Chapter 26
Jayce
My teeth nearly broke through Alana’s skin. Part of me registered that a bite mark was exactly what fucked over Ted Bundy, but I couldn’t begin to care. I was still cumming and even though I’d lost all concept of time, I knew it had been longer than usual. Longer than should have been legal.
Twelve fucking years. It felt like I’d gone insane. This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be my cock inside of Alana. It couldn’t be my cock she choked with the force of her orgasms. I couldn’t be this fucking lucky.
Releasing her shoulder, I moved back, slowly pulling out of her. My breath got caught in my throat when I saw my cum dripping out of her. I couldn’t stop myself from dropping to my elbows to follow its trail with my tongue. I needed to taste us both together to let me know that this was real.
She jerked when I licked her sensitive clit. Using my fingers, I scooped more of it out of her and let it dribble into my mouth. I flipped her onto her back and made a path with my tongue up her body, spreading our combined cum over her skin. When I reached her neck, I sucked on it while I pushed my fingers into her mouth.
“Taste us.”
She let me spread it over her tongue, but she didn’t do anything else. I rose up to look at her face. Her cheeks were flushed, but her lips betrayed her tension.
The high was past and she once again saw me as the villain.
“You’re allowed to enjoy this,” I told her as I got to my feet.
“Please leave.”
I gritted my teeth while I dressed. After putting my mask on, I helped her take off the blindfold. She blinked, appearing dazed. When her eyes settled on me, the defiance there made me want to fuck her until she begged again.
Had I become ungovernable? Maybe.
Grabbing onto her jaw, I leaned down close to her face. “The sooner you accept it, the less you’ll needlessly torture yourself.”
She swatted at my hand. “I’m not accepting anything. You manipulated me.”
“Okay.”
Her eyes narrowed before she jumped up to rush into the hall. The bathroom door slammed and I was left there feeling… I didn’t even know.
With an annoyed growl, I followed her. “If you don’t unlock the door, I’ll break it down like the last one.”
I heard the latch turn, so I threw it open. Alana was standing in front of the mirror trying to see the mark on her shoulder. I thought I hadn’t broken the skin, but it was bleeding a little. When I approached her, she tried to move away. I grabbed her by the waist and set her on the counter, then ran my fingers over the mark, which made her hiss.
Dropping into a crouch, I opened one of the drawers and pulled out some cotton balls, along with alcohol. She remained silent while dabbed at the wound, only the tight set to her jaw betraying that it hurt.
“You don’t get to run away from me,” I said.
She just let out a frustrated breath. I cleared my throat and focused on keeping my voice and accent in character. It was a pain in the ass, but it was getting easier, almost natural when I was wearing the mask. It was infinitely harder when I was fucking her.
“I’m sure you have a million thoughts and concerns. Just know that I’m not going to actually hurt you. This isn’t a passing obsession that will morph into something dangerous. You may be afraid, but you will always be safe with me.”
“Why the mask?” she asked quietly, keeping her eyes on the floor. I didn’t like that, so I pinched her chin and made her look at me.
“Mystery, suspense, excitement, concealment. Why does anyone wear a mask?”
“Because they’re ugly.”
I chuckled before I released her and stepped back. She remained where she was as I leaned against the wall.
“You don’t trust me or this situation.”
She looked at me incredulously. “Why would I? This is completely batshit.”
“You’re batshit and so am I. Who the fuck cares? The people out there don’t get a say in what you do and they don’t have a claim on what’s considered acceptable. If you get turned on by a man you don’t know coming in your room and scaring you, claim that. It’s ridiculous to deny yourself what makes you happy when life comes and goes so quickly that the universe won’t even remember us.”
“It’s way more than what people think about me. I don’t care if they know who and how I fuck.” She hopped down from the counter and walked out of the bathroom. “I don’t know what you want from me and the fact remains that you scare me. Outside of… sex… that’s still a problem. This whole thing is a fucking problem.”
She sat on the bed, then scooted backward when I came closer. I stopped a few feet away. Right now, I didn’t want her fear or her pain. She was talking to me, the masked and terrifying version that she’d thought about killing not that long ago. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the knife. I saw her throat bob, but when I tossed it to the bed, she grabbed it and held it against her chest protectively.
“Would you do it again?” I asked.
With her lip between her teeth, she dropped her gaze to my chest. “Maybe. I don’t know.”
I was glad she couldn’t see the smile behind my mask. “I guess we’ll find out next time.”
She shivered and looked down at her hands. “Where are you from?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“You feel familiar, but I would recognize your accent. I’d know.”
If she figured it out now, I might not be too upset about it, even though she wasn’t where I needed her yet. I’d rip this mask off immediately if I knew that she was ready.
“Go to sleep,” I instructed. “You haven’t been sleeping well.”
“I wonder why,” she muttered.
“Because you worry too damn much. Whether I’m outside or in here, I’m not a threat to you. You’re safer with me watching.”
She rolled her eyes but scooted back and pulled the covers up to her chest. “Make sure everything’s locked when you leave, which is right now.”
I came to the side of the bed and crouched. She still had the knife, which could be a problem, but we could consider this a trust exercise. I reached out to grab her throat without applying much pressure.
“Sleep, darling, and dream only of good things. My cock, for example.” Her lips twitched, but she kept her reaction at bay. I tightened my grip. “Or my tongue. My belt, if you wish. When I come back, I expect your complete and utter acceptance of what I want from you.”
