Chapter Eight

Elise

I slowly open my eyes and light is pouring into my room. I blink a few times before my eyes focus on a single red rose laying on my pillow.

“What the…” I say as I sit up and grab the note beside it.

Come find me when you’re ready to talk

-Luci

I jump out of bed and get dressed before going downstairs. I don’t know why I’m so mad, but I am. I am confused, and I just want to understand. Does he want me for sex or something more? He’s not telling me anything, but I’m also not asking specifics. I both love and hate that he’s taking this process so slowly.

As I walk out of the house, I know I am about to yell at this man, and I have no idea why. “Looking for Lucian?” Carol asks. When I turn to her, I realize this is the first time I’ve gone outside in over a week.

“That bastard tricked me,” I frown and hold up the rose. “What the fuck is this?”

“Looks like an offering to me,” she says with a kind smile.

“I don’t even know what the fuck that means,” I say.

“He’s in the main community house for a council meeting,” she says. “They should be done soon, and you can ask.”

“Fuck that. I’m asking now,” I say. She shrugs and I turn to walk down the sidewalk toward the main building. This is where the pool and recreation center are for everyone. I hardly ever come down here because I don’t really socialize.

When I get to the door, I throw it open and find the conference room. Carol is right behind me as I walk in. Everyone who lives here turns to me. Lucian sits back in his chair and smiles. “Afternoon, Elise,” he says.

“What the fuck is this?” I ask, tossing the rose down in front of him.

“A rose,” he says without looking down at it.

“No shit. Why the fuck did you leave it in my room?” I ask. He sets his pen down and stands but says nothing. “Am I speaking a different language here? What the fuck is this for? You said to come find you when I’m ready to talk, so fucking talk.”

“I said talk, not throw a tantrum,” he says.

When I go to turn away, he gently grabs my wrist, and I snap. I shove him away. “Fuck you,” I yell. “I am so fucking tired of being confused. I don’t know anything. You tell me to come find you, so I do. Now you won’t fucking talk? I’m a human being with emotions, believe it or not. I’m not some…” Lucian cuts me off by grabbing my face and kissing me. I relax immediately, but with it surfaces the real reason I’m upset. “I don’t know what the fuck you want from me. I don’t know if you like me or if you just want to fuck me.”

“I want you , Elise,” he says softly.

“Is that what you meant by us being destined?” I ask.

“Yes,” he says. He cups my cheek, and I lean into his touch. “Do you believe in destiny?”

“I do,” I say.

“What do you think your destiny is?” he asks.

“I want to believe I am meant to be more than what I am,” I say. “For a long time, I thought I was destined to be alone. Finding out that my mom lived her entire life alone just further solidified that.”

“What about right now?” he asks.

“I want to believe that you were brought into my life for a reason. I want to believe that she left everything to me as a way of guiding me where I needed to be, but I’m scared I’m wrong.”

“I don’t think either of us are wrong,” he says. “Everyone in this room is under the common belief that you and I are destined to be together.”

“Is that part of the cult thing?” I ask and Bradley cackles.

“Partly,” Lucian smirks.

“What is the rose for?” I ask.

"Sit with me and I’ll explain,” he says. When I nod, he sits down, but grabs my hips and pulls me into his lap to straddle him. “Trust me when I say you’ll want to just focus on me for this.”

“Okay,” I say simply.

“For generations, we have celebrated various things in different ways. We celebrate the winter solstice and spring equinox. Birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings are also celebrated. And Halloween. Every Halloween, the men get to choose a partner to participate in the celebration with. Within three weeks prior, they will court this person in whatever way is the most fitting. During this, their partner will give consent as time progresses. When given consent, the chosen partner will drink an herbal tea that acts as a sedative to allow him to do as they please while they sleep. One week before, they leave a single black rose on this pillow with a note to show that they wish for this person to participate in the offering. Traditional the man picks the woman, but it is widely accepted that anyone can pick anyone. Last year, Mallory chose Derrick.”

“Uh… I have a lot of questions,” I say.

“Start with one at a time,” he says.

“What is the difference between a black and red rose?” I ask.

