Page 17 of The Invite (The Massacre Ball #1)

“How the heck did you get in?” I demand, my voice coming shrill once the initial shock of him in my bedroom wears off.

Augustus is drawn to my fear like a shark is attracted to the scent of blood.

Around him, fear wraps around me like asecond skin.

There’s no getting rid of it.

“Now why would I reveal that?” he taunts. “I think I’ll let you figure that out by yourself, teach. Now answer my question.”

“Whom I spend time with and in what capacity is none of your business.”

“You became my business the moment I caught you in the woods. I told you yesterday that you’re mine , Nessa. Tonight is the first and the last time you will go near another man. If I see you with one, I’ll wipe his existence off the face of the earth.”

“What?” I gasp.

He swings his legs to the side and jumps off my bed before standing to his full height. Peering me square in my scared eyes, he says, “I have no qualms about killing another human. I’ve done it before. Don’t be the reason to make me do it again.”

His confession rings in my ears like a grim lullaby. Why would he tell me that without any remorse or regard for the consequences? Does knowing it make me an accomplice? Or is this one of his mind games?

I pray it’s the latter.

However, praying is futile. Augustus doesn’t lie because, to this day, he has made good on every single one of his threats and promises.

That’s why I find myself whispering, “It wasn’t a date.”

Even if there’s a minor chance he’s toying with my head, I still cannot risk Ace’s safety. He’s an amazing man and I can’t bear to witness him hurt because of me. I won’t gamble with his life.

I expect my answer to appease Augustus but nothing in the angles of his face shifts, which sends my pulse skittering.

His head slants to the side as he studies if I’m telling the truth. Licking the corner of his mouth, he softly asks, “Did he kiss you at the door?”

The tender timbre of his deep voice doesn’t fool me.

My throat goes dry as I fight the urge to touch my right cheek where Ace lightly pecked me earlier. It had surprised meand given mea gooey feeling in my belly. The exact opposite feeling replaces the warmth now.

Why the hell am I hesitating to lie to Augustus?

Besides, it will not exactly be a lie. It wasn’t a kiss, just a quick peck. Something friends give each other. Nothing more.

“No,” I whisper after what feels like ages but is merely a few seconds.

“No?” Augustus repeats, then phrases it more specifically, “So his lips didn’t touch a single part of you?”

I shake my head.

“Liar.”

“He didn’t kiss me,” I say more firmly.

“It wasn’t on your mouth then,” he retorts. “Where?”

I cross my arms and glare. “Did you come here to interrogate me?”

At that, his lips tilt. “No. I came to have another taste of your sweet pussy and I stayed waiting for the dessert you promised me.”

“No, I didn’t.” Like I’d ever promise this psycho anything.

His expression turns cold. “Haven’t I shown you how I always finish what I start? It also includes that I always get what I want. If you make me chase you, I’ll take much more than what you owe me after I capture you.”

“You’re insane.”

“We’ve already established that, little prey.” He takes a step forward. “Now, be a good pet and come here.”

I instinctively take a step back.

When he takes another, I don’t think, I whip around and run.

His amused chuckle travels from my bedroom to the dark hallway as I aim for the stairs. The sound of his footsteps chasing after me echoes like my impending doom.

Why did I stupidly run?

Where will I go?

The door is locked, and by the time I unlock it, Augustus will catch me. I will need to hide and lock myself in the storage room.

As soon as I think that, I’m lifted off the ground.

“Let go of me!” I screech, scratching my nails on his arm banding around my naked waist where my tank top has lifted.

He wrestles me down to the wooden floor and flips me onto my back.

“Oh, my little prey, I’m going to enjoy taking so much more from you tonight,” he utters with glee even though there’s no smile on his face. His dark eyes do all the talking and I hate myself for being able to read them, as if I’ve known him forever.

I kick at his shoulder and crawl backward on my elbows.

He laughs, leaning back on his haunches with his hands on his knees, not making any moves to stop me.

I frown and continue creating distance between us, when suddenly my right hand touches air and I yelp as I lose my balance.

Augustus’s hand snakes out and grabs my ankle, yanking me toward him.

Gasping while my body shakes uncontrollably, I peer over my shoulder and my eyes widen.

“Oh god!”

I’m lying near the top of the staircase. I would’ve fallen hadn’t Augustus saved me.

Did he save you, though?

No, he didn’t. It’s why he let me slide away from him in the first place. He knew I wasn’t going anywhere.

“When will you learn there’s no running away from me, prey?

” Augustus hums tauntingly while crawling over my pliant body.

One hand lands beside my head, and the other curls in the neckline of my top while his godly face looms over mine.

Inching closer until his lips are a fraction away from my parted mouth, he demands, “Where. Did. He. Kiss. You?”

“My cheek,” I whisper, afraid to poke him when I’m at his mercy.

My eyes fall closed when he seals the gap, making me shiver when his nose grazes my cheek. Then I feel his lips touch my skin. His fingers twist my top just as his tongue darts out, licking my cheek.

I’m trapped underneath a predator while he decides which part he wants to devour first. Unlike the rest of him, his lips are soft, firm, and inviting as they taste my skin right on the spot where Ace kissed me.

Multiple sensations attack me together at once, trying to leave me defenseless.

His spicy scent filling in my lungs, drowning me.

The rough scrape of his teeth along my jaw, electrifying me.

My breasts squeezing together from his possessive grip, making my nipples harden from the friction. Yet it’s his silence that is unnerving me the most.

I sigh in the back of my throat when his mouth skates up my cheek and stops at my ear. His steady and warm breath teases me and he darkly hums. “Should I kill him, Miss Nessa? Maybe then it’ll sink in your pretty little head that you belong to me?”

“No, don’t hurt him.”

“Why? Do you have feelings for him?”

“He’s my friend.”

“You’ve only known him a day,” he mocks.

“Please,” I plead. “He didn’t do anything.”

“But you ignored me for him. I do not like that.”

“I’m-m sorry.”

Biting my earlobe, he skims his lips below it and over my cheek before gazing down at me with his glinting pupils. “I’m going to kiss you to replace his touch from your memory. Next time his mouth comes anywhere near you, I’ll deliver his carcass to you in a body bag at your doorstep.”

He doesn’t allow me to digest his morbid promise. I’m shoved forward, until my head dangles off the first step of the staircase.

“Augustus!” I squeal, frightened.

I grab the ledge on each side to stop myself from slipping. My heart hammering wildly in terror of falling down the stairs and damaging my head if he accidentally shoves me. I look forward when my thighs are wrenched apart and Augustus fits his broad shoulders between them.

Rough hands pin my thighs down, and he maniacally says, “Stay still or crawl backward and fall to your demise. Either way, I’m not stopping until I eat your cunt until your cum is dripping down my chin.”