decided I had to leave.
It was the only thing I could do. I’d leave Stonewall altogether, then speak to the police when I was safe in a different town. My thoughts were muddled and nothing made sense. I couldn’t move from my bed. Couldn’t pry my cheek off the damp pillow.
My eyes were puffy and red, my hair a mess. I didn’t care.
I didn’t care about anything anymore.
I vaguely registered that I should probably be running from him already – I knew his secret – but I couldn’t.
I was numb. Hollow. An endless void.
The door creaked open and Adora and Rory stepped in the room. She was laughing at something Rory must have just said when she saw me, and her smile dropped like a dead weight.
‘Iris?’ she said, dropping her bag by the door. ‘Iris, what’s wrong? What happened?’
‘Shit…’ Rory murmured.
I said nothing. I didn’t even open my eyes.
‘Iris…’ Dora whispered as her soft footsteps approached. I felt the mattress dip slightly as she perched on my bed. I felt her fingers lightly brush back the hair from my face, her touch delicate and cool against my clammy skin. ‘Iris?’
I shook my head.
‘I’ll get her some water,’ Rory said. His steps quieted and then returned a moment later. ‘Here.’
‘Thanks,’ Adora breathed. ‘Iris, I’ll just put it on your nightstand… You should drink it when you can.’
‘We’re here for you,’ Rory said from across the room. ‘Anything we can do, just say it.’ I heard Dora’s bed squeak as he sat down on it.
‘I can’t…’ I whispered, throat raw.
‘Can’t what?’ Dora said, entwining her fingers in mine. The sensation felt so similar, but her fingers were too slender. Too soft. Too cold.
I began crying again.
‘I can’t tell you—’ I tried.
‘Iris, you can tell us anything… you know that right?’
‘Not this.’
‘Shit,’ Rory said again. ‘That bad?’
I nodded.
‘If you don’t tell us, we can’t help you,’ Adora said, concern lacing every word. ‘Please, Iris…’
Maybe telling them wouldn’t be so bad. I was leaving anyway. What did it matter now?
I drew in a painful breath
‘The masked men—’ My voice was raspy.
‘What?’ Rory said, confused. Adora shushed him.
‘The ones who killed her…’ I opened my eyes and tried to sit up. The slight movement felt like too much, and sensing it, Adora wrapped an arm around me to help, easing my back against the headboard. I tilted my head back against it. ‘The ones who killed Isobella.’
‘The masked men… like what you saw that time in the woods?’ Adora murmured. ‘It wasn’t a ghost?’
‘What the hell is this?’ Rory said, panic creeping into his voice.
‘Shhh, I’ll explain later,’ Adora whispered, waving a hand vaguely in his direction.
‘Yes. I know who it was.’
‘You…’ Adora began, then stopped, stunned. ‘You know who was behind the mask?’
I nodded, tears falling faster now. I pulled my knees to my chest and pressed my palms against my eyes, trying to stop the flow.
‘It was Professor Locke,’ I whispered. ‘He’s…’ My heart felt as though it had cracked clean in two. ‘He’s not who I thought he was.’
Her brows drew into a deep frown. ‘Your Philosophy professor…?’ she asked. ‘How… how do you know it was—’
‘I found pictures,’ I cut in, unable to drag this out any longer. ‘I found pictures of all the missing students. And his mask. They were hidden—’ I clutched at my stomach, the anxiety turning physically painful now that I was saying it aloud.
‘How do you know they were his?’ Adora asked, her voice gentle, as though she already knew what I was going to say.
‘I found them in his house,’ I whispered.
Silence settled over the room for a long moment.
‘I see,’ was all Adora said. If she was shocked or upset, she didn’t show it. She squeezed my arm. ‘Rory, are you happy to skip the rest of the day?’
‘Obviously,’ he said. He looked slightly pale as he ran a hand through his floppy hair.
‘Okay.’ She stood, slipping into business mode. ‘Iris, I’m going to the dining hall to get you some food because you missed lunch,’ she said, grabbing her bag. ‘And maybe some coffee as well, because I’m in desperate need of caffeine, and I think you are too.’
She shot Rory a look. ‘Can you go and cover for us, so we aren’t missed in class? Tell them we’ve all come down with the same weird flu or something.’
His eyes were flashing between Adora and I, then slowly, he nodded. ‘Sure.’
‘And then we’ll come straight back,’ she said, edging towards the door. ‘Will you be okay by yourself? We won’t be long.’
Honestly, I didn’t know.
I nodded, because what else was I supposed to do? Then, as though the effort of sitting up had suddenly become too much, I slid back beneath the blankets and closed my eyes against the throbbing headache building in my skull.
‘We’ll be quick,’ Rory said, his voice full of worry. ‘Don’t go anywhere.’
Then they closed the door behind them, leaving me encased in silence.
I was still lying in bed, my eyes fixed on the ceiling as though it might crack open and swallow me whole.
I felt so numb. Heavy. Suffocating. Even breathing felt like too much effort.
My cheeks were still damp, despite my tears finally drying up.
The room felt too quiet – I needed Adora to come back soon. She would know what to do. She would make this bearable.
Then, suddenly…
A bang sounded at the door.
I jolted upright, my breath catching in my throat as the noise tore through my thoughts.
My heart pounded against my ribs, too loud, too fast. My body locked up, frozen, my limbs refusing to move.
‘Iris,’ a voice called from the other side, sharp and urgent. Another bang followed, harder this time. ‘Open the door.’
Fuck.
‘I know you’re in there,’ Archer shouted. ‘Open this fucking door!’
I should have left already – I should have run. Not only am I risking my own safety, but Adora’s and Rory’s, too. I shouldn’t have come back here… I just hadn’t thought he’d dare come here, where someone might see him.
But…
Classes were in session. The halls would be empty.
There would be no one to see him standing there, and no one to hear if I screamed.
No one to help me. The thought settled heavy in my chest as each pound on the door echoed.
They were so loud – so aggressive – that I was afraid the wood would splinter at the sheer force of his knuckles.
I should have begged Rory or Adora to stay with me. I should have known he might come here.
I’m such a damn fool.
The pounding stopped, leaving behind a silence so loud it made my ears ring. I still hadn’t moved, fear enveloping me in its entirety.
‘Iris…’ the voice said again, but it was different – quieter this time. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said slowly.
I held my breath, every emotion heightened to breaking point.
‘I just… I need you to listen to me,’ he continued, slower now, as though he were choosing each word with care. ‘Please. I need to explain. Just give me that. Trust me enough to let me explain.’
My heart twisted painfully at the sadness in his voice.
‘And afterwards, if you still want me to leave,’ he added, ‘I will. I promise. I’ll go. I just… please, Iris. Open the door.’
Silence.
Slowly, one step in front of the other, I crept forwards without making a sound, until I was standing by the door. I remained there, unmoving, my heartbeat pounding in my ears.
‘I won’t come in,’ he said after a moment, his voice barely above a whisper now. ‘I swear. I’ll stay right here. I just need you to look at me. That’s all.’
My fingers curled into my palms, and I felt the sting of my nails biting into my skin. I welcomed the pain.
I hesitated, resting my forehead briefly against the cool wood, and closed my eyes.
‘Please.’ That one word again – guttural and agonised – shattered whatever was left of my frail heart.
With a shaking hand, I reached out and grasped the handle…
And pulled the door open.