Page 18 of Vile Pucker

If I was lucky, he’d sleep until noon and forget all about me.

My knees weak, I stumbled over to the stairs and down to the first floor.

Everything looked less sinister in the morning, the hallways lit with a soft pinkish peach glow.

But I remembered how it had felt last night.

Things weren’t as they seemed here.

I hurried out the front door, past the stagnant waters of the pond as fall leaves drifted gently across the surface, strange bubbles breaking in random, gray bursts.

The sharp rocks jutting out looked massive.

How deep was this pond?

Almost crying in relief, I made it to my car. My hands were shaking so badly that I could barely get the key in the lock.

But finally I got it in and threw my purse in the driver’s seat.

Yes!

Jamming the key in the ignition, I punched down on the gas.

I was going to get out of here and tell Lucian we wereoverunless he promised I would never have to be around his son ever again.

But nothing happened.

I turned the key again, desperately this time.

Still nothing.

Shit, what could be wrong with it?

This was a new car; I regularly got it serviced.

The hell?

I twisted the key again, jamming my foot down on the gas pedal as if I’d get another result.

“Come on!” I cried in frustration.

Then a shadow fell across my window and loomed over my steering wheel.

I shrieked as Gabriel’s hand shot out and slammed into my driver’s side mirror, knocking it askew with a savage, brutal blow. I screamed again as he punched the mirror, shattering the glass this time and knocking the whole thing onto the ground with a crash.

Then he turned and put his hands on the top of my car.

He had a gray hoodie on, his eyes glinting out at me under that dark shock of hair.

“Going somewhere without me?”

For a moment I couldn’t speak.

“You—know I am!”

His knuckles were bleeding where the jagged pieces of mirror had cut him, but hedidn’t even seem to notice.

Gabriel jerked his head.