Chapter 23
I used to dream about my future as a kid. I imagined a beautiful, happy and carefree life. I was reverently looking forward to growing up. And once I got older, I realized I no longer wanted to know anything about the future. I was too scared to wake up. Too scared to live. Scared to think.
The reaper led me from one room to another, as if he wanted everyone to know we were there. Dressed-up men and women cast appraising looks our way and whispered among themselves.
Some guests’ eyes followed us like we were some sort of celebrities.
Others weren’t as happy. They stared us down like ravenous hyenas, seemingly ready to tear me apart the first chance they get.
Anxiety made me grip his hand tightly, but I forced myself to release my grip almost immediately.
I looked up at the reaper. He didn’t care for my hand or the attention of everyone around us. His gait exuded steadiness and confidence. He looked over everyone’s heads.
When we reached the next room, I saw two men smile the moment they noticed him.
We came closer and he shook hands with them.
He didn’t introduce me. He just let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer.
No one asked my name or who I was during the entire conversation. No one even glanced my way. It’s like I wasn’t there .
I felt incredibly awkward about it, mostly because of his hand resting possessively on my waist.
I should have been mad, grossed out, or at least scared. But all these emotions were muffled by the feeling of security.
I finally realized what the saying “better the devil you know than the devil you don’t” that I’d heard back in school really meant.
More people approached him. Once some left, the others tool their place. Everyone still ignored me. And I didn’t mind that, to be honest. After all, I didn’t know what to talk to them about or what I could say, really.
A woman several decades older than him that I’d never seen before gave him a sweet smile. On her way out, her gaze quickly slid towards me, and I noticed a hint of disgust in it.
What did I do wrong? I still stood there quietly, staring into space. Wasn’t this what the reaper wanted?
I wasn’t dressed provocatively. Almost my entire body was covered by the fabric of my dress. I’d never met her before, and she’d never seen me. How did I offend her?
The reaper grabbed my hand, breaking my train of thought, and pulled me into the next room.
It was filled with the same buzz of chatter as the other ones. Everyone was drinking, chatting and laughing. Suddenly, a live band started playing a slow melody.
He stopped and pulled me close all of a sudden. He gently put his right arm around my waist, reducing the distance between us. He held my right hand in his.
“Relax.”
He said this as he led me in a dance.
I couldn’t deny his wish, or his order, to be precise.
My heart throbbed painfully in my chest because of all the prying eyes, the dance, his hands, the unfamiliar atmosphere and the tension that permeated every corner of the room .
I tried to concentrate on the dance and ignore my thoughts. But when I realized it was just the two of us dancing while everyone else stood around, watching us, a fresh wave of anxiety washed over me.
My eyes kept wandering the darkness of my mind while his gaze remained fixed on me. Dark, intense and cold, they seemed otherworldly.
We were so close I felt the dark void of his eyes could devour me. And I wanted that.
I didn’t want to be here. I wanted to disappear. I wanted them to take me somewhere quiet, away from people. Somewhere I wouldn’t have to feel anything.
The melody faded away and we heard a startling storm of applause.
He turned and gave me a wide, joyous grin as I kept looking at him, utterly mesmerized.
The applause died down and upbeat music started playing. People began to fill the dance-floor.
My eyes wandered the crowd, looking at the gowns other women were wearing. They were dressed in short loose-fitting dresses. The dresses were bedazzled with glass beads, sequins and glitter. Many had long strings of pearls or diamond necklaces around their necks.
That’s when it dawned on me.
My dress wasn’t on theme.
The theme here was obviously the “roaring twenties”. And neither of us matched the theme.
Did he do it on purpose? Did he not know?
As I looked at the men’s suits, I met the gaze of a man in the far corner.
He was overweight, but his legs were skinny. He combed his thin gray hair back to hide a bald spot .
He pulled an inhaler and took a couple hits from it, his lifeless gaze never leaving mine as he listened to the man next to him talk.
His gaze made my stomach turn, crushing my chest. I felt an inexplicable wave of anxiety.
I turned away and looked up at the reaper. He’d been staring at me all this time. One corner of his lips twitched and he slowly tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
The room was thick with the smells of fresh food, alcohol and women’s perfume. And yet, his scent... His scent dominated the place. I couldn’t fully take in all the new scents because of how close he was.
