Page 82 of His Haunted Desire

“Yeah?”

“Apparently, there are tunnels in the house.”

“Grandma loves her Halloween games,” I say, nodding. “There are secret tunnels that connect some rooms. When we were kids, Julian and I used them quite often.”

“Well… Doesheknow about them?”

“Sebastian never knew about the tunnels,” Grandma says.

“Are you sure?” I ask, carrying the tray over.

“Yes. I think so.”

“Did you tell the police about them?” I ask.

“Should I have?”

I try not to show my annoyance. I love her more than anything. She raised me and protected me after my parents died, but she also lied to me, hid an entire secret history from me.

“I’ll call the detective,” I say.

“Does anyone mind if I shut the door?” Aurora asks, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Go ahead,” I tell her. “I’ll get a fire going after I call Drake.”

“That sounds nice.”

I take out my cellphone as Aurora walks to the door. Before I can make the call, Aurora lets out a high-pitched gasp that cuts me to my core. I turn, somehow knowing what I’m going to see before the sick image comes into view.

Sebastian has a pistol in his hand, pressed against the side of Aurora’s head. I dart toward him, pick up the fire poker, and raise it above my head.

“Stop,”Sebastian bellows.“Or I kill the bitch.”

I freeze with the poker above my head. I’ve never seen anything more evil than this.

The twisted irony is that witnessing Aurora in the grasp of death is enough to make me realize I want a life with her.

I don’t know what our future holds, don’t know if we’re going to try the long-distance thing or how we’re going to make it work, but I know I want her. I know it can’t end like this.

“Drop your little stick,” Sebastian growls.

“Sebastian, please,” Grandma moans. “You don’t have to?—”

“Shut up, bitch.” He cocks the hammer on the revolver. “Drop it, brother, or I’ll paint the walls with her brains.”

I drop the fire poker.

“Take a seat next to the bitch.”

Fury like I’ve never experienced before thunders through me, fury like I didn’t even know existed. I somehow take a seat, though every instinct is screaming at me to separate his head from his body.

“I always knew about the tunnels, you stupid old crone,” Sebastian says, licking his lips, a wild look in his eyes. “I’ve known more than all of you this entire time. I’ve known that you don’t deserve this, any of this. You thought you were helping me, Evangeline,helpingme by hiding who I was like I had something to be ashamed of, like I didn’t deserve to be seen, to be–bereal…”

He laughs hollowly.

“I’m realer than you all.”

“Sebastian, you don’t know Aurora,” I say, trying to keep my voice level.