42. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Hydessa

M y head is hurting so much that I can't stop the whimper that escapes me, even before I manage to force my eyes open. My hope that I was having a nightmare is quickly dashed when I see the figure standing in front of me, his green neon mask making my heart pound.

I can immediately see we're no longer at the carnival. Trees surround us, the canopy blocking out the moonlight. It's not hard to see he brought me to the forest, but I can't figure out why. I try to move, but I can feel something binding my hands together behind my back where I'm propped against one of the trees.

I'm not sure what he has planned, but I get this feeling that something has changed. Abel always stands tall when he's near me, but this masked man is slouched over. Abel always controls me with my neck, his hand around my throat like a collar while unable to put space between us. This man tied me to a tree and is keeping his distance.

"Why are you doing this?" I finally growl. The mask on his face tilts to the side, assessing me. Using my bound hands against the tree behind me, I manage to get to my feet. I will not cower on the ground for anyone.

"You have been asking too many questions. Annoying little questions that draw too much attention," he says. But even with the voice disguiser, I can tell something is off. How does someone change so quickly? Even the shadow of his build looks different.

"And you think killing me won't raise bigger questions?" I ask, scowling at him.

He steps closer, his gloved fingers brushing down my arm over the brand there. "Oh, that will be easy. You decided that the island wasn't for you after all. Your stuff will be gone, and it will be like you just went home to the city. Besides, maybe you ran away from the island because you feared for your life. Enough people know what this brand means to assume you got scared off."

His gloved hand reaches for me, but I turn my face away from it with a growl, not wanting him to touch me. The mask is shining so brightly it's distracting, but I try to focus elsewhere, staring into the trees surrounding us. He hums as he starts to trail his finger against my skin.

"It will be a shame to kill something so beautiful," he whispers, and I narrow my eyes.

"You seem to have forgotten an important detail," I respond, and he tilts his head, waiting for me to continue. But I don't need to.

"Us," comes a voice from behind him before a fist hits the imposter on the side of the head, sending him sprawling to the forest floor.

Two more masks flare to life on the figures now standing between me and the one on the ground. The red and green neon is so very similar to the one that had just been in front of me, but now I see the slight differences, and only these ones make my heart race.

"They do say imitation is the highest form of flattery, right?" one of the figures says. The way he speaks, I instantly know it's Cain. He turns to look at Abel. "Do you feel flattered? I certainly feel fucking flattered right now."

Abel growls, "Nah, I just feel fucking twitchy. You know, the kinda twitchy I get when someone else touches what's ours!" He kicks out at the figure on the ground, and the impact has a loud crack echoing around us as I hear the person groan.

"I didn't know," the masked figure wheezes.

Cain gives a derisive laugh. "You just said you saw the brand! You knew exactly who you were messing with."

Abel crouches down, getting closer. "You think because you've killed all those tourists you're untouchable now?" He reaches out and takes hold of the mask on the imposter, pulling it off his face and throwing it toward the trees. "The only reason we let it go on this long was because we needed to draw her to the island, otherwise we would have killed you ourselves."

My stomach does a flip as I see the face of the serial killer, and suddenly every little piece fits together in my mind. I shudder at the thought that I ever looked at him with anything but disgust. His mismatched eyes widen in fear as Cain also crouches down closer to him.

"We thought that with her arriving and starting to ask questions you would lie low, but you couldn't help yourself, could you, Chester," he says. "You had to take the one opportunity you had to kill again. You somehow knew exactly when we were taking out the other trash polluting our island."

"But you didn't realize you were killing a tourist that our girl had made friends with," Abel says, standing and moving closer. When he reaches me, his fingers deftly work to untie the bindings on my wrists. "Are you okay?"

I nod, though my body is trembling from the adrenaline. But with it, comes a realization. "Yeah," I manage to say, before looking at the man on the ground.

My mother is one of the best profilers in the world, and growing up surrounded by her work has taught me a few things. I walk over to Chester, all of the pieces finally fitting into place. "That was her blood wasn't it? On the painting at the carnival? This was about more than just your need to understand death."

Chester looks up at me, and for the first time, I see the darkness lurking there, but there is a selfish kind of evil swirling in his gaze. "They were my greatest masterpieces," he finally whispers.

