Page 10

C hapter 10

Grey

Remembering your past can be daunting. As the memories come pushing through the barriers in your mind, tearing down the walls you so carefully constructed, it feels as if someone is carving out your heart, leaving you to suffer in the aftermath.

I push my hands against my eyes, as if doing so could rid my mind of the memories I desperately need to forget—the day that damned my already stained soul.

This time, I cannot stop the nausea rising up my throat, and I fall to my knees on the damp earth, throwing up whatever’s left in my stomach. I don’t stop until I heave, the taste of bile lingering, but the memories refuse to get the fuck out of my mind, like a damned curse.

A subtle touch upon my shoulder causes me to flinch, and I reluctantly look up at the beautiful woman who saved me when I didn’t know I needed saving—the one who gave me a purpose in life. I don’t notice I’m on the verge of crying until Naya’s form appears blurry, my eyes stinging from the unshed tears.

My heart sears in my ribcage with the pain of heartbreak, and I pull away from her touch, unable to meet her mismatched eyes—the same ones that always make me feel like I’m drowning, yet being rescued all over again. Now, fear creeps up like a cord strangling me from her touch.

“Please, don’t touch me,” I grit out, moving to sit on my ass on the earth, my hands fisting my hair while I stare down at the ground between my knees dragged up to my chin.

I hear her shifting away, giving me space, yet she’s too close.

The anxiety at being close to someone at the moment makes my skin crawl, as if she’s reaching into my chest with invisible hands, trying to rip my organs out.

I suddenly stand up, making her eyes shift to me, and a look of concern passes over her face. I ignore it as I turn away from her, walking into the woods beyond.

I will never be able to escape the demons haunting my mind. They’re part of me now; perhaps they have always been.

The closer to the woods I get, the more memories start turning up in my mind like a film reel. I can’t fucking handle it—all I want to do is run from my past and start anew. Away from all this shit and forget everything.

Unfortunately, the past always catches up with you.

I clench my jaw, pressing my nails hard into my palms. The fresh air of nature—soil, trees, and leaves—fills my lungs with the calmness I need. I turn my back to the woods and make my way over to Naya. She stands where I left her, staring out at the woods and into the unknown. Her posture is hesitant, marked by hunched shoulders and a cautious stance.

“Come,” I say, reaching out my hand.

She eyes me for a moment before taking it. We head up the stairs to the patio, only to find the door locked. It’s laughable, truly. I scan the area for a rock, finding one just below the patio. I walk down to grab it, before I smash the window beside the door. The glass shatters with a satisfying crack, and I carefully reach through the broken window, find the handle, and turn the lock. The door glides open, Naya standing behind me, more silent than ever.

“Welcome to my home.” I laugh bitterly, ignoring the twinge of agony that fills me as I step into the hallway.

The smell of mildew and dust settles into the walls, but I ignore it, taking in the familiar hallway that used to be so well-maintained but now looks as if it’s falling apart. It looks the same as it did back then, the only difference being that it’s abandoned, with dust lingering on every piece of furniture.

“Is this where you used to live?” she asks, though she already knows the answer.

Meeting her gaze, my eyes are as open and wild as my brother’s after he killed our parents. “Yup. The one and only place that truly fucked me up.” I give her a smirk, but it’s far from friendly. It’s not even full of malice—it’s as lifeless as their corpses.

I watch her swallow, taking in the space around us with a narrowed gaze. “It’s...nice,” she manages to force out, and I can’t help but laugh straight in her face.

This place is dragging all my inner demons up to the surface, fucking up the chemistry in my brain—it makes me bitter.

“Now isn’t the time for lies.”

I ignore her as she stands behind me, making my way toward the front door to put a broken nightstand in the way. It’s not much protection, but it’ll alert us if someone is coming.

We’re not safe anywhere.

Then I step farther into the house that’s been abandoned for the past few years. Grinding my teeth, I take the stairs that creak with each step, approaching the room that used to be mine.

Everything looks just as I remember, with the bed pushed up against the wall, and a black—now dirtied—carpet on the floor. I didn’t have much furniture because my parents never cared that much.

A wardrobe is beside the bed, but nothing else, and the window in here is shattered. A sharp gust of wind breezes over the room, causing Naya to draw in a sharp, shuddering breath.

”This was my room,” I mutter. ”But we can’t stay here.”

The bedroom beside mine looks the same with the same tattered furniture, except this one is warmer, and no window is broken.

“Grey...” Naya whispers, as if realizing exactly who this room used to belong to.

“Not now,” I growl, pulling out my backpack and dumping it on the ground, dust flying around from the impact. “We’ll just stay here for now, until we have a better plan.”

She hesitantly nods, unsure of what to say.

“Block the doors and windows. If no one is here tomorrow, we’ll know we’re safe and can stay for a while.”

“Is this really a good idea? Coming back here?” she asks, worry tinging her words as her eyes meet mine.

“We have no other choice. We can’t afford to pay for a motel. The money will run out any day now.”

I glance at the bag filled with the groceries we managed to buy the other day. Food is scarce, but that’s nothing new to us. At the dollhouse, they starved us for days, and food was a reward earned only by obedience.

A chair leans against the wall, its leg broken, propped against the door handle to block any attempts at entry. The effort feels pointless; if someone wanted to break in, they would do so, using whatever force necessary.

“Didn’t you say we would go through it all together? Let me be here for you. You don’t have to do this alone,” she says softly.

Her voice drags me into her like a soothing balm, calming the turmoil in my mind, ultimately leaving my heart aching.

