Page 86 of Grave Possession (Grave #2)

Chapter Seventy-two

Nixon

Night of the Haunt.

“ D o you smell that?” I whisper.

Viktor looks over to me, nodding slightly. The blood smeared across my chest might not be fake, but it doesn’t smell near as fresh as what’s wafting through the trees on the cool October breeze. Hunger constricts tight around my gut, reawakening the struggle I was hoping to avoid tonight.

We just fucking ate.

Glancing over to Viktor, I see the same battle waging within him. The fight to suppress the ravenous thirst for blood. This is not the place to lose your fucking mind, and go on a spree. Even if it could be written off as another tragic tale of the Henderson Mill.

“What do you want to do?” I grind out, trying to keep composure. It’s pointless, trying to save face, the man next to me knows me better than any other alive.

“Let’s go see what happened. We’ll probably have to alert Lennox.

” I nod. He’s right. This isn’t Willowdale, where a victim can just be written off as missing along with the body.

People disappear in our neck of the woods all the time, never returning from a camping trip or nighttime hike.

The things lurking in our forest are hungry, rarely leaving any evidence behind in case the “cops” investigate.

They don’t.

They’re just as hungry as the rest of us.

I follow Viktor through the trees, past two women getting their freak on in a coffin.

The tang of iron gets stronger the deeper we dive into the shadows, walking past a pile of fake corpses.

Then, there lies the real one. Not too far off from the morbid decoration, looking like it belongs there.

Like it crawled away from the crudely piled heap of bodies.

It’s absolute carnage; the man is missing a leg, the top of his head, and his… Ugh, I’m going to be sick. Throwing my hand over my mouth to hold back the wave of nausea, I turn away. Who would chop off a man’s penis? Even the thought of losing mine nearly brings a tear to my eye.

“Nixon, get a hold of yourself. Do you smell that?”

“The despair leaking off the dead man with no cock?”

“No,” he deadpans. “Concentrate.”

The smell is faint, but there beneath the overpowering odour of the man is something lighter…sweeter. I focus on it, letting my eyes fall shut as I heave it into my lungs. It’s delicious, but with a kick that hangs around on the back of your tongue. I’ve smelled it before, but not quite .

My eyes snap open. “Mallory?” I ask, and Viktor nods.

That spiciness is distinctly Lennox, his uncle had the same lingering tang. They were either in on this together, or Mallory carries his blood in her veins.”

“How?”

“I don’t know.” Viktor looks down at the body, mulling over what the fuck to do. I know he won’t alert anyone except Nox, especially now that both him and his girlfriend’s blood is at the scene.

“Why do you suppose she went all Lorena Bobbitt ?” I ask, thoroughly impressed that little thing did something like this.

“I don’t know but she probably had a good reason.” He worries his bottom lip between his teeth, and I pull it free with my thumb.

Looking into his steely eyes, I ask, “What do you want to do?”

“Take it,” he gulps, guilt heavily marring his usually stoic face.

“Then we take it.”

“I’ll go get the car,” he resolves, shoulders slightly sagging.

He feels the weight of death more than anyone I’ve ever known.

Pair that with Lennox being wrapped up in whatever happened here, I’m not surprised he wants to take this body.

He and Oscar were close, I’m sure he wants to protect Nox now that his uncle can’t.

Unfortunately for Viktor, the truth can’t be hidden from the new police captain forever.

“I’ll be here,” I reply, rocking back and forth on my feet, dipping in and out of the shadow cast by a big pine tree.

“Don’t eat without me,” he grumbles.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, sweets.” Viktor rolls his eyes at me, and I wink in return.

A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth as he turns away from me, heading off in the direction of our hearse.

Before he gets too far out of my reach, I grab the collar of his shirt, pulling him back to me.

Spinning him with supernatural speed, and slamming my lips against his.