4. CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FOUR
Calista
E xhaustion was a beast, but I couldn’t bring myself to sleep. My mind churned about the pendant, how it ended up under the vanity when it had been in the vent, and why my dumb ass made a wish. It stared at me from my bedside table. I could feel its power seeking me. It begged me to put it on. I should have left it where it was and ran from it like he was standing there in the flesh. No, a bit of normalcy was needed before I laid my head to rest.
I opened the drawer on the nightstand and used my Bluetooth speaker to push the necklace into it. Then I hit up Nick—my recent dick pic sender—to come over and wear me out. Mostly, to keep me company. I didn’t want to be alone tonight. I needed the distraction from my dumpster fire of a life. I screenshot Nick’s bio and then sent it to my group chat with Kaiden and Gina. After the day we had, and dinner with the parents, I didn’t expect a response from Kaiden, but I wanted him to know who the last person to see me alive was if something happened to me.
Surprisingly, their responses were instantaneous and, of course, contradictory.
K: Douche.
G: Hot.
C: I don’t care what you think! I’m just preventing my could-be-murderer from getting away Scot-free.
I rolled my eyes and set the phone on my dresser as I got ready. The incessant binging and vibrating grated on my nerves. They were either making jokes about my booty call or Kaiden was trying to get Gina to let him into her apartment so he could be hers. He fell in love with her after we became friends, but she had only ever seen him as my annoying little brother. Or so she says. He didn’t have the guts to pour his heart out to her for fear she would reject him, so he stuck with pervy jokes and smartass remarks. They might as well get together. They bickered like an old couple.
Opting for pajama shorts and a tank after my quick shower, I checked my phone for any updates from Nick and found a plethora of missed messages from Kaiden and Gina that kept coming.
C: You know you two could just walk across the hall and have an entire conversation?
K: I would, but Gina refuses to give in to her carnal desires.
G: Maybe…
K: *heart eyes*
C: Do NOT encourage him unless you plan on giving it up.
G: Some days the thought of murdering you and eating your heart sounds appealing. *makes Hannibal Lector sucking noise*
K: Why you so mean to me *crying face*
A heavy knock sounded on my door in a flirty tempo as I thought about Nick’s messages. My hookups always talked a big game. Very few actually brought it. I guess they forgot it at home. I’d find out soon enough. I went to it and snuck a peek through the peephole. Nick was outside, chin down, typing on his phone. I said dress comfortable. He was making sure he didn’t come over here for nothing in his fitted joggers and t-shirt that showed his time at the gym.
My phone dinged with a message from him that he was here. His head popped up, black strands brushed across his forehead above one brow, and he stared at the peephole. I was certain he could hear the notification through the door. I silenced the phone and unlocked the deadbolt to let him in.
“Hi,” I breathed, taking in the view. It was so much better than the fishbowl version of him.
With zero shame, he took me in from head to toe, a smile growing on his face. “Hey.”
“Come in.” I stepped aside and gestured for him to enter.
Nick stopped barely inside and looked around my living room as I locked the door behind us.
“You got here faster than I expected.”
“I figured why wait.” His smirk fell. “Did you need more time?” He looked down my body again.
“No, I’m fine.”
Nick smiled again. “Yes, you are.”
This was the part where things grew awkward and dicey. Some dudes wanted and needed to cuddle or make some kind of emotional attachment in order to get in the mood, same as women. I did not need that, but I’d been told a time or several that I came on too quick and too strong. To me, sitting around knowing the inevitable outcome made it awkward and forced unnecessary idle chitchat to fill the time before they filled my body.
I reached out for his hand, and he pulled me to him. My forehead reached his lips which brushed my skin. Air rushed out of my lungs, taking the stress of the week with it. He didn’t flinch when I wrapped my arms around him and kissed up his throat to his jaw. His Adam’s apple did that sexy bob when he gulped.
“You need anything?” I mumbled between kisses.
“Just you,” he hissed as I nipped his skin.
“Good answer.” He chuckled as I led him to my bedroom. “Did you bring protection?”
“I think I’ve got one.”
I rolled my eyes. Modern fuck boys thought they were going to bareback every chick they came across. Nope. Not in this house. He would not be leaving any surprises behind.
“No worries, I’ve got you covered.”
He sat on the edge of the freshly made bed and leaned back on his elbows. “How do you want to do this?”
“Such a gentleman,” I teased. “Thanks for asking.”
He winked at me and waited for my answer.
I straddled his lap and brushed his hair back from his face. “Let’s take it slow and ease,” I rubbed my bottom against him, “into it.”
Nick gripped my hips, his smile growing wider. “I am here for this.”
“I hope so.” I leaned forward and kissed his lips. “Because it’s what you’re getting.”