“What do you want?” she whispered.
“Only everything you have to give me, Alana Monroe.”
I released her and grabbed my bag. When I reached the door, I paused. “Stay away from that teacher, even at work. You won’t like what I have to do if you disobey me.”
Without waiting for a response, I flipped the light off and closed the door. It wasn’t smart that I was trusting her not to go to the police again. I’d cum in her and she could fuck me over because of it, but I enjoyed the idea of her not showering and going to sleep wearing my scent. Not mine, but Erebus’. It still made me feel good.
On my way out, I set a kiss beside the coffee pot. One of these days, she’d fucking eat one of them and somehow, it would be a gesture of trust.
*****
“Alright, how are things coming along?” I asked.
It was quiet in the basement and I thought about turning on music, but I didn’t want to draw attention down here if anyone was outside. I didn’t know why they would be, but murder was a good reason to be a little paranoid. My phone would alert me if someone was outside, as well as if Alana used her code to get in, but if she heard the music, she might be curious about what I was doing down here and try to investigate. She was nosey like that when she was bored.
I adjusted the temperature of the composting vessel and gave it a once over. Preston’s body was lying on a bed of alfalfa, wood chips, and other material that would help him to biodegrade. I’d covered him in a good layer of it as well. If someone did come across this, they might not see what was inside unless they took the time to really look. I wouldn’t give them that much time.
The vessel was tucked behind a false wall with panels that slid into each other to open, so it was unlikely anyone would make it this far anyway. Unless they got close and investigated, I was safe. Every time I did this, though, the fear heightened.
Preston was the third person I’d composted. A guy named Ted was the first. He hit on Alana at a bar, which pissed Jake off. He was pretty drunk and threw a punch. It escalated and Ted threatened to have him arrested. While he was on his walk back home, I intercepted him.
It wasn’t just Alana I’d kill for. I was fiercely protective of my entire family. There were tiers, though, which was why Jake ended up in this vessel before Preston. She came above everybody and that would never change.
The body had only been in the vessel for about a week. I’d have to mess with it a few times but overall, it was an easy process. In a little less than two months, he’d have a new purpose, a better one than he had in life.
There was a notification on my phone that made me quickly move the wall back in place and head upstairs. I opened the front door and was nearly knocked over by Ben. He grabbed both sides of my neck and put his forehead against mine in a weird fucking greeting.
“What’s up, Jayce? Long time, no see.”
I glanced around, then motioned for him to come inside. He followed me into the kitchen where I poured us each a cup of coffee.
Ben leaned his elbows on the counter and the position made his biceps bulge. It was November, but he wore a t-shirt as if it wasn’t forty degrees outside. I was convinced he just liked to display his tattoos. He had full sleeves, which I was jealous of. I would’ve gone past my elbows, but I stalked a woman seven days a week and it was easier to hide them this way. I didn’t need to risk someone seeing any identifying marks.
As he drained his coffee- which was still piping hot- his green eyes roamed the space. He observed everything, storing away tidbits of information like a chipmunk stuffing its cheeks. If you were ever looking for something specific, he’d immediately be able to recall if he knew where to find it. And if he needed to, it was easy for him to act like he was ignorant of everything in the world.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. “I hate unannounced visits.”
“Pretty sure you hate all visits unless they’re from a certain green-eyed history teacher.”
My jaw clenched as I took a drink. The fucker had a sixth sense for these things. It might’ve been protective instincts, although I wasn’t sure he had those.
“You didn’t answer my question,” I pointed out.
“Oh, right. That favor you owe me.”
I fought the urge to groan. Finding Alana on Halloween had been the most important thing, but I hated being indebted to anyone, especially Ben. We weren’t friends. We were acquaintances who wouldn’t arouse suspicion by associating with each other if we were noticed because our relationship went way back. Owing the guy was not ideal, considering he dabbled in a little bit of everything. If you needed something, he was the one you called. If he was the one who called, you had to be prepared for anything ranging from picking up his groceries to burning a man alive.
He ran a hand through his ashy brown hair. “Alana still works at Alpine Grove, right?”
“Yeah,” I replied cautiously. “You of all people should know that.”
Waving a dismissive hand, he drained the second cup of coffee. With how squirrely Ben was, it’d be easy to think he was on drugs, but he didn’t fuck with that sort of stuff because of his dad.
“They let you in the doors? Don’t even make you check in, probably.”
Rubbing the back of my neck, I shrugged. “Sure. They like me there.”
He flashed me a suggestive smile. “Bet they’re all happy to see you when you come around.”
“What do you want from me?”
“My cousin is a sophomore there. He’s going through a tough time, his dad is getting divorced. Carson’s failing one of his classes and the coach said he can’t play if he doesn’t fix it.”
“And how does this involve me?”
“I need you to fix it,” he replied simply.
“How?”
“Get into the computer. Fudge the numbers a little, nothing too noticeable, but enough to get him a passing grade. I’ll make sure he keeps it that way, but with the semester already halfway over, he ain’t gonna make it. I don’t really care how you do it, just do it.”
“This could get me arrested,” I pointed out as I poured another cup.
“So could killing your brother and stalking my little sister, but here we are.”
Dropping my head back, I considered my options. I had none. Ben was like me. He knew enough information about the people around him to fuck things up if he didn’t get what he wanted.
“Fine. Who’s the target?”
“Some English teacher. Kinda an asshole. Carson hates the guy. Everhart.”
Because of course it was.