27. Chapter Twenty-Seven Echoes of Desire
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Echoes of Desire
Tess
“Clever chaps, aren’t you?” a Mid-Atlantic voice echoed everywhere. We spun around to see another spirit.
This one was dressed like a guy from the nineteen-twenties with a big, creepy smile plastered across his face. He wore brown slacks held up by suspenders, a crisp white shirt, and a newsboy hat perched jauntily on his head. The dim light glimmered through him. That unnaturally wide grin and the sinister glint in his eyes had my hairs standing on end.
“We were told everything we need is in here. Where is it?” Reaper demanded.
The spirit laughed, a chilling sound that echoed through the room. “Seems our friend there believes the world’s a buffet, free for the taking. But here’s the hardest lesson of all: nothing comes without a price.”
Reaper groaned, his frustration evident. “What do you want?”
The spirit’s smile spread more, revealing rows of sharp, pointed teeth that glinted ominously in the faint light. His eyes darkened to an abyssal black, the transformation raising goosebumps down my arms. I recoiled instinctively, but Reaper pulled me closer, his arm a protective barrier around me. I relaxed against him at first but then tensed, the vision I’d had flashing in my mind. A warmth from my core buzzed inside me, and I held my breath, perplexed by the sensation coursing through me.
My emotional response to that vision both terrified and excited me in equal measure. Reaper had been violent and dominating; a part of me knew I should be running away, certainly not getting wet, when he wrapped his arm around my waist. But here I was, a daydream of that violent vision humming in the back of my mind.
Reaper, pressing me to the floor, fisting my hair, and wrenching my head back as he slammed into me.
“You still with us, petit monstre?” he rumbled into my ear, his voice a deep, resonant purr.
I shuddered, the intimate term sending a jolt through me. “Uh huh. Yeah.” I swallowed hard, struggling to focus, unable to direct my attention away from every inch of skin he was touching.
He chuckled softly, a dark, knowing sound, and squeezed me tighter twice, which seemed reassuring and possessive. Then, he directed his attention back to the spirit. “Well?”
Suddenly, loud circus-like organ music blared through the room, jarring and surreal, accompanied by flashing red lights that cycled around us without any discernible source. The sound was disorienting, the cacophony of notes and the rapid strobe of lights making the room spin. The mirrors reflected the chaos, multiplying the flashing lights and the eerie images of our distorted reflections. The atmosphere grew even more suffocating, a combination of the noise and light adding to an unbearable sense of dread within me.
I clung to Reaper, the sensory overload making it impossible to think. Yet the spirit’s grin never faltered, his eyes gleaming with malevolent amusement. As he watched our discomfort, the air seemed to thicken, pressing down on us, and I felt a cold sweat break out on my forehead. We had to find a way out of this nightmare—and fast.
He straightened his posture, a sly grin tugging at his lips as he adopted the air of a master showman as the music’s volume dropped just enough. “The mirrors before you possess a power beyond your wildest imaginings,” he began, his voice dripping with dramatic flair. “Each one will reveal a fragment of your very soul.”
“Get on with it. What do you want?”
He ignored Reaper, his eyes glinting with devilry. “When you touch them, they will unveil your dream, your despair, your desire, your death, your destruction, your delirium, or your destiny.”
“And?”
His voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper, his gaze intense. “I want you both to touch a mirror together, to let it consume you.” Each word dripping with a potent blend of temptation and foreboding.
“Well, this was a waste of time. We’re not trading our lives for a box of matches. Thanks–”
His shifted, urgency creeping into his voice as he interjected. “Wait! You won’t die, but be warned, you may risk losing your very sanity. Yet, in that perilous gamble lies the promise of experiencing your deepest desires, your life’s dreams, or your very destiny. ”
“Or we could watch ourselves die.”
The spirit shrugged. “It’s possible. But then you get what you need. Matches, you say? Easy.”
“And gasoline or something flammable. A gallon of it.”
“You bet!” He winked.
Reaper glanced at me. “What do you think?”
“I don’t trust him.”
“We can go.” He jerked his head to the door. “I’m sure we can find what we need somewhere out there. Maybe even on someone already dead.”
Suddenly, I understood the vision I’d had. Whether it was a desire, despair, or destruction, I wasn’t sure, but with that forewarning, I was more prepared to play it out for the spirit in return for our items. At least it wasn’t a bloody death scene, and I couldn’t deny the spark of excitement burning in my core.
I cleared my throat. “Let’s do it.”
He tightened his hold on me and, with a finger under my chin, raised my gaze to his. Eyes narrowed, mouth upturned on one side so deliciously, he edged closer. “What’s going on?”
My heart fluttered like little moth wings, but I was now drooling over that sharp jaw. I just wanted to lick it. But I couldn’t. Not yet. “Nothing,” I squeaked.
He growled deep from his throat. “Don’t bullshit me, Tess. If you think you can cross me, I guarantee you are wrong. I don’t want to hurt you. I want to get us both out of this.”
I swallowed, but my mouth felt like it was stuffed with that handkerchief he’d given me, and I shook my head. “It’s not like that,” I whispered. “I just… I think I know it’ll be okay. ”
For a beat, he remained motionless. “Did you see something?” I nodded as subtly as I could, and he followed with his own curt nod. “Lead the way, then, petite monstre.”