“Mmm,” he hummed, pulled me flush, and rolled us over. “Give me more.”
Nick was a great kisser—much better than Daniel, my last hookup. The slow, languid dance of our tongues that matched the speed of his hands over my body was exactly what I needed to distract me from my insane life. He knew what he was doing. It was nice to lie back and enjoy it instead of taking charge every single time.
By the time the tempo gradually increased, I was ready to shuck our clothes and get down to business. Between kisses, I crossed my arms at my waist and pulled my tank top over my head. Nick latched on in an instant and tugged my shorts down at the same time. My teeth felt cold as the air sucked through them when he nipped at me.
I pulled his shirt over his head, breaking his hold on me. He sure was nice to his body. I needed to be nicer to mine, but I didn’t have time between searching for a job and being a wallowing couch potato. When I went for his pants, he pushed me flat against the mattress and kissed his way down my body. His tongue felt like heaven between my thighs, and I lost myself to it.
“Calista,” he breathed, and my sensitivity ratcheted.
There was nothing hotter than your lover saying your name as they worshipped your body with their mouth.
“Don’t stop, Nick,” I panted, and it spurred him on.
“Calista.”
His tongue slowed, and so did my building orgasm. “Did you say something?”
I looked down at him as he glanced at the door. “What?”
“Never mind.” He shook his head, rubbing his nose against that sensitive spot, and I moaned.
“More of that. I’m so close!”
Nick chuckled and did exactly as I demanded.
My head fell to the pillow and my back arched as the orgasm built inside me. I opened my eyes… and nearly died. Shadows swirled above us, the circumference growing larger until the entire spot above my head was undulating like a massive storm front.
My thighs clenched around Nick’s head, and the air sucked into my lungs with a squeak. He pried himself lose with a laugh, and I shoved him back down, terrified he’d see the black hole about to swallow us up.
“Calista.”
I froze as his melodic voice tinkled around us. Every muscle in my body twitched in preparation to run.
Nick popped up on his elbows, eyes wide. “Who is that?”
“Who is who?” I played stupid.
He narrowed his eyes. “Are you married?”
“What? Do I look married?” I gestured around my room. Anything to keep his attention away from the storm brewing in the ceiling.
“Do you have a boyfriend then?” Nick checked the door again. “You said you were single.”
“I am single!”
“Calista.” His disembodied voice sounded like it came from outside the door. “I know you’re in there. I’ll give your visitor a moment to vacate before I become his worst nightmare.”
“Nope. Fuck this shit. I’m out.” He pushed off the bed, shoved his feet into his slides, and searched for his shirt on the floor.
“Don’t leave!” I did not want to be here alone. I fumbled over my words, trying to come up with something to make him stay. “My brother lives next door. He’s always playing pranks on me.”
Nick bent down and looked under the side of my bed. He wasn’t hearing anything I had to say. “Where did you toss my shirt?”
“Down there.” I looked at the ceiling. It was normal again. I flopped against the mattress and scrubbed my hands down my face.
He moved to the other side of my bed and knelt down. I sat up when he screamed, “Let go of me,” and crab-walked all the way to the window in a few swift movements, grabbed the sill, and jerked himself up.
Leaning over the edge of the mattress, I looked under the bed, but no one was there. There were only some missing socks and the flip flop I couldn’t find.
“What kind of kinky shit are you and your brother into?”
Heat burned my cheeks. I hoped Nick wouldn’t post anything on the app. Info like this would spread through the HookUp community at large, and everyone would think I was incestuous.
His frantic tugs on the window almost made me let loose a hysterical laugh. The entire situation was ridiculous. Once he figured out the lock, he slid it open and jumped out.
“Don’t answer. I don’t want to know. Keep my shirt and don’t ever message me again.”
Nick’s feet pounded the concrete as he ran down the sidewalk. I rushed to the window and used the curtain to block my nudity when I heard a scuffle and his shout, but he was already gone.
He must have fallen in his rush to get away.
Closing the window, I snatched my robe and stared at the ceiling as I wrapped it around me. Had Nick not heard him, too, I would’ve thought I was hallucinating. Using my phone tripod, I climbed onto the bed and stretched it out with a shaky hand. Solid drywall.
I went to the bathroom to clean up, mumbling under my breath as I started the water. “Crazy… he better not show his stupid face… kick his ass.”
A faint evil chuckle tickled my ears, and I quickly shut the faucet off. Great, now everything would scare the shit out of me. I got in the shower to rinse off but didn't want to get out. I didn’t know what awaited when I did. Steam filled the small bathroom as I stood zombie-like beneath the spray. It suffocated me, along with the thoughts circling my brain. I finished up and climbed out, drying off with yesterday's towel. My nose wrinkled. It might have been yesterday's, yesterday's towel. I did a quick wipe down and threw it to the side so I wouldn’t use it again. Standing at the mirror, I let my body finish air drying, the cooler air causing bumps to rise over my skin.
