15. Fifteen
FIFTEEN
WRENLY
A s the night wore on, I lost track of how many drinks I had consumed, the room spinning pleasantly. Vera and I danced with abandon, and I welcomed the attention of masked guys, flirting and grinding against them. When Vera left to find a bathroom, I cozied up to a girl dressed as an angel. We danced and laughed together until the air in the room changed, and she noticed it too. We both looked toward the front door, tracking two men with devil masks, one silver and the other bronze.
They strode in confidently, their masks glinting under the pulsing party lights. The angel girl tensed beside me, her fingers digging into my arm. The devils surveyed the room as if they owned it, the crowd parting before them. Then the one in the bronze mask locked eyes with me.
I’d recognize those eyes anywhere.
Green like sunlight flickering through leaves.
Those eyes had captivated me from the moment we’d first met, drawing me in. But seeing them here, now, peering out from behind that bronze devil mask, sent a chill down my spine.
Because now they looked at me with anger, not lust or any warm or cozy emotion.
He started toward me, moving around the crowd like he was prepared to circle me. His silver-masked companion moved off to the side, focused on someone else. The room seemed to fade into the background as he approached, and the music and laughter became distant echoes. Something in me shifted, and I recognized that I was the prey and he was the predator.
“I’m going to get something to drink,” I stuttered to the angel girl, and I turned on my heels and shoved through the other partygoers.
I had to get away.
I turned to go through the kitchen, but there were too many people in there, and I knew he’d catch up with me. Instead, I made a sharp left turn and almost fell down the stairs leading to the basement. I sure hoped there was an exit down there.
The basement was dimly lit, the air musty and damp, but it hadn’t stopped people from coming down here to drink and get high. I blinked, trying to adjust my eyes to the dark and smoky atmosphere. I stumbled forward, pushing through the crowd. The music upstairs was a distant thrum, drowned out by the blood rushing in my ears. I spotted an open sliding glass door at the far end of the room and made a beeline for it, shoving past people without apology. Once outside, the chilly night air stole the breath from my lungs. I tripped over the rug on the patio and started running, my heels sinking into the damp grass. I moved farther away from the house. The yard was expansive, with a large pool glimmering in the moonlight and well-manicured hedges lining the perimeter. I headed for the shadowy edge of the property, hoping to find some way to escape.
Fortunately for me, there was a gate. I headed toward the wood line beyond. The party’s glow spilled out behind me, but the darkness ahead promised escape. I hurried forward, my breath coming in short gasps, the chill air sobering me up fast. I crossed the street, almost getting hit by a car before I broke out into a full run.
I was almost there.
I looked behind me and saw him close.
“Wrenly! Stop running!” he called out.
Too close for comfort.
I could lose him in those trees.
The woods enveloped me in shadows as I plunged forward, branches whipping at my face and exposed skin. My costume snagged on brambles, tearing the delicate fabric, but I barely noticed the sting. All I could focus on was putting as much distance as possible between myself and that green-eyed devil.
Behind me, I heard the crunch of leaves and the snap of twigs. He was still following me. My heart pounded in my chest as I pushed myself to run faster, ignoring the burning in my lungs and the ache in my feet.
Suddenly, my heel caught on a root, and I tumbled to the ground, landing hard on my hands and knees. Pain shot through my ankle, and I bit back a cry. Before I could stand to run again, he was on me. He pinned me down, his weight pressing me into the damp earth. I struggled against his grip on my wrists, but he was too strong. His bronze mask glinted in the faint moonlight filtering through the trees, and those green eyes held a fury I had never seen before.
When the devil comes for you, you have no choice but to face your sins.