Chapter 28
Jayce
It was Thanksgiving, which used to be my favorite holiday because my parents were damn good cooks and there were no expectations on this day. I didn’t have to buy gifts or bags of candy or plastic fucking eggs that were killing the planet. We cooked together, ate, laughed, and passed out fat and happy.
Jayce: I’ll pick you up in an hour.
Alana: I’ll drive myself.
The response was better than nothing considering nothing was exactly what I’d been given for the last six days. I didn’t go to her as either of my personas, both to punish me and her. All I did was watch like the days of old.
She looked for me again. I never told her when I was coming back, but it seemed that she expected me on Saturday because that was when I’d shown up in the past. Over the weekend, I forced myself to stay put, even after her fourth time staring out the window.
I sent her a coffee every day at work and she kept drinking them. To me, it was her continuing to reinforce that she belonged to me. She must have suspected I was watching her. I always was.
Staying gone forever wasn’t my intention. I just wanted to make her wonder. Hopefully, she was sweating while she waited for what could come next.
I kept my eyes trained on her sliding glass door from my place in the trees. She was dressed and looked ready, but I didn’t know what she was waiting for. She’d never had a problem with showing up early to my parents’ place. Maybe it was because of Jake. Next weekend marked the year anniversary of his death. It couldn’t be easy for her.
Alana had confirmed my fears last week. As much as I didn’t want to, I had to focus a little more on Erebus, but I also needed to be careful about our true relationship. I couldn’t let it fade or shatter. I wouldn’t make her think that I didn’t have feelings for her, nor would I give her too much space. There was a very delicate balance to maintain if I was going to merge these relationships someday.
She was standing by the table with a hand on her hip. Suddenly, her head snapped down and she picked up her phone. At the same moment, I saw someone jog up the stairs.
What the hell was he doing here?
I couldn’t see the door, but she must’ve opened it. With them away from the window, I had no way to know what was going on. Cautiously, I left my spot and headed toward her building. Instead of going up right away, I continued to the parking lot where I saw a car idling. There was a head visible in the backseat.
After flipping on the lights of my mask, I walked over to her window. She was playing a game on a tablet and didn’t see me for a few seconds. When she did, she jumped a little, then offered me a nervous smile. I opened the door and crouched so that we could look at each other.
“Hey, Alicia.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Protecting you, remember?”
Her eyes widened. “Is it dangerous here?”
“No, but your dad shouldn’t have left you in the car by yourself. That’s not very safe.”
“It’s okay. Nobody ever comes over to me. Well, you did.”
She laughed a little, but her words didn’t evoke amusement from me. Sure, she wasn’t a toddler, but I didn’t like that he left her in the car. Not just this time, either.
“Is your stepdad nice?” I ventured.
Her brow furrowed. “Nice? He’s okay.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I don’t really know you,” she mumbled, turning to look out the back window.
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a Hershey’s kiss. It made me feel like a creep, but I didn’t have a van, nor did I have gross intentions. She eyed it for a moment, then reached for it. I pulled it back and tutted at her.
“Lesson number one: don’t take candy from strangers. I’d be very upset if something bad happened to you and I’d have to resort to vigilante justice.”
Her face fell. With a small shake of my head and a laugh, I took her hand, dropping the chocolate into it.
“Lesson number two, you can trust me.”
“But you’re a stranger.”
“No, I’m not. Right now, though, I guess you could say I have a secret identity. I’ll tell you why someday, but it isn’t time yet.”
“Then, how am I supposed to know that I can trust you?”
I glanced up at the window to make sure nobody was there. Leaning close to her, I dropped my voice. “Because I knew your dad more than anyone and I’m the one he trusted to watch out for you when he was gone.”
She gasped. “You knew my dad?”
“Sure did. One day, I’ll tell you all about him. Embarrassing stories, his favorite foods, what he was like at your age.”
“Can you tell me one now?”
I hummed thoughtfully, looking at the window again. “His favorite thing to eat was a heaping pile of nachos with everything on them. Cheese, onions, lettuce, olives, tomato, guacamole, the works. If you went out to dinner with him and the place had nachos, he would get them without fail.”
“I like nachos.”
“I don’t think we’d be friends if you didn’t.”
She smiled widely, revealing two dimples. Gah, my heart. I was supposed to keep my distance, but I was getting attached to the kid already.
Maybe if I killed Mike…
No, bad idea. It was too easy to be implicated in that.
“I gotta go,” I told her as I got up from my crouch.
“But you’re supposed to keep me safe.”