Condensation rolled down the mirror as I swiped it clean. The reflection in front of me wasn't my own. It was dark and muddy, and I squinted into the darkness to clarify what I was seeing.
Then he smiled. And I screamed.
Snatching the robe from the hook, I held it up to me and fought to get out. The door protested as I yanked on the knob. It thudded against the frame like he was closing it the instant I opened it. Steam wafted through the air as I struggled with the door. Each breath grew labored and heavy with the added moisture in the room. Movement in my peripheral made me turn my upper body. Elbows pinned to my sides to hold the robe across me, I raised my hands ready to fight, but you can't fight what's not there.
Chills rushed over me. Shadows swirled in the mirror like my ceiling, his reflection becoming unobstructed in the center of the storm.
“Now, now, Calista. I want to have a little chat.”
My body shook from the disembodied tone echoing from farther than the mirror was. This couldn't be happening. I wanted to leave, to get as far away as I could, only I couldn't move my feet. Carpet fibers wove up over them like vines from under the door. The more I moved, the tighter they squeezed. The firmness of the linoleum floor gave way, and I began to sink. The harder I fought, the quicker I sank.
Was the pregnancy test wrong? My knees knocked and nearly gave. I touched my stomach as his reflection began to solidify. Those silvery strands of hair shined in the darkness along with the matching ring around his irises. I couldn't be here when they became as clear as the night sky. I couldn't get lost in the eons held within those cosmic orbs. Not again.
“Are-are you taking me now?”
“Would you like me to?” Like the Cheshire Cat, his mouth stretched into a coy smile, but the rest of his face remained hidden beneath a demonic mask. “I can make all your dreams come true, Calista.”
I swayed forward and caught myself. The way he said my name… it triggered something in me to go to him, give in to a secret need and want. I didn’t understand it, and I was adamant I didn’t truly want it.
Astaroth's upper body became more substantial as he reached through the mirror, his gloved hand solid and open in invitation. “Join me.”
“Hell no,” I breathed. Frantic, I pulled at my knees to get my legs free.
His voice was closer, full of an agitated mirth. “Why resist? Your future is inevitable.”
I looked up to find his elbows propped on the mirror's frame, chin rested on a palm as if he were bored and waiting for me to give in. The smoky outline of the rest of him never solidified.
“I’m not pregnant.” I pulled on my legs some more. “Let me go.”
Astaroth's hands danced in the air, twisting over and around each other like a magician performing a trick. Enthralled, I couldn't look away. Dangerous awareness raced over my damp skin. Horrific things happened if you looked away. I wasn’t sure how I knew that, but I did. When his hands stopped, the wishing stone dangled from a fingertip. It didn't sway or move, almost pulled by some force greater than nature to keep it stationary. The energy focused on me, as if the stone itself could see me, or maybe it was him that could see me through it.
“You hadn't worn your necklace in so long. Then you took it off as soon as you got the chance.”
I gulped.
“Why is that?”
I ignored his question and stopped struggling. “This isn't real.”
Astaroth's chuckle tickled my ears. “Isn't it though?” He reached out, the necklace remaining motionless. “Put it on,” he commanded as the carpet released me. “Now.”
With a shaky hand, I reached for the bathroom door.
“Uh, uh, uh,” he tisked.
Fingers twitching, I raised my hand to take the amulet. It lifted and drifted toward me. Cool against my palm, the stone throbbed in a soothing rhythm. The chain dropped from his finger when I pulled it closer. Faster than humanly possible, his hand caught mine and squeezed my fist. The silver bit into my flesh, and I gasped. I'd like to say I was trapped and couldn't move, but the truth was I froze. Fear took the wheel, and it slammed on the brakes.
Astaroth's hand warmed me through the glove. His grip loosened, but he didn't release me. Instead, his thumb moved in feathery light circles over the back of my hand. My breath hitched, and my heart raced. I couldn't bring myself to step away even though I knew I should. His touch slid to my wrist. My thundering pulse made his thumb dance on my fevered skin.
“Oh, how I have missed you.”
The longing in his voice pulled my gaze to the mirror. His reflection solidified like the hand that had somehow made it to my cheek and drew me closer to the glass. Those dark eyes full of stars looked at me as if I hung every single one. For a blissful moment, losing myself within infinity, I wish I had.
Self-preservation kicked in, and I jerked away and grabbed the bathroom door, leaping around it. As I yanked it closed, his arm shot out of the mirror, stopping when his fingers curled around the aged wood, holding it open.
His voice caressed every inch of me. “Soon.”