I began to think his scent was mine now, too.
His eyes went to my lips and then shot back to my eyes.
I could see the clear intent in his gaze.
I frowned, ready to step away.
He leaned closer to my ear.
His warm breath tickled my ear lobe. His voice sounded deep and sultry.
“Act like you enjoy it. Just like I acted like I didn’t notice you hiding a phone in your panties at dinner.”
I opened my mouth to protest but his soft lips covered mine.
His right hand slipped into my hair, pulling me closer as his tongue penetrated deep into my mouth, making us intertwine.
His tongue caressed mine, driving me insane. I was no longer thinking. My breath hitched. I could only feel.
He was sucking. Fondling. Dominating me.
He savored the kiss. The way secret lovers savor a fleeting shared moment in a blooming garden under the veil of night.
His warm tongue licked along my lower lip, his teeth biting it slightly to remind me he was in the lead.
When he pulled away, I was overwhelmed by shame and fear because I submitted to him instead of fighting it. But the worst were my feelings of guilt and disgust because that kiss changed something deep inside of me.
I opened my eyes and saw desire in his gaze. Desire fading into slight distaste. His emotions switched so fast I wouldn’t have noticed it had we not been standing so close to one another.
“Eric!”
A raspy voice made him drag his gaze away from me.
I didn’t turn to look at the man calling him right away. It took me a moment to throw my thoughts and feelings away and pull myself together.
Finally turning to look at the stranger, I realized it was the man with the inhaler.
“Why don’t you introduce your fair lady to me? She’s shining like a diamond among us tonight.”
I was surprised he not only noticed me but wanted to know who I was.
“Roosevelt, this is Zoe. Zoe, this is Roosevelt.”
“So stunning.”
His clammy hand grabbed mine and he brought it to his shriveled lips.
I wanted to jerk it back, but that would’ve been really rude of me. Once he let my hand go, I hid it behind my back and wiped it on the dress.
Something about him felt wrong. My whole being screamed danger to me.
There was something I didn’t understand about his gaze, but I knew it wasn’t supposed to be there.
Roosevelt began to cough, turning away but not bothering to cover his mouth. It looked like he was about to die, but unfortunately, he was still with us.
“We haven’t seen you around for a while.”
“I’ve been busy. ”
“Oh. I can see how busy you’ve been. If I had important business like this, I’d shut it away so no one else can catch a glimpse of it. I’d have this diamond shine only to me.”
His words made me wrestle against disgust and repulsion.
His dull eyes ogled me, from my head to the red heels peeking out from underneath the white dress. I wanted to turn invisible again.
I put my hand around Eric, trying to stand closer in an attempt to get the shameful protection only he could give me.
He didn’t push me away, just rested his hand on my back, stroking it gently.
“The auction’s about to start. I want to buy a painting. Any advice?”
“The Dark Cloud will be a good choice.”
“The Dark Cloud. Why that one?”
“I can’t reveal all of its strong points. But it’s more valuable than it looks.”
The old man cackled breathlessly.
“Will you allow me a dance with your diamond?”
I gripped reaper’s jacket.
His hand kept caressing my back calmly.
“I’m gonna have to decline, or we might miss the auction.”
“Of course. Maybe afterwards?”
“By all means.”
Roosevelt gave me his creepy smile and left, blending in with the crowd on his way to the next room.
“Eric, please.”
I took his hand.
He looked down at my hand, frowning slightly.
“What?”
His voice was cold.
“I don’t want to dance with him.”
“What are you willing to do for it? ”
“Anything.”
He grabbed my chin, lifting it to make me look into his eyes.
He was angry.
“Take the knife from that table and kill him.”
“What?”
“Zoe, I know you don’t have trouble hearing.”
“I... I...”
“You told me you’d do anything. Then prove it.”
He’s asking the impossible. He knew I couldn’t kill a man.
All the rooms were overcrowded. How was I supposed to do it? How was I going to do it without being noticed?
Doesn’t matter. And even if I found a way, I wouldn’t take a life.
I turned to look at the knife sticking out of a large chunk of meat on the table.
“I can’t,” I whispered.
“Then don’t tell me you’d do anything I say. I hate empty promises more than anything.”
He tightened his grip on my hand and dragged me to the auction.