Page 77 of The Invite (The Massacre Ball #1)

Nessa

I’m blindfolded and being guided up a flight of stairs with a hand on my back.

“Where are we, Augustus?” My curiosity is piqued.

“No talking, Nessa,” Augustus scolds low in my ear.

His deep voice travels down my spine in an electric caress. A soft breeze teases my stocking-covered legs underneath the short and flowy leather skirt I’m wearing. I paired it with a matching leather corset top that gives me extra cleavage.

Augustus picked my outfit for the surprise place he’d brought me to.

The high-heeled boots—a surprise from Augustus—click-clack as we climb the stairs. My ponytail swishes at the back of my head, which Augustus couldn’t resist tugging when he kissed me before leaving my place.

It doesn’t escape my notice that I’m dressed similarly to the night he captured me in the woods. Just a bit more on the revealing side, making me feel sexy like a seductress. A whip is all I’m missing from becoming a dominatrix.

I shiver remembering the primal look he gave after roaming those dark eyes down my body. His restraint is commendable because he looked ready to take me right then and there. I almost begged him despite the powerful orgasm he gave me.

Our bedroom talk from hours ago wreaks havoc on my mind.

Judging by the clothes he chose, I was certain he was fulfilling one of my fantasies. But when he led me inside a building, I was at a loss.

I’m jittery with suspense, craving answers about our location.

What is he going to make me do?

He loves playing mind games, especially of the sexual variety.

You love it too.

“We’re reaching the landing,” he informs me. “Last step.”

We stop, I’m guessing outside a door. Yet he doesn’t remove the blindfold. A few minutes pass before my ears perk up at the low creaking noise of a door opening. A nudge on my ass indicates me to move.

I take a step inside and I’m halted again with a hand around my elbow.

Gut instinct tells me to be quiet.

The door shutting behind me makes me jump. It wasn’t that loud but all my other senses are heightened. An awareness creeping into them.

A solid and warm chest presses against my back, sending my heart catapulting. Fingers brush against the knot of the blindfold as Augustus unties it. When it falls away, I blink back the fog. It takes my eyes a second to adjust to my surroundings.

I almost wish it hadn’t.

As I stumble back, my stomach sinks when I recognize the apartment and the familiar living room we’re standing in.

Ace’s.

My throat goes dry that Augustus would break in here. Seriously, what is it with him breaking into his teachers’ homes?

“August!” I hiss in a panic, ready to bolt out of here before we get caught.

“Shh…” His palm covers my mouth, shutting me up. Running his nose up my cheek, he warns in my ear, “Can’t let Mr. Melrose hear us, little prey.”

I nervously flick my gaze around the dark room as Augustus rounds to stand in front of me. His broad torso wrapped in a black fitted tee fills my sight. The full sleeves concealing every inch of his inked skin combined with his dark jeans make him perfectly blend into the shadows.

A predator you won’t notice until it’s too late.

Something glittery winks at me, dangling from Augustus’s hand. Before I can ask what it is, he lifts it to my face. I make out the shape of a butterfly mask with long bunny ears on a thick band at the top. I’m stunned by its beauty.

Augustus uses my momentary distraction to slide it on me, covering the upper half of my face. My questioning gaze slides to his face, the scary-looking silvery skull mask sitting atop his head. With a wink, he brings it down, hiding every square inch of his chiseled features.

“We need to leave, Augustus,” I whisper strictly. I’m never letting this man blindfold me again. “This is wrong. For hell’s sake, it’s a crime.”

I’ve had enough encounters with the police to last a lifetime.

I don’t know what Augustus’s intentions are by bringing us here but it cannot be remotely sane. I know his mind. He’s plotting something diabolical inside it. When that happens, I end up doing something equally unhinged. I become powerless against his brand of dark magic.

Twirling a loose strand, he bends inches from my face. “We will go after you prove he doesn’t come before me for you.”

“Of course he doesn’t.”

“Then you shouldn’t have a problem proving it.” I shake my head, becoming uneasy from his menacing tone. His hand curls around my ponytail, holding me still. “You’re not Nessa tonight. You’re my little demon, doing her devil’s bidding.”

“August—” His thumb presses against my lips, shushing me.

“Why are you scared? He won’t know it’s you.” His soft words are used to manipulate. The baritone of it casts a spell on me, daring me to jump into his pool of deviance.

“I don’t want to hurt him.”

“I’d never ask you to. This is just a game.”

I bite my lip, contemplating the repercussions, which is insane.

Augustus pulls at my ponytail hard and collars my throat with his hand. “Who will it be? Your friend or the man you love.”

Oh god!

Déjà vu hits as Ace’s words ring in my ears. He was right. The situation he warned me about is here. It’s impossible for us to be friends because there’s no choice. It will always be Augustus for me.

“ You .”

“Good little pet,” rasps Augustus. “Take me to his bedroom.”