I know I should let her in, but I can’t handle it. Everything within my soul and mind is a mess, tearing me apart, and I just need some peace and quiet.

Living fucking sucks, and coming back here proves it all.

I don’t give her an answer as I go to secure the windows using the other broken pieces of the chair. Naya stays quiet, a silent sentinel in the background that waits for me to break the tension.

In this instance, she’s a double-edged sword, two sides of a coin. She calms the demon in my mind unlike any other, and her presence brings me comfort. Yet, she’s the reminder of all that I stand to lose. My mind is screaming at me to push her away before shit goes south, and the authorities somehow catch up to us. It shouts that I should leave her before she leaves me.

I slump on the bed when I’m done securing the room, exhaustion seeping its ways into my bones after a full day of merely walking, adrenaline and fear keeping me going forward.

Naya sits on the bed beside me, her fingers slowly finding mine. I grab them, swallowing the lump in my throat.

“We’ll get through this. You are not alone, you hear me?” she says after minutes of silence, looking into my eyes with a determined expression.

My brave little doll, so gorgeous, sitting beside me. What did I ever do to deserve her?

Instead of answering, I lean closer, capturing her lips with mine. She kisses me back, her tongue prodding my mouth, deepening the kiss. Kissing her feels like coming home after years of being abroad. It’s a brutal kind of connection that makes my cock throb in my pants, making me want to claim her here and now, in this house of destruction.

We kiss as if there’s no tomorrow. My hand glides to her hips, grabbing her flesh, grounding me in the presence.

We’re alive, and perhaps that is all that matters.

Her breathing becomes ragged, small, tiny sounds of pleasure escaping her. She meets my eyes, the intense gaze she’s giving me making my self control shift.

“Naya,” I growl, meeting her mismatched eyes as she looks at me, her body molded into mine.

In my periphery, I notice her squeezing her legs together, as if that will give her any friction at all.

“I’m seconds away from losing all sense of control, so I suggest you climb onto my lap, sit on my cock, and ride me like the good little girl you are before I snap,” I whisper into the lobe of her ear. “And you don’t want me to snap.”

Her cheeks flush an adorable color as she whispers against my lips. “What if I do?”

A feral, guttural growl rumbles from my throat, and she must sense the predatory gaze in my eyes, because she smiles mischievously before standing.

“Naya,” I warn her again, but she only gives me that damned smile, removing her clothes teasingly slowly.

I fist my cock through my pants, begging with the need to claim her right this fucking instance. She throws her shirt on the floor, followed by her pants, and the breath escapes my lungs at the sight of her. So fucking beautiful—like a canvas filled with only the prettiest of colors.

She moves her hands to her stomach, closer to the edge of the panties, but she doesn’t remove them, and the desire to have her thrums through my blood like poison.

The smile she gives me is toxic, lethal; a force that could make any man fall to his knees.

“You want it—me—don’t you?” she asks, twirling around while showing me her beautiful, rounded fucking ass, before turning around again so her eyes clash with mine.

I nod, licking my lips, heat burning my gaze.

“You’re not alone, understood?”

I’m caught off guard by her demand, but nod, reaching for her thighs with my hands and kneading her flesh.

Finally, fucking finally, she removes her panties, sitting down on my lap.

My cock is rock hard, and I shimmy out of my boxers. She lowers herself onto me, her slick heat enveloping me inch by inch, and I can’t help but let out a groan that originates from deep within my chest. She grips me so fucking perfectly, taking me fully, sitting down on my cock until she throws back her head in ecstasy. My fingers dig into her soft flesh, moving her hips to the rhythm of my thrusts.

She moves slowly at first, driving me to the edge of insanity, with my cock deep inside her, needing and craving more. I move my hands faster, helping her take me as deep as she can while moving her hips. She lets out the sweetest moan, her head thrown back, and I pepper kisses along her neck and throat.

Closing my mouth around her skin, I bite and suck, leaving marks that will sear itself deep into the fabric of her soul.

“Remember,” she breathes, chest heaving, eyes drooping from the pleasure coursing through her. “You are never alone.” Her ragged breaths are hot against my lips as her arms move around to my back, nails digging into my skin, which only spurs me on. “I’m always here for you.”

I don’t answer, feeling too overwhelmed, as I thrust deeper into her, until she’s grinding faster, taking me deeper, moaning out my name for the wild animals to hear in the forest beyond this hell house.

The moment I hit the spot inside her, she arches her back, moaning louder. Sweat coats both of our foreheads, and I keep driving into her, thrusting upward as if I never want to let her go.

Our bodies seek refuge in each other, her lips parting in a cry of ecstasy. She’s the most beautiful fucking woman on this earth.

“You fucked up, little doll. If you think I’m leaving you, you’re wrong. I will follow you to the ends of this world. Even if you leave me, I will.” Thrust . “Always.” Thrust . “Find you.” Thrust .

Her eyes widen. “You’re wrong,” she breathes. “I’m the one who will never let you.”

I thrust harder into her then, our bodies moving in a symphony of desperation. My spine coils, muscles tightening, as my body is ready to snap. Naya’s movements become more urgent, her nails digging harder into the skin on my back, leaving marks that might scar.

“I fucking love the pain you cause me,” I whisper against her mouth before claiming her lips again.

The orgasm hits me as she clamps around me, her body tightening with another cry.

We both come undone, and I think that maybe the house might not be so haunted after all.

Not when she’s here with me. My little doll.

”Did we just fuck inside your brother’s room?” she asks, lips twitching.

I look around with a smirk, eyes glinting at her. ”I guess we did. But we’ve fucked in even worse places.”