Page 33

twenty-two

Wind rips over my bare collarbones like the naked steel of a knife, my stilettos cutting like daggers into my heels as I sprint across the street.

A shiver ripples down my spine when I slice through the Sanguine Manor’s yard, heading for the woods beyond.

Ryan’s frantic wails echo between the weeping stones, calling for me to stop. But I press on.

The man I thought would set me free seems to have been leading me into a trap. He hinted that he had cameras in my room, but I wanted to believe he was joking. That he was being glib, like he usually is. Instead, he was telling the truth, and I’m a fool once again.

My jaw locks so tight it hurts. A hot pressure rises behind my eyes, but I force it down. I won’t cry over this—not him.

Once I make it across campus and to my room, I’ll scan the entire thing immediately, removing any evidence of his cameras, the trackers, the lies, and the betrayals. Maybe even have my cousin Valen get involved… That would ensure I was safer.

As I pass one of the rough oak trees, footsteps crunch on dried leaves behind me.

Lifting my skirt, I hurry, but falter over some twigs before squeezing through the iron bars of the fence.

When I look back, in the moonlight stands a shadowed figure.

It’s too small to be Ryan. And they may be wearing a cape.

Surging forward, I slip through the barrier and head toward the deep woods, ripping at my soaked dress like it’s his hands I’m tearing away.

The night’s mist clings in steady sheets.

The footsteps retreat slower, softer until I don’t hear them at all.

Only my ragged breaths seep into the air in haunting white waves.

When I believe myself to be safely away from whoever was following me, I hide in a tight coppice of ash, turning my head swiftly to check my surroundings. I’m alone.

A quick glance at the moon doesn’t help me catch my bearings. So I wait.

The silence is comforting in a way, to let me know there’s no one else around.

Not risking getting caught, I leave my phone in my internal pocket and shove off the tree, ambling north, hoping to recognize something.

Craggy rock hills face me, blocking me from continuing any farther, which means I’m likely south of where I want to be.

I aim west, or what I hope is west, using the North Star as my guide.

My steps are steady now, and I take the time to rest, skirting around the barriers of mud and shale. When the earth finally flattens out enough for me to turn toward campus in the northwest, a clearing opens up, wide and carefree.

Trees are farther apart, and the wet leaves linger like a soaked carpet. The trails of my dress seep into the muck as I stroll through the area, but stumble over a settled log, tripping to the ground. My hands catch me before my face meets the muck.

With a heavy sigh, I stand back up and look around.

As if I had just swallowed agony, my stomach turns to lead. A creeping, tingling sensation crawls along my skin as I take a step closer to the middle of the clearing. Part of me doesn’t want to, but I have to look. I have to see it.

Almost dropping the phone when I slide it out of the silk fabric, I press the button for the flashlight, then slap a hand over my screaming mouth. My throat closes, choking the sounds of my terror before they escape.

A blood-red circle, painted in some type of figure.

A body laid in an unnatural way, missing a face…and part of the skull…and definitely a brain.

An arm with skin carved away in a perfect equilateral triangle, revealing the muscle and sinew beneath it.

A strand of hair covering what once was a scalp. One streak black. The other lime green.

Here lies Gwen, my friend.

My phone vibrates in my palm, and I jump at the sudden interruption, my tear-filled eyes unable to look away from the abomination.

Unknown

You’re mine. No matter how far away you run. You’ll always be mine.