“What?” I stutter at the unexpected question. He asked it so casually.

A knowing and taunting glint takes over his eyes. With a tilt of his head, he accuses, “Didn’t you spend the night here?”

No way. How does he know?

He hears my mind whirring for an explanation, and unapologetically confesses, “I have a tracker in the SUV.”

My jaw drops at his psychotic and stalkerish tendencies.

The depth of his obsession.

I was so smug that night thinking I was safe from him. It was all an illusion. Had I not listened to him and returned the next day, he would’ve come here to drag me back himself. Who knows what he would’ve done to Ace then?

“Did you think I was kidding when I said I have eyes on you everywhere? That I’d let my most prized possession be near another man and not know about it?” Pressing on the sides of my neck, he growls, “There’s no corner in this world, let alone this town, where you can hide from me, little prey.”

I believe him.

However, I hope he’s not here to punish Ace. I honestly don’t know what he thinks he can accomplish without the risk of a physical altercation occurring. Both men are well-built. Plus, Ace might call the cops on us.

If he only knew the lengths I’m going and the risks I’m taking to make them stay far away from him.

“August,” I rasp, clutching his wrist. “I might have been with Ace but I was thinking about you. All I wanted was to be in your arms so I could erase the memory of Amber’s death from my mind. There’s nothing to prove here. You’re it for me. Please, let’s go home.”

A shake of his head and I become nervous, losing all hope.

“The bedroom, Nessa.”

Shoulders slumping, I walk toward the dark hallway on light feet.

Pin-drop silence except for the clock’s chiming plays in the background.

The door to Ace’s bedroom is wide open and when we reach the doorway, I can make out his silhouette on the king-sized bed with black sheets draped up to his waist. A small lamp glows in the otherwise dark room.

I stop outside of it, my feet unwilling to move.

Augustus steps up behind me and nudges something hard against my palm. My fingers automatically close around it. Only to come close to dropping it when I recognize the object.

A knife!

“You say he’s your friend, right?” says Augustus in my ear.

I nod, afraid I’ll give us away if I speak.

“Show me. Wake him up. If he’s scared or doesn’t want you, I’ll believe you.”

My palms sweat and I hesitate.

A finger skims up my thigh, teasing the hem of my skirt, and my devil commands in my ear, “Be a huntress tonight, little prey.”

A strange power swirls around me, engulfing my senses in its clutches. I flick my gaze to Ace sleeping peacefully. Once upon a time, I lied in my bed too. Unlike me, my captors mustn’t have hesitated before becoming my perpetual nightmare.

Does this mean I’m no different than them?

No. I’m not here to inflict violence. As soon as I prove Augustus wrong, I’m leaving. I stalk into the bedroom. The heels of my boots barely make any noise against the carpet.

Ace, who’s lying shirtless on his back with an arm thrown over his eyes, doesn’t stir. I glance over my shoulder and find Augustus leaning sideways against the doorframe, staring raptly.

He looks relaxed, but I know he’ll intervene in a flash if needed.

No. Not if, when.

Facing forward, I regard a sleeping Ace. His features are GQ model-worthy. His defined chest and eight-pack. Unlike Augustus, his lips are fuller and more pouty. A brooding stranger until he smiles.

Will he ever bestow me another after tonight? I don’t think so.

He can’t see your face.

The knowledge gives me a sick thrill.

Ace is at my mercy.

Augustus’s dare echoes in my head and I tighten my hand around the wooden handle. Strolling to the end of the bed, I carefully climb on it. Since I don’t weigh much, the mattress barely sinks.

In my peripheral vision, I notice Augustus edge closer.

Keeping my eyes forward, I crawl over Ace’s prone form on my knees and stop above his waist. No part of my body touching his. The skirt rises the backs of my thighs as I lean over to rest one hand beside Ace’s hand and with the other, I press the knife against the pulse on his throat.

The thrill brings a heady rush, making me feel like a god.

Dragging the blade lightly over his collarbone, I tickle him. His arm jerks as he feels the sensation while his fingers clench and unclench. Everything could go wrong but I can’t seem to care.

I trail the weapon up his Adam’s apple and nudge the pointy tip under his chin. I pull back with a smile when he tries to bat it away with his hand. His face becoming visible. A pinch wrinkles his forehead.

“Ace,” I murmur, tapping his chin with the flat side of the blade. “Wake up.”

His entire body jerks and ocean blue eyes fling open, widening at my looming presence. He bucks and curses. “The fuck!”

Augustus appears behind the space between the head of the bed and the wall, trapping Ace’s wrists against the mattress.

I straddle his stomach and threateningly press the knife against his throat. He understands the silent message… Don’t move or I’ll cut you.

“Who the fuck are you both?”

I have to be insane because I smile at the small tremor in his husky voice. Lifting my head, I look Augustus dead in the eye.

You’re so going to lose.