A chill runs down my spine at his words, the sheer depravity of his confession almost too much to bear. Cain leans forward, grabbing Chester by the collar and pulling him to his feet.

"You won't have the chance to create any more," Cain says, his voice cold and unyielding.

Chester looks at each of us before he turns his gaze back to Cain. "You know you won't get away with killing me." There is a hint of a challenge in his voice. I frown, but Cain simply scoffs in response, shoving Chester away and moving toward where the gleam of the blade can be seen on the ground.

"Oh, I think we will," Cain says, picking up the knife. "You're not the only one who can make a body disappear, remember?"

"Was it even worth it? Did you get what you were searching for?" I ask him, taking a step toward where he's standing.

He shrugs, a twisted smile on his face. "Not sure. How about you let me know," he says, and before anyone can react, he charges toward me. The impact of his body is like a freight train, sending us both back to the ground, but this time he's on top of me, his hands wrapped around my neck.

"If they are going to kill me, I will at least take the woman they love with me," he growls, his hands squeezing so hard I can't breathe. My pulse pounds inside my head, and I scratch at any part of him I can reach, but his grip is unrelenting.

Just as my vision starts to blur, I see a flash of green and I watch in slow motion as Abel's hand takes a hold of Chester's head and gives a sharp twist.

Then there is silence. I can't hear anything past the sound of my own heartbeat pounding in my ears. The world seems to dim for a moment, and then Chester's grip loosens, his body going limp and collapsing onto me. Abel instantly pulls him off and tosses him aside.

Abel pulls me up and into his arms, his hands running over me as though making sure I'm alright.

"I'm okay," I manage to say, my voice hoarse. Everything feels dull, as if my body is moving but I can't feel it.

Cain steps forward, looking down at Chester's lifeless body. "He's done. It's over," he says, more to himself than anyone else. He then looks at both of us. "Take her back to the house, make sure she's okay, I'll deal with him."

My legs feel like jelly, but the adrenaline is keeping me upright.

Abel instantly grips my hand and starts to move through the forest with me. I stumble twice before I pull him to a stop in frustration. The light of the moon is now shining brightly through a gap in the trees, making his mask dimmer. It's as though the darkness has moved away from us now that Chester is dead. I stand for a moment, catching my breath and trying to steady my legs as my mind races with everything that happened today.

"What did he mean about us not getting away with killing him?" I ask finally. Abel looks back in the direction we came from, as though he can still see the body we left behind.

"Don't worry about that just yet," he says, moving to take my hand again. But I growl and hold mine up, making him stop.

"Then tell me how you found us so quickly. We are in the middle of a forest, there aren't any cameras here," I nearly shout, but my voice is strained and my neck sore. But when he glances back where we came from again, I realize I will get no answers without Cain present.

"Let's get you back to the house," he says after a moment.

"No! I'm tired of the lies and half-truths and manipulations. I want answers!" I shove my hands at his chest. Anger, hurt, frustration, and relief all try to course through me at once, but I don't know what to focus on so I just keep pushing.

"Hydessa," he sighs, but I've had enough. I shove at him again, then again, and the next time I just yell.

"I want the truth!" I demand, trying to shove him back once more, but he gently grabs my hands.

"Little shadow, stop," he says more firmly, planting his feet in the ground and becoming immovable.

"NO! I'm done. I can't do this anymore. I can't let both of you keep doing this to me!" I yell. Tears fill my eyes as my words tumble from my mouth loud enough that I'm sure the whole island can hear me at this point.

"Dessa!" Abel yells, causing my blood to turn to ice. I freeze, barely able to breathe.

"Don't call me that. Never call me that." I'm no longer shouting, but my breaths are heaving as I try to find a sense of control. "Only one person was ever allowed to call me that," I whisper. Abel brings my hands to his chest, and this time I don't push.

"I know," he says softly in response. I can barely comprehend what's happening as he unzips his hoodie, revealing a heavily tattooed chest. He moves my hand, and I try to pull it away, but he holds firm, placing it against his skin. I feel it instantly—a raised scar in the jagged shape of a heart.

"You dug my heart's grave," he whispers. Tears trail down my cheeks as I look up into the neon green face of his mask and I realize who's behind it.

"Link?"