Are You Gonna Run?

Fifteen Welcome to Helltown

B utterflies threaten to eat me alive as I park in Helltown. I’ve never been here by myself, but Eris made sure I knew exactly where to go, which house to park at, and which door to go in.

He really does take care of me.

He’d have come with me himself, but we’re playing a fun little game tonight. I’m wearing a skirt, and he’s wearing a full body costume with a mask and didn’t tell me what it is.

I either have to hope he’s the only one coming to this party anonymously or that I recognize him quickly, because my nerves are sky high right now .

I love it.

Bracing myself, I lock my car and head in, taking in all the Halloween decorations and some of the naturally occurring creepy aspects of the house. It’s practically falling apart on the outside, but whoever threw this party did a damn good job of cleaning things up and doing some interior remodeling. It still gives very haunted vibes though, so as I make my way through the kitchen to the living room, I keep my eyes open.

There are already dozens of people here in costumes and getups — some identifiable, some completely obscured — but I don’t see anyone built quite like my Eris.

The spooky playlist puts me at ease as I grab a drink and head out to the dancefloor like I was told. His instructions were clear, he just failed to mention how long he’d make me wait.

One idiot dressed like Superman tries to dance with me right away, but he’s too short to be Eris. Another guy built similarly to my man tries next, but there’s no finesse here. He didn’t set all of this up just to come face-to-face with me so soon .

I don’t think so, anyway. But what if he knew I’d think that? What if—

Damn, he’s good. I can’t stop myself from smiling at the fact that he’s got me twisted up like this without even doing anything. That’s talent.

It also means I flinch like I’m being shot when I feel someone’s hand on my hip.

“Such a beautiful little skeleton,” they whisper, and when I close my eyes, it sounds almost like my man. There’s something just a little different about it, but he’s proven he can change his voice before.

When rough fingertips slide along the exposed skin just under my skirt, I begin turning around for the reveal of his costume — only he doesn’t let me.

Both hands tighten on my hips and keep me facing away, making my heart climb into my throat. I’m suddenly very aware of everything touching my skin — the fishnets, tight tank top, the skull makeup covering half of my face, his hands, the strap from my purse. I’m hyper aware, and yet with the pulsing of the music and everything around us, I still can’t be certain that it’s him. The men at this party already proved they have zero restraint, and I didn’t see Eris’ Tremor outside.

His hand ghosts up my stomach, slowly making its way to my breasts. But to my surprise, he doesn’t stop there at all. He continues raising it to brush over my throat, and then all contact comes to an abrupt end.

Spinning around quickly, I find the space behind me empty aside from some girl dressed like a slutty bunny rabbit. She’s throwing her hands in the air and dancing like nothing matters in the world, and my man is nowhere to be seen.

That had to have been him, right?

I’m sure of it, right up until I do another once-over of the crowd and see not one, but three fully masked men who fit my Eris’ build. One is in a really beautiful fox mask, another in a similarly styled wolf mask, and the third is an almost identical bear. Aside from the masks, all three of them are decked out in black from head to toe.

They’re too similar not to be coordinated.

Is he doing this to fuck with me ?

My heart climbs a little higher in my throat as I wonder which one of them just had their hands on me.

And then the wolf waves.

It isn’t a welcoming wave in the slightest, the wiggle of his fingers sends chills down my spine like he’s taunting me, and then he slowly backs away into the crowd. I can’t see their eyes, yet I know without a doubt they were all just staring at me.

The fox pulls a butterfly knife from his pocket and begins flipping it around, his movements somehow matching the pounding of my heart. He tilts his head like he can somehow hear it then disappears just like the last one.

When the bear begins walking forward, I start to feel my heartbeat in my ears. Harder and louder it gets, making me back up a step. Is this Eris? Or is he the wolf? The fox?

My step back has him pausing, arms crossing over his chest like I did something wrong, and then he shakes his head twice and twirls his finger like he wants me to turn around.

Yeah, that’s safe I’m sure. Not creepy at all .

Swallowing thickly, I study the bear’s mask and then turn with jerky, slow movements. Every inch of my body feels alive as I wait for whatever he’s going to do. Two hands grab onto my hips and yank me back against him, a pleased growl leaving him that sounds familiar enough to have me relaxing into him... and then he speaks.

“Are you gonna run?”

I’ve heard that sentence before, but for some reason the feelings of familiarity fade with this man’s cadence.

This isn’t Eris.

Spinning away, I have a feeling there’s real fear in my eyes as I turn to face him. “Who are you? Where is he?”

Laughing, he slowly backpedals away from me, and just before the crowd swallows him back up, he speaks just loud enough for me to hear. “Marco...”

