Page 36 of Darkness Tempt Me (Bloody Desires #7)

Chapter thirty-two

Peyton

T he door to Connor’s house is cracked open. I can see it from here. I park my car next to Tyler’s before checking my phone. No other messages or missed calls. As soon as the house came into view, something felt off.

Shutting off my car, I place my phone on silent, something telling me not to let my ringtone or notifications be the death of me. I tuck my phone into my boot so it’s well hidden, then make my way out of my car.

When I enter the house, I don’t call out for my brother. I don’t make a noise, just trying to move silently through the house. My brother said he wouldn’t come here without me, and according to my brother, Connor should be at work, but something is off.

The stench hits me first. It’s foul. It smells like bleach and…something else. I can’t quite place it, but it makes me choke back bile anyway. I can hear a crash in another room, the sound of glass breaking against the floor. I listen for a moment, willing my brother to make his presence known.

I can feel it deep down. Something is really wrong.

After a long moment, I creep toward the noise. A part of me, somewhere in the back of my head, screams at me to turn around, to not see what made that noise, but a sick feeling deep in my gut pushes me forward. With shaky fingers, I push the door open slowly.

It’s a bedroom—the primary bedroom, if I had to guess.

I can see that a wineglass is what I heard shattering; it’s all over the middle of the wood floor, no rug in sight.

Tiny shards of glass are everywhere, but what’s even stranger is that the cup is in the dead center of the room.

There’s no shelf or table or anything it could have fallen from.

It’s almost as if someone tossed it there as a distraction or… I swallow hard, a trap.

I spin around, only to see photos of my brother and his boyfriend smiling at the camera. They look so normal and happy together, arms wrapped around one another. Then my heart fucking stops. It’s like a car crash that I can’t look away from, and I’m frozen, just staring at the photos in horror.

“Billy?” His name tumbles from my lips in disbelief.

A faint knocking sound comes from the closet; it’s so quiet, yet I almost scream when I hear it. Fear is telling me to run. To run far away and not open that closet door. But curiosity has me tiptoeing toward it anyway.

I swing the door open and gasp. Like some sick shrine from a horror movie, there are hundreds of photos of me taped to the walls.

Photos of me at the café, walking to work, at the gym…

even photos of me driving. It’s ironic that Mavik’s confession of stalking me made me feel cherished, but this? This makes me feel violated.

That faint knocking sound happens again, only this time it’s from below. I peer down at a haphazardly tossed sheet, but freeze when I see it’s covering something large… and human-sized.

Tear-filled eyes blink up at me.

Fear fills my chest like ice water trying to drown me. I open my mouth to pull in air, but I can’t breathe.

I can’t scream.

I can’t call out my brother’s name.

I’m frozen, and I want to cry.

My brother is on the floor, half covered with a sheet, paralyzed, except for his slowly blinking eyes. “Tyler,” I whisper. “What’s wrong?”

Tyler’s eyes widen and jerk to the right. I duck just in time for a large book to miss my head.

How could I be so fucking stupid? This was a trap. Billy stumbles forward, shocked that he missed. I use his momentum to shove him forward, and he crashes to the floor. Terrified and so out of my depth, I reach for my phone and swipe to unlock the screen. I select Mavik’s number and hit Call.

Then, I rush out of the room, praying that Billy will follow me, rather than hurt my brother even more.

I’m so scared, I can’t even lift my phone to my ear, afraid that Mavik will be too busy to answer. Of course he’s fucking busy. He’s with Daniel Sinclair. The man he’s been trying to kill for over eighteen years.

Loud footsteps stomp after me.

That’s right, asshole. Follow me. I can’t let him touch my brother ever again. “Did you drug him?” I shout behind me.

Billy… or Connor… or whatever the fuck his name is, laughs.

“It’s just a little bit of fun to loosen him up. Why? Do you want to watch what I plan to do to him?”

I choke on silent tears. No! I can see a flash from the corner of my eye, and that’s when I spot the knife Billy is holding.

I scream. Rushing into the bathroom, I slam the door shut, instinct and adrenaline taking over, and I knock over the large hamper and slide it against the door. I angle it in such a way that he won’t be able to get in, not without breaking down the door.

I glance down at the phone and see that it’s been connected with Mavik for a minute or two now. “Hello?” I whisper into the phone.

“Peyton, sweetheart.” Mavik sounds distraught, almost desperate. “Tell me you’re okay.”

“No. No, I’m not okay. I locked myself in the bathroom.”

“Good. Good boy. I’m almost there. Stay in the bathroom.”

I nod frantically. “My brother, Mav. He’s been drugged. He’s in the other room. Oh god. I left him in the other room.”

“Pey, listen to me. I know it’s hard, but I’m going to need you to worry about yourself first. You can’t help your brother if Billy hurts you.”

“You know?”

“I do,” Mavik growls. “Keep me on the phone, okay, baby? Don’t hang up.”

I nod again.

“I’m only one minute away. Is he armed, Pey?”

“I-I-I don’t know. I think I saw a knife. But Mavik, something is wrong. I’m so cold.” I shiver, angry that my body seems to be failing me now.

“You might be in shock, baby. Hold on for me, okay. I’m pretty much here. I’m here, okay?”

My legs feel shaky, causing me to crash to the ground. I try to stand, but my body is too slow. Too weak.

Someone pounds violently on the bathroom door. “Pey? Why are you hiding?” Billy laughs.

“Get away from me, Billy!” I shout, banging on drawers and cabinets next to me. I’m hoping that if I make enough noise, Billy won’t hear Mavik entering the house. I continue making noise for another minute or two. It’s the only thing I can do from my spot on the floor.

Behind the door, a high-pitched scream follows the sound of flesh hitting flesh.

Bang. Bang.

I freeze. That had to have been gunshots, right? Oh fuck. What if Mavik was shot? After a long stretch of silence, tears fill my eyes. No. Oh god, please let Mavik be okay. I just got him in my life; I can’t lose him.

“Peyton? Love? Open the door, it’s me.”

Forcing myself to my knees, I push the hamper out of the way before collapsing to the floor again. Mavik opens the door and gathers me into his arms. Suddenly, I’m trembling apart, shaking, and sobbing. All the emotions and adrenaline are finally catching up. “Hush, love. It’s over. I got you.”

“M-my brother.”

“Hunter is with him. We called 911. The ambulance is on the way. He’s safe now.”

“Is Billy dead?” I ask, praying he is.

“Yes, he’s gone. He’ll never hurt you or your brother again,” Mavik assures me.

For some reason, it makes me sob harder.

“It’s over, baby. I got you,” Mavik repeats, but this time the words settle in my heart. Mavik will do anything to protect me.

Pulling away slightly, I glance at Mavik, seeing the blood splattered on his shirt and face. “I know I probably shouldn’t say this now, but I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while… I love you, Mavik Blackwood.”

Mavik’s breath catches. In the distance, I can hear sirens making their way to us.

Tears fill Mavik’s eyes. They don’t spill over, but they’re there, all the same. “Say it again,” he says, voice hushed.

“I love you, Mavik Blackwood, beautiful darkness and all.”

“Fuck. I love you too, little light.”