Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Hennessy: Curiosity killed the cat.
My heart dropped to my ass.
“?Qué es esto?” I called out for no one other than myself. “What is this?”
Nothing about this place made any sense, and the more I thought about it in those few seconds, the further I sank into my own misery.
Is my bloodline part of this place? What does this mean? Could it be another Belladonna? No, that’s insane. There are no coincidences.
Feeling sick to my stomach, I backed away, but not before snapping a quick photo of the place, including the Belladonna crest designed to mimic the poisonous plant.
I could’ve called Alfred to get me, but I didn’t want to stay there for another second. Instead, I ran out of there, escaping through the same window I came in. I left it the same way I found it, looking every which way, trying to decide what I was going to do now.
I was so lost, so confused, so taken off guard, that I didn’t realize I was running through the woods. Somewhere along the way, I must have gotten sidetracked and ended up running through an old cemetery.
I halted, leaning forward onto my knees to catch my breath.
“What the hell?” I exclaimed, shaking my head and breathing through the anxiety suffocating me.
It wasn’t from the cemetery. I didn’t mind them. In fact, I started to calm down just standing there, gathering my bearings. From an early age, I was taught to respect the dead, and for the first few minutes, it was really peaceful out there under the moon and trees, surrounded by headstones.
Finally feeling a little more stable, I stood. Hearing all the crows, birds, and insects helped me find my footing again. This time, I didn’t rush. There was no need for me to run.
I grabbed my cell phone and shone the flashlight ahead.
I couldn’t see much without it. The few overhead lights scattered through the cemetery weren’t enough for me to see.
I looked to see what time it was. It read 9:30 p.m. It was only then that I noticed how long I’d been out there. Alfred had dropped me off at 7:30.
Two hours had flown by in the whirlwind of exploring. It usually did when I was invested in something. Maybe I did see more than I thought. I tried to make a call and let Alfred know I was walking home, but I didn’t have any service.
Dry leaves crunched beneath my boots, and I breathed deeper.
Closing my eyes for a moment, I shoved away the haunting feeling of my last name being attached to the Graves.
It made sense why Onyx asked me how much I knew about my bloodline.
My father didn’t just attend school here. He was a part of something bigger.
Why did he have his own crest? Why did any of them? What did it mean?
The more questions I found myself searching answers for, the harder it was to focus. When suddenly, the woods went silent. The birds didn’t chirp, the insects didn’t sing, and the breeze even seemed to die down.
I shivered, feeling the chilly air. The hairs on my arms stood straight up as I rubbed them, trying to stir up heat. It wasn’t enough. Without the sun, the temperature probably dropped by ten degrees.
Peering down, I checked my wound. My blood had bled through the cotton fabric. It looked nasty, making me think I might actually need stitches.
How do I explain this to someone?
I turned slowly, feeling someone’s eyes on me but finding nothing.
No one. Just endless trees and headstones upon headstones, each one appearing more expensive than the last. I spun back around, beginning to walk a little faster.
Once again, I counted my steps, trying to concentrate on something other than the looming feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Five steps.
Ten.
Fifteen.
Twenty…
A twig snapped, and it wasn’t below my feet, stopping me dead in my tracks.
Silence.
I peered above, mouthing to the crows, “Am I being followed?”
More silence.
I nervously scoffed out a chuckle. “Maybe it was a squirrel?”
Another snap answered that for me. My pulse stumbled, loud and hard.
Spinning, I asked out loud, “Hello? Is someone there?” I scanned the trees, stepping toward it before I realized what I was doing. “Who’s there?”
Only silence.
The sensation hit me when a crow finally answered me from above my head. It was distressed, confirming my suspicions that someone was there. It squeaked out a loud caw into the night sky, its wings flapping excessively.
It was all the warning I needed. I spun around and started moving, heading home. My pace quickened, faster and faster. In seconds, I heard a footstep behind me. My heart hammered against my ribs, thinking…
“Don’t run. If you run, they’ll know I’m aware they are there with me.”
Quickly, I heard another step, then another and another and another…
I broke that chain of events, running off like a bat out of hell. The trail blurred beneath my feet as I sprinted through the trees, branches clawing at my arms.
All I heard behind me were footsteps. They weren’t running after me; they were just following.
I ran as fast as I could, not bothering to look back when the Graves Academy came into sight. Within minutes, I was tearing through the courtyard into the first building I saw.
It was the one Luna warned me not to go into, saying it was only for the Brotherhood. By the time I ran in there, it was too late. I couldn’t go back now. Darting toward the back of the room to hide, I was instantly met with someone instead.
I loudly gasped, stopping so abruptly that I fell to the ground.
Right there at the center of the room was someone dressed in a floor-length black cloak, with the hood over his head.
It was dark in there. I could barely see.
Every part of them was covered. I couldn’t see their skin or face, just a huge body standing in front of me like a fucking serial killer or a horror movie.