“I’ll be watching, kid. You be good. Except with your dad. Be a little tyrant for him, okay?”
She laughed before she went back to her game. I closed the door softly and hurried around the back of the building. Using the downstairs unit’s patio railing, I hoisted myself up high enough to grab the bottom of Alana’s balcony. From there, it was just a matter of reaching the next wrung, then the top of the balustrade. After I pulled myself over the side, I dropped lightly onto the concrete.
Alana and Mike were in the kitchen and it looked like they were talking. She had her elbows resting on the island while he leaned his hands on it. They were separated by that barrier, but it was still too close for my liking. She wasn’t even supposed to see him anymore. I’d made that very clear.
Maybe she was selling me out. It didn’t seem like something she would do, but she’d never really been mad at me before. Even though they were different, Ben was her brother. I was sure she could channel some of his controlled craziness if she needed to.
She laughed at something he said, which made me step closer to the window. Her eyes found me and her mouth fell open. When I cocked my head, she blinked rapidly and returned her attention to her guest.
She knew she was in trouble. Maybe she should’ve thought about that before letting him into her apartment.
I grabbed onto the roof and pulled myself up so that Mike wouldn’t see me, then I waited.
The front door opened and voices followed. I wondered how vocal cords worked. It wasn’t something I’d looked into before, but I might need to so that I could remove his larynx. The world didn’t need to hear his voice anymore and neither did Alana.
“Thanks again,” he said.
“It’s nothing. Really. I’ll see you Monday.” She spoke quickly and when he tried to say something else, she muttered something I couldn’t understand before she closed the door. A minute later, the slider opened.
“Erebus,” she hissed.
I stayed where I was. She stepped further out, scanning the trees. When she turned around and looked up, she put a hand on her chest with a curse.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
I hung my arms over my knees. “What are you doing, Alana?”
“Come down.”
“You’re not going to like what happens if I do that.”
Pursing her lips, she looked to the side. I scooted to the edge, then dropped down in front of her. Instinctively, she took a step back. I grabbed her biceps and pushed her further until she was pressed against the railing. She leaned away, giving me a view of the pulse point in her neck. I could see how fast her heart was racing.
“I told you to stay away from the teacher,” I reminded her. “Do you think I say things idly because I like to hear my own voice?”
“It’s Thanksgiving. I gave him a pie, that’s all.”
“Into baking now?”
“I bought one, but he doesn’t have to know that. It’s been hard since his wife died.”
“I’m sure it has. That isn’t your problem, though.”
“Right. I don’t know why I expected a stalker to have a heart.”
With a growl, I spun her around and bent her over the railing. She gripped it tightly to keep herself steady. I reached around to unbutton her pants and within seconds I had them pushed down to her ankles.
“Stop,” she cried. Her knees were shaking, either from cold or fear. It didn’t matter.
“Isn’t this what you want? Someone to care about you, to fuck you and make you feel special.”
“No.”
“You went on those dates,” I pointed out. “You looked for something you’ll never find in any of these men, but it’s right in front of you.”
“What’s that? Delusion?”
With a dark chuckle, I pulled out my cock and stroked it. “Maybe. I’ve been living within delusion my whole life, but not anymore.” Positioning my lips at her ear, I cupped her pussy and used my middle finger to circle her clit. “You want me as much as I want you and I’d like you to admit it.”
She shook her head frantically. I moved back enough to position my cock at her entrance. She tensed and tried to close her legs.
“Admit it and I’ll let you cum.”
“Stop, please. I’m…”
“Use your words, Alana.”
“I’m on my period,” she admitted sheepishly.
“Hm.”
I already knew that, of course. I was in her apartment almost every night, except for recently, but I kept track on my phone. Many things were easier if you were aware of the state of a woman’s body at all times. When she was with Jake, it allowed me to make sure no mistakes were made. If she accidentally got pregnant with his baby, it would make things infinitely more difficult for me. Every time she was late by more than a few days, I’d slip her one of the misoprostol Ben got for me. Better safe than sorry.
Pulling out the blindfold I’d stuffed in my hoodie pocket for this visit, I situated it over her eyes, ignoring her protests. When I dropped to my knees and pulled her legs apart, she continued to fight me.
“Do you think I’m scared of some blood from your pussy?”
“Please, it’s gross.”
Tearing off my mask, I narrowed my eyes at nothing in particular. “Don’t tell me your late fiancé was afraid to get a little messy.”
Her lack of a response made me furious. What a fucking disgrace. I hoped my brother was watching me from hell so that he could see me bathe in the blood of her femininity.