Didi
Remy and Tommy give me a head start, so I run into the woods as fast as I can, darting this way and that, not committing to any direction, only that I need to move.
Damn them both. I’m nothing but a prize in their lifelong battle for being the alpha male in town, and I have no time for it. This has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with their pride, and I refuse to give into them this way.
My vision is still blurred and my mind is hazy, but my adrenaline and anger have sobered me up. Everything is crystal clear as I run through the night—I was born to exist in the dark.
I’ve never seen them like this…so crazed, so vicious. It’s like they are both possessed, driven by a ferocious need they can’t control. They are out of their minds, high on power, fueled by lust, and I’m the focal point of their existence.
I find a small path that leads to a nearby creek—the same path that leads all the way into town. Tommy and Remy know it well, since this is where they train, which means it’s not where I should go if I want to get away from them.
Not that I really plan on escaping. They own me, and they know it, but I can make it hurt, too.
I can’t deny the pressure building between my legs as I run. The anticipation of them, taking me together. I foolishly believed they’d at least be gentle about it. But I see now I’ve pushed them much too far.
I pause, catching my breath, turning in every direction as the stars twinkle above. I have no idea what time it is, but it must be near morning.
“Firefly, where are you, baby?” Tommy’s deep, sexy voice floats through the trees.
The sound of his voice gives me pause as I pant out of breath. Like it’s not Tommy at all, but someone else—something else. He’s acting possessed, primal.
He calls out again, “I’ll be so soft with you, Didi. Let me be the one who catches you, baby.” It sounds like he’s behind me, but not far. “Let me finish what we started earlier.”
My stomach twinges. It’s silly really, being this scared of Tommy. Out of the two of them, he’s proved that he is the one capable of killing me. He buried Mama thinking it was me and did so with zero hesitation.
His family celebrated it…elevated him to their Order.
Despite that, a big part of me wants him to be the one who finds me. Tommy’s always been my happy place. He’d make me happy. I could give him my soul.
The problem is, Remy’s captured my heart, and I don’t see that ever changing.
I look around for my options since I can’t stay on this path for much longer. Tommy will find me…and I’m not ready to be found by either of them yet. They each need to work a little harder.
The brush in the woods is too gnarled, so the path is the only place I can go. I run forward until I find a tree I can hide behind. Holding my breath, it’s not long before footfalls bounce off the trees. A snap of a twig, and a second set of footsteps follows.
My mouth falls open. They are together.
“Where are you, little lamb?” The sound of Remy’s voice makes me shiver.
The forest is dark and silent. Luckily, I thrive in the shadows. I can easily stay here forever if I need to, and I see better in the dark than they do. I’m quiet as a church mouse as they continue down the path.
After a few minutes, I quietly veer back onto the dirt path toward the house, moving hastily through the yard. It won’t take long for them to realize they are chasing a ghost. I just need to make it to Tommy’s bedroom where my knife is hidden, and I can even the playing field.
I’m not sure why I stashed it there. Maybe I knew I’d need it someday. It’s the last place they’d expect me to go right now.
The yard is dark and empty, with only the remnants of Bax’s burning fire, down to embers and ash.
If I can make it downstairs to Tommy’s room, I can lock them out.
Let them break down the door with brute force if they want me so badly.
Perhaps they will sleep this off, and when they are ready to make love to me like gentlemen, we can reconsider the conversation.
If they come near me tonight in the state they are in, I will stab them.
The door is open, just as I’d figured. I slip inside, closing it softly, and pause to get my bearings. Inside the house is cold and unwelcoming.
A voice speaks out from the shadows. “They’re going to kill you, you know.”
I jump and find my breath realizing it’s only Lucy standing in the hallway, in her nightgown. “What did you say?” I hiss.
She steps out of the shadows, fully revealing herself to me. Her eyes are twisted, and they are fixed on me. Since I got here, she’s been keeping her distance, and I can sense the animosity.
She runs her hands through her hair. “Maybe not tonight, or tomorrow, but they will kill you, Diana. There is simply no other way.”
I let out a breath and glare at her. “You don’t know that. They don’t seem like they are in a rush to kill me.”
A smile tugs at her lips, and I can sense the madness in her eyes.
“My family has served the Vitals for decades. Their darkness knows no limits, and they get worse with every generation. This family is the root of all evil that resides here. We’ve seen what happens to the pretty girls they fall in love with. You will soon see your end.”
I fold my arms, refusing to believe it. I’ve seen the softer side of both. They love me, I know they do.
She continues, “Tonight, one of them will mark you, and that mark signifies his allegiance to the Order, and his unwavering devotion to the dark lord they worship. You’ll see.”
My knees grow weak. “How do you know all this? I thought only the sacrifices or members were privy to the truth, and you don’t seem to be either. Besides being their servant, what else are you to them?"
She blinks at me, her eyes cold and dead.
“My great-grandmother was a sacrifice…but she survived it. She rose from the ashes and became her lover’s mistress instead.
They kept it a secret for years, and she went on to have his children.
Each descendant of hers are bound to a different oath to serve the original bloodline.
It was the price we had to pay to live. We serve, or we die. I’m nothing more than a slave.”
“Jesus,” I whisper.
“There is no Jesus here. Your prayers won’t work in this house. Trust me, I know—I’ve been praying my whole life.”
Little does she know, prayers don’t work anywhere.
I chew on the side of my cheek, and she grins. “Remy may be interested in you now, but I’m the one he will end up with. They always do, eventually. Now, you’d better hide, Diana…they are coming for you.”
I watch as she slips into the dark, and I’m convinced that everyone who lives in this house is insane.