Page 9 of The Invite (The Massacre Ball #1)

Augustus

My shiny new toy thinks it’s over.

That she’s safe.

When the reign of her doom and my terror has only just begun.

Her only mistake—intriguing me.

A feat no one has ever been able to accomplish. Yet one single glance into her shiny and fear-crippled amber eyes, and I was hooked.

After she fell into my arms, her clothes tattered as though she had already been ravaged by a monster yet with such vibrant and feisty spirit burning bright on her face, I wanted to snuff it right out before breathing life back into her.

Even in the dark, surrounded by nothing but untamed wilderness and her heart rapidly beating, I became lost in her enchanting beauty.

Her skin was so pale and silky smooth, that it bloomed brighter than the moonlight.

Long black hair framed a heart-shaped face.

Soft catlike eyes, high cheekbones flushed bright pink, and naturally pouty and small lips that begged to be bitten, she was exquisite, holding an air of innocence and secrets.

Snow White come to life.

No woman has made me look twice, let alone ignited the desire to never look away, until her.

It should’ve clued me in to send her scurrying the hell away from me.

Nothing good— for her —could’ve come out of it.

When she ran, I was both mad and relieved it’d be the last I saw of her. I could’ve found her easily if I wanted to. This town belongs to me. There was no dark corner where she could’ve hidden.

I almost laughed, then pitied her, when I came face to face with her the very next day. In my school. As my teacher. She had gone white as a sheet upon our eyes crashing into one another.

I knew she recognized me. It was proven that the magnetic pull wasn’t just one-sided. As if her arousal soaking my hand wasn’t proof enough.

I don’t believe in coincidences. Or destiny. Or karma.

Just bad luck.

And it was the start of hers.

Getting me suspended from the school’s premises despite my warning—all it did was amuse me and grow my fascination with her.

That unfortunate night, I should’ve let her run at her first attempt.

Instead, I decided to play.

Breaking my number one rule.

The vile and immoral proclivities I have, I hide well during the day, but at night, everything and everyone is fair game. It’s no lie when they say monsters hide in plain sight and come out to play in the dark.

I’ve seen the living proof.

I am the living proof.

But even at my worst, I have boundaries and malignant urges that I control.

Because if I let them have the power to rule it will be the end of me.

All these years, I’ve kept a tight leash on them and trudged carefully.

I knew getting greedy would be deadly but I didn’t realize that one momentary lapse of temptation could be so fatal.

Because every limit I had, I crossed them all when I chased little Miss Nessa. Every rough exhale, soft whimper, flutter of her long eyelashes, inner turmoil, and vivid lust gazing back, fed the hungry monster inside me.

I wanted to take everything from her.

Eat her alive.

Make her my pet.

When I let her escape, every instinct I had roared at me to go after her but I had to rein in the urge. The compulsion to make a full meal out of her, not just get a taste. That was nothing but a taunt. A red flag in front of a bloodthirsty bull.

Seeing her standing in class, dressed in a red blouse and a tight black pencil skirt, staring wide-eyed at me, was the last straw.

The chain on my cravings unleashed.

The power I had over her was addictive. One meeting and she became my muse.

A muse I wanted all to myself.

A dangerous craving to have.

Now, everything is fucked.

My business is in danger of being exposed. She thinks she’s won, but she lost.

I have a singular goal in my life, one that was fed and trained into me since I was a baby. I will one day be the mayor of my town. It’s my family’s legacy. One I need to uphold. Leading a double life is written in stone.

Every politician worth a damn has one.

Little Miss Nessa was the only thing standing between my two lives converging.

Her tripping into my path was all it took to dismantle the thin wall I kept between them. Now, I’m going to use the same jagged pieces to slice her perfect little world into scraps.

She’s an enthralling little creature I’ve encountered. A magnificent mix of shy and brave, a scared mouse yet sassy, expressive yet holding secrets dear to her heart.

She chose the worst man to make an enemy out of in this town.

I’m not just going to destroy her world, I’m going to annihilate it.

Through the window in her living room, I watch her bid goodbye to Ace—her colleague, whom she’s befriended at the school and hung out with the entire day today.

Too bad, I don’t intend for him to be in her life for long. I will ruin everything good and peaceful that comes her away.

Until I become the monster she hates but can’t live without.

The devil she serves and obeys.

The shadow that haunts her for the rest of her life.

It wasn’t tough finding where she lived, much less duplicating an extra set of keys to her house. Privacy is a luxury she can no longer afford.

I followed her today once she left her place. Clueless to the people eyeing her at the mall, men and women alike, completely unaware of her own beauty.

Even as she politely smiled at others, the hint of desolation in her gaze couldn’t be missed. She was roaming like a woman who wasn’t dancing through life but just surviving. Detached. Hopeless. Sorrowful.

Did it dissuade me from going after her?

No.

The ice around my heart is permanent, she can’t melt it.

Though I won’t lie that it didn’t burn when she smacked right into Ace and didn’t jerk away from his touch like she did with me. It was the kind of heat that was foreign to me.

I watched them have their little date, stared and scorched inside when he laid his palm on hers. As if she could feel my wrath, she just as quickly leaned back.

She’s mistaken to think he’s her savior, especially afterward when they went to the woods together to help get her lost suitcase back.

Too bad she’ll never find her phone, which sits in my pocket. A souvenir from our encounter. A smile tugs at my lips at the things I found on it.

My sweet little teach isn’t so innocent after all.

The knob twists as she opens the door, crosses the threshold, and shuts it before hanging the key on the hook. Without switching on the light, she hauls her suitcase behind her down the short hallway.

I stay put, blending into the shadows in the living room with two entries.

You should be more alert, little prey .

From the second open doorway, I can make out the staircase leading to the first floor and the kitchen corner. I gave myself a tour of her house, which was scarce and barely decorated with a single personal item. I know now that it was because she didn’t have her belongings.

Instead of climbing to the room above, she leaves the suitcase in the hallway and enters the kitchen. I inch closer, still hidden, and see her grab an empty glass from the cupboard and fill it with tap water before drinking it.

Her glossy hair is loose and falling to the middle of her back in waves. She’s a petite little thing against my six-foot-four frame. The curve of her small tits beneath her tight tee lures me to ambush her but I hold myself back, reminding myself that waiting will make her all the more sweeter.

Her throat works as she swallows slowly.

The sight brings with it an image of her swallowing my cock. Struggling and choking. I’ll bury myself so deep, and stay there until she passes out.

I back away when she sets the half-empty glass down and struts in my direction. Picking up the suitcase, she climbs the stairs and disappears into the room.

You won’t be so relaxed ever again, pet.

Walking into the kitchen, I lift the glass she was drinking from. It’s still warm where her fingers gripped it. A tempting smudge of her gloss on the edge. Bringing it to my lips, I drink from the same spot and finish the rest of the water before putting it in the sink, which she didn’t.

Then I follow her upstairs.