He wants me to hide.

Where the hell am I supposed to hide?

Shivering, I rub my arms and move away from the dancefloor, getting lost in the mass of people. I can’t see any of them now. There are doors down a hallway that’s been blocked off by fake, bloody crime scene tape, so I duck under it and speed walk to the last door on the left.

It’s completely empty save for a trunk in the corner. It’s locked, dusty as hell, and looks like it’s been here since Helltown was abandoned the first time. It’s interesting enough that I walk towards it to peek inside, only when I close the distance and spot a sticky note on top of it, my breathing stops completely.

“Turn around.”

I spin faster than I ever have in my life and come face to face with all three masked animals blocking the doorway. The bear laughs, shaking his head side to side with his hands shoved into his pockets. “Really? The last door on the left?”

Next to speak is the fox, still casually flipping around his switchblade. “So cliché.”

Humming, the wolf cocks his head to the side like he’s studying me. “We were right. She played right into our hands.”

How similar their voices are is so jarring I want to snatch the masks off their faces. Did they fucking rehearse this? And which one is my goddamn boyfriend?

“Are you scared? ”

The fox’s movements stop with the knife locked open, making me wish we’d picked a fucking safeword before this. Not to stop it, just to clarify that he’s really here and this is still a game, not something I wasn’t prepared for.

If Eris isn’t one of these men...

“I’m not scared,” I lie too loudly, pacing slightly to the left to see if they’ll follow. I just need to get them away from the door long enough for me to run back out. I’m far too cornered here.

Completely in sync, all three of them say, “Run!” and step out of my way, but the second my legs oblige and I dart past them, I feel all three of them on my heels. They’re stomping their feet as they run to scare me more, and all three of them release a menacing laugh.

“The crowd won’t save you,” one of them says, but I’m far too focused on being around other people again to turn and see who it was. “I’ll still fuck you.”

Okay, that definitely sounded like Eris.

Relief and lust have me moving just a little slower. He’s there, and he’s so possessive of me, he won’t let the others do anything I don’t want them to do. I’m still safe, but the adrenaline pumping through me is a rush.

I make it halfway across the dancefloor before I’m being snatched up from behind. Strong arms wrap around my torso, slamming me back against his strong body, and when I inhale my man’s cologne I know this has to be him.

With a smile, I tilt my head up just right to catch sight of his chin underneath the wolf’s mask, and my whole body relaxes when I see his lips. Yeah, this is Eris. My man.

My wolf.

“Gonna fuck me then, wolf? You caught me, after all. I think you’ve earned me.”

“Have I?” he asks, gaze darting around like he’s looking for someone. “Whatever you want, baby girl.”

Baby girl?

That’s definitely not something he’s called me before, but when his hands start roaming my body all over my clothes, my skin sings with the desire to be touched. Maybe a new pet name isn’t so bad.

Yet his hands feel different. They’re too... soft. Too hesitant. Eris wouldn’t be hesitant .

Swatting him away, my stomach flips violently. “You’re not him either.”

“Aw, come on, babe. It’s me.”

He laughs like he knows I don’t believe his lie for a second, and when I back away, I bump straight into another one.

This time it’s the fox, and where the wolf was hesitant with his touch, he is not.

Immediately his hands find my skin underneath my shirt, setting me on fire. My hands itch with the desire to rip his mask off to be sure I’ve got it right this time, but I remind myself Eris wouldn’t let someone else touch me like this. Over the clothes is one thing, but his hands are demanding. One of them slips straight into the front of my fishnets, a pleased growl leaving him when he feels how soaked I am. “Who’s this for, baby?”

His other hand wraps around my throat as he slowly backs us up against the far wall, and the movement is so familiar that I think I’m really sure this time. “For you, Eris. I’d know you anywhere.”

“Good girl. Fuck, I can’t hold back anymore.”

His fingers curl into me as he presses his hard length into my back. God, I hope I’m not wrong this time .

The bear and the wolf follow us, turning to face the dancefloor and the crowd as they block us from view. If Eris really is in front of me instead of behind me, I’m dumping him for the man behind me. I’ve never felt this alive.

“So don’t hold back. Take it. Take me.”

I feel him lift up my skirt to expose my ass, his hands squeezing it so hard I whimper, and then with one sharp tug I feel my fishnets snap. “Eyes ahead, sweetheart.” Anticipation swirls in my stomach as I hear him unbuckling his pants, and the first touch of his throbbing cock burns my skin when he slaps it down. “You’re gonna come on my cock in front of all these people, and you’re gonna say my name when you do. Understood?”