For a moment, I thought maybe it was a statue. It didn’t move, not even when I fell on my ass. It had no reaction to me. Crawling back, I tried to stand, and when I did, they cocked their head to the side in a menacing way.
Lifting my hands in the air, I surrendered. “I know I’m not supposed to be here,” I blurted, eyeing what appeared to be a dagger in their grasp.
Is this how I die?
The polished blade reflected the moonlight that trailed slightly behind them. It was the only light in the room. My words echoed too. The dagger wasn’t raised, though. It wasn’t pointing at me either. It was merely at their side with the sharp end aiming down.
The moon cascaded a little more into the room. Their build was big, too big for a woman. I knew then it was a man inside that cloak.
He wasn’t threatening me. He was just waiting.
“Please take off your hood,” I whispered. “Were you following me? Why?”
I couldn’t get my questions out fast enough. He didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. His silence was enough. In the blink of an eye, he moved, slowly stepping in my direction.
He read my mind. I was about to scream, but in an instant, he was holding the edge of the blade up to my lips, silencing me. His heavy cloak echoed off the floor.
My chest was rising and falling, my heart thrashing inside me. Stunned by the drastic turn of events, I choked back a scream, coming face-to-face with his black matte mask. It was one of those masks bikers wore, the same kind you saw in video games or militia military.
He still didn’t speak, never rushing. He backed away a bit before he slid the blade across the wall.
The sound only amplified my fear of what was coming.
Each one of his steps felt as if he were deciding something.
Like an animal, he trapped me into the corner of the room.
My back slammed into the wall behind me.
Getting in my face, he invaded my personal space.
I never expected what happened next.
Not one damn thing.
I shook my head, back and forth, with my lip quivering. Next, he unbuckled his belt. I went to scream that time, but he covered my mouth with the blade again. My stare went wide, witnessing him crudely tear his belt out of the loops of his slacks with a snap.
“What are you—”
Not allowing me to finish, he raised his hand, swinging the belt as hard as he could, landing right on the wall behind my head. It hissed through the air, breaking my confidence.
I whimpered, my gaze laced with nothing but fear, exactly the way he craved.
It was enough to make me snap out of it, and I spewed, “Don’t you fucking dare.”
He leaned forward, inhaling my vulnerability. It was almost too much for me. I felt exposed and naked when I was fully clothed. He dropped his belt to the floor. It also echoed off the walls. Mirroring my own crumbling down on us.
Catching me more off guard, the lips of his mask started sliding along the side of my neck. They were smooth like silk, gliding effortlessly. I didn’t say anything, too consumed by the unexpected of where he was going with this.
My breathing hitched, my lips parted, my mind already betraying me.
Did I like this?
Something was erotic about the way he held me captive, flushing my face and cheeks. In one swift movement, he gripped my legs, lifting me against the wall to straddle his waist.
I panted now, completely breathless and losing all sense of reasoning and control.
His dick was hard and that much I did feel.
“What the fuck?” I finally let out. “What are you doing to me?”
He didn’t reply, running his hand up the back of my thigh, roughly gripping my hips now. His mask hovered over my face. I couldn’t see anything, not even his eyes. It was too dark. Black holes stared back at me.
Unable to hold back, I blurted, “Are you trying to fuck me or kill me?”
Something in my tone snapped him out of whatever reality he’d been in. Carelessly, he dropped me to my feet, but at the last second, he caught me with his grip on my injured upper arm. I hissed through the pain. His gaze shifted to my forearm, taking in all the blood that had soaked through.
Slowly, he unwrapped it. My skin stung as he pulled off the scarf, exposing the fresh slice beneath. The room fell incredibly still. You could hear a pin drop.
He stared at it. Not at me but at all the blood I’d lost.
God help me, this was all wrong. Without one warning, he lifted the dagger.
“No!” I exclaimed, thinking he was going to stab me.
He didn’t, brutally slicing open his hand instead. I sucked in air. The blade never came near me. His blood gushed in seconds. My stare flew wide as I watched him with an intense regard.
With his bloody hand dripping onto the floor, he grabbed my wound and mixed our blood. It was warm and hurt like hell, especially when he tightened his grip, making me bleed harder into his grasp.
I whimpered in pure pain, looking at how our blood now dripped together onto the ground by our feet. The silence hammered in my ears, making me dizzy. As quickly and easily as he cornered me, he let me go. Shoving me away from him, I stumbled to catch my footing and glanced down at the ground.
When I looked up again, he was gone. There was no sight of him. The only thing that remained was his belt and the dagger that was now lying right in the center of our blood. I didn’t think twice about it. I grabbed his belt and the dagger as fast as I could and got the hell out of there.
Fully aware I was just part of a ritual, I left with nothing but the insatiable desire for him…
Which was probably the whole point in the first place.