Page 118 of Conjure

“Camryn.”

My head shakes frantically. “Please no…”

The shadows brush across my bare feet, a thick mist traveling up my legs before disappearing behind the towel, leaving a cool breath against my sensitive folds.

I gasp, but the sound is silenced by an invisible hand over my mouth. Something wet, like a tongue, parts my folds. I squeeze my eyes shut, willing my body to listen. When I try to move my arms and legs, my body yields to the shadows, pleasure licking my core, pebbling my nipples.

A silent moan slips from my lips as another cold swipe against my soaked folds buckles my knees. Something holds me up as shadows thicken around me like storm clouds—a foggy forest late at night. I’m lost, darting between towering trees with crooked branches and rustling, dead leaves.

More shadows slither across the floor, dragging themselves forward like a rotten corpse with pale arms and blackened, broken nails before disappearing beneath the towel.

My eyes roll back, and I release a sob as an orgasm grips me.

That’s when I feel shadows enter my mouth and nose, seeking a way into my soul, a weak spot—an entry point. I try to prevent the inevitable. Tears pool in my eyes as I fight the invisible shackles securing me to the wall. Magdalene died before it could take her soul. No way in hell will I ever let it in. No matter how much it tries to break me for its entertainment.

I try to scream. The shadowed hand slips away from my lips, and my mouth opens in a silent, anguished cry for help.

Silence.

“Camryn?” Dominic’s voice penetrates through my foggy mind.

The shadows retreat, sliding from beneath the towel and crawling back toward the wardrobe as warm hands cradle my face, swiping my damp hair away from my forehead. “Look at me, baby. Fuck, what’s wrong?”

I’m dazed, blinking at Dominic, who morphs from one to two to three, then back to one. I try to shake my head, but the room spins. Dominic lifts me into his arms and carries me to the bed, which dips when he lays me down and removes the wet towel before dressing me in his hoodie and covering my body with the blanket.

“Dominic?” I ask, struggling to keep my eyes open.

“Rest,” he urges, crawling in behind me and pulling me against his warm chest. “We’ll talk about it when you wake up.”

Soft lips press against my head. I peer over at the wardrobe, fading in and out of consciousness, vaguely aware of eyes staring back at me from the shadows.

I’m haunted by nightmares.

Someone is watching me sleep, a shape looming over the bed, cloaked by the night. I toss and turn.

“Dominic?” I croak, stirring awake and sitting up. There’s crust in the corners of my eyes, so I rub it away.

Dominic is asleep beside me, and the initial spike of anxiety I felt when I first woke up fades when I hear his steady breaths. Curled up against Dominic, I let the relief soothe me. But it’s short-lived because I become aware of a figure hovering by the bedside.

It’s my imagination.

There’s no one there.

But there is.

I can sense it with every fiber of my being.

I hold my breath as I slowly shift onto my back, my skin crowded with goosebumps. I lock eyes with a dark figure and open my mouth to scream. But my intruder is faster, clamping a cold hand over my lips and dragging me out of bed. I try to scream for help and alert Dominic, but his sleeping form is the last thing I see before the world turns black.

THIRTY-FIVE

DOMINIC

I wake up to a cold,empty bed.

It’s fucking typical of Camryn to run away every time things get intense. A part of me contemplates tying her to the headboard so that she won’t be inclined to take off when she feels guilty about our situation.

After climbing out, I take a quick shower, dressing in a pair of gray joggers and a Nirvana T-shirt before running a hand through my damp hair.