His voice is so growly and deep against my ear, I don’t know how I’ll ever keep quiet. “Yes,” I say quickly. “I understand.”

With one fluid thrust, he sinks deep inside of me, a low groan leaving him that reminds me of home. This man — this tornado of a man — barreled his way into my life and rewrote everything I know of pleasure and comfort without my permission, and I have the strangest fucking urge to thank him for it .

“Oh, baby. This pussy was begging for it, wasn’t she?”

He starts to move in and out teasingly slow, the controlled motions in complete contrast to how hard he’s holding onto my hips.

It’s maddening, and yet every time he bottoms out, I feel it through every inch of my body.

The wolf and the bear are still guarding us like sentries, so as Eris snaps his hips a little harder, I brace my hands on their shoulders. The least they could do is help keep me upright while I’m getting fucked behind them.

Holy shit, they’re strangers to me and I’m getting fucked right behind them. It’s so hot I feel my pussy clench, making his fingers tighten painfully. It gives me what I crave. Immediately, he starts fucking me harder.

The wolf laughs and steps in a little closer with a shake of his head. It gives me more coverage and more leverage to stay upright, so I don’t give a shit what he’s laughing at. It feels too good to care.

“Oh god,” I moan, rocking back as I struggle to stay on my toes. “Eris! ”

“I got you, baby.” He bears some of my weight and fucks up into me faster. “Look at all these people, Rowyn. Do you think they know you’re being taken apart back here?”

“I hope so. Fuck, don’t stop.”

My nails dig into the shoulders of our sentries as I feel an orgasm building fast, threatening to buckle my knees. The air is hot around me as Eris lifts me off the ground and fucks me like we’re at home, not in the middle of a party surrounded by his friends. It’s enough to send me over. My body twitches as I scream his name and come all over his cock, making him growl as the two men shift and curse under their breath in front of me.

It’s enough to send my man over, my name falling from his lips as he breeds me right here and wraps both of his arms around me tightly so I can’t move. I feel the desperate cants of his hips like he didn’t want this to end, but the insistent throbbing inside of me tells me it’s over.

God, he’s pumping me so full.

His heart is pounding against my back almost as hard as mine is in my chest, making me feel closer to him. This is ours. “Who are these people?” I laugh, reaching up to take the mask off Mr. Wolf with Eris still inside of me.

Except... Eris can’t be inside of me, because he’s in front of me. The entire world tilts as he smiles at me. How could he —

Panicking, I rip the bear’s mask off and nearly black out. Eris is there, too. His smile is sideways and goofy, but there he is. There’s two of them. Is this a joke?

Yanking myself out of the fox’s grip, I spin around and tear his mask away, only to get even more lightheaded.

I’m having a stroke.

“What the hell?” I whisper. “Is this makeup? What—”

I’m so dizzy I sit down on the floor right there, trying to make sense of this.

After tucking himself away, Eris crouches down to meet my eyes before I can lose my shit. “These are my brothers. I’ve told you about them. The bear was Evan, the wolf was Enzo.”

Sure, he told me about his brothers, but he left out the fact that they all had the same face.

“You couldn’t have thrown an ‘I’m a fucking identical triplet’ into our two truths and a lie game?” I blurt out. “Or told me you lived with your carbon copy brothers when we went to your house? Or warned me at all before this?”

All three of them laugh. “Yeah, probably. But once I got this idea, I thought it’d be a fun way for you to meet them. They stayed above the clothes, right?” There’s a look in his eyes that tells me this was one of his rules, but I honestly don’t know what to tell him.

“Maybe? I—” Wow, it’s weird seeing three of him. Now that I know, it’s a little easier to tell mine apart, but damn. They’re hot. “I don’t know. Probably.”

His gaze flicks up to his brothers threateningly as both of them take a step back. “Hey, we didn’t cross any of your lines,” Enzo says. “I might have grazed her leg a little bit, but damn, bro...” I search for any sort of distinguishing marks to tell them apart, taking note of the scar under Enzo’s eye and a tattoo of an upside down cross behind Evan’s ear. “Holding back was hard, she’s too pretty.”

“She’s fucking stunning, and all mine.” Gripping my chin, he brings my lips to his before whispering, “Do you believe me now, Burrito? Do you believe I’ll fulfill every fantasy you have? ”

Yeah, and then some. Fantasies I wasn’t even sure I had.

For the tiniest, briefest moment, I wonder what it would be like if Eris had no rules at all and I got all three of them — then I remind myself I couldn’t handle it and wouldn’t want to even if I could. Eris is enough... maybe more than enough.

“I believe you, baby. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.”