Page 142
Secretly, I want Mikael more than I want Misty to live. And I know there is something deeply disturbing about that, but at least I can recognize it. I know it’s wrong. The deep remorse blooms within me, and it’s tearing me up inside…just not enough to actually do something about it.
I open my blinds, knowing I’m on full display for whoever may or may not be watching out there. The late autumn moon shines brightly, casting a luminous glow down the tree-lined street beneath the dusky pink sky and frost.
My phone pings, and I see it’s a message from my mom, asking me if I’m okay about what happened to Grant. I guess this has turned into national news. I’m sure the university administration hates that—they’ve spent a lot of time denying the fucked-up generational shit in this town.
People dying every twenty years or so and others are noticing the pattern.
I send her a note to let her know I’m fine, letting her know I’m thinking of going out West sooner than I thought.
I think back on my mother’s marriage. She met my father after the killings. Did she know what he was? Was she brainwashed herself? Did she protect him the way I’m protecting Mikael?
I stare out at the dark tree-lined road, thinking about the small town beyond. For hundreds of years, this town has harbored an evil secret.
I pick up my phone and call him. It rings three times before he answers. His darkness radiates on the other line like it flows through the phone and drifts inside me. He doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t have to.
“Misty…really? Of all the girls, you had to take her?” I say dryly, but so much emotion is built into my voice.
He pauses for a moment, then says, “I needed to get your attention, since you seem to want to hide from me. She’s obviously not the one I want, baby. But I am happy to know you still care.”
The tightness gripping my head begins to ease as soon as I hear him. His voice is medicinal.
“Did you have to kill Grant?” I choke out.
His voice comes out sharp. “He put his hands on you too many times, Summer. He had to fucking go. I’d do it again, too. I’ll kill anyone who puts their hands on you. I told you I would protect you, and I meant it. I also warned you what would happen if you let him touch you. Did you think I’m one to make idle threats?”
I suck in a breath, then a coil of rage springs inside me. Lincoln is the one who protects me.
“Don’t you dare pretend to be Lincoln,” I spit. “Don’t do that, Mikael.”
He’s quiet for a moment and doesn’t respond. I know he’s seething, unraveling and transforming on the other side of this line.
Finally, he says, “Did you get my flowers?”
I let out an exasperated breath as my eyes find the dying roses. Such beauty in those stems…such beauty in death. “I got them,” I breathe out, if you can call it breathing. My lungs start to collapse.
I play with the hem of my dress as heat builds up between my legs, and my nipples tighten as my body responds the way it always does, thinking about him killing me.
If I go see him, I may not come back breathing. Mikael’s losing control, and Lincoln might be gone. And I don’t know who exactly I’ll be meeting. The thought shoots insane pressure right to my clit. My hand moves between my legs, and I relieve the pressure. Although, I’m beginning to worry nothing will ever relieve this pressure.
“Where do you want me to meet you?” I ask him, breathless.
“The warehouse, baby.”
I keep rubbing harder. “If I come see you, will you let Misty go? That’s my only condition.”
A pause. “You’re not in a position to give me conditions, pretty girl. See you soon, baby.”
He kills the line and my orgasm explodes.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-NINE
SUMMER
As I leave the house, I pause by Dani’s door. It’s quiet in her room and the lights are off. She’s gone for the night. I resist the temptation of leaving her a note under her door, knowing this might be the last time I see her.
So I grab my phone and order a ride just to the edge of town. The scent of frost is in the air as my breath swirls in front of me, the light crystals making everything glow. The driver swerves through the dark until he reaches trees and roads I barely recognize.