“Black indicates that it is for one Halloween only,” he says. “Red is a proposal of marriage.”

“Uhm… I’ll come back to that,” I say, making him smile. “What is the offering for me specifically?”

“It’s simple. If you consent, it’s like a game of hide and seek. You will be my prey for the evening. If I find you, you are mine forever. If I don’t, you have your freedom, and I won’t pursue you anymore,” he says.

“How do I consent?” I ask.

“You submit,” he says. “You present yourself in any outfit of your choosing, or no outfit if you prefer. All of the predators for the evening will be masked so you are required to have complete faith that not only will I keep you safe from others, but that I will uphold your boundaries. Giving consent and presenting yourself means no safe word. No way out. I can do whatever I want without limitations.”

“You said I would have to have faith that you will keep me safe from others. Does that mean that someone else could get a hold of me?” I ask.

“Absolutely,” he says. “The entire town will be here the night of Halloween. The entire gated community is available, but houses that are not your own or your predators are off limits.”

“So there are a select number of predators and prey paired with others?” I ask.

“They can trap the prey and do as they please. They can sabotage either of them to ensure pairing or that the prey isn’t found,” he says. “If you are trapped by someone and they choose to fuck you, they are required to wear a condom no matter what they are doing. If you have any question as to if someone is supposed to be wearing a condom, you may ask them to reveal their face if they’re not wearing one.”

“So, say that they reveal themselves and it’s not you,” I ask.

“Then there will be severe consequences. It is held to the same standard as rape at that point. You are consenting to sex unprotected with your predator but protected with anyone else who traps you. Anything outside of that is nonconsensual.”

“Can other predators trap prey that is not their own?” I ask.

“Absolutely, as long as they have not captured their prey,” he answers.

“So, I could get a train run on me by the whole town?” I ask.

“If you suck that badly at hide and seek, sure,” he laughs.

“Okay,” I say. “So, if I don’t consent to the game, what then?” I ask.

“You’ll be asked to stay inside during the game or to plan to not be home, so you are not mistaken for a player,” he says. “Also, I will then stop pursuing you if you don’t consent to the games.”

“What if I’m better at hide and seek than you, but I want to be caught?” I ask.

“Then learn how to suck,” he laughs.

“Pretty sure I know how to suck,” I say with a sweet smile and laughter breaks out in the room. “If I remember correctly, you thoroughly enjoyed how I sucked last night.”

“I might need a reminder,” he says, pulling my hips against him. I gasp softly when his cock presses against me.

“I’m sure you have a video of last night,” I say, patting his cheek. “Don’t think I don’t know you still have cameras up.”

“I took them down last night before I left,” he smiles. “Until Halloween, I will be completely no-contact unless you come to me.”

“Oh, so I can touch myself and you won’t know,” I say.

“You sure can,” he laughs.

“Cool. I have some videos I should go home and watch then,” I say with a grin. He shakes his head before gently kissing me.

“Make your decision by 7:00 PM on Halloween. You will present yourself, if you choose to, in the common area with the rest of the prey. Just follow their lead and you will be walked through everything,” he says.

“You’re awfully confident I’ll show up,” I laugh.

“We will see, won’t we?”

“Oh, we will,” I say, still smiling.

“Go home and get some work done,” he says. “I will see you soon.”

“You think so?” I ask.

“You’d miss me too much,” he says. “Go on.”

“Okay,” I say happily. I kiss him once more before getting up. Laura winks at me before I leave.

As I am walking home, I realize that I am the happiest I have been in a long time. I feel content now that I understand everything. It should be a giant red flag that he wants to marry me not even a month after meeting me, but I have no reservations about it. Mom wouldn’t have brought me here if I wouldn’t be safe. I feel that this is a part of my destiny, and I am supposed to have faith in the good feelings.

I get into the house and go straight to my office so I can get some work done. I need to distract myself or I’ll end up asking him to come see me. It’s been only a few minutes, and I miss his presence. It’s different from what it was for the last week. Before I wanted him, but fought it out of fear. Now that I’m not fighting and I see that he is serious about this, I need more of him. I need all of him.

I close my office door and turn on music so I can focus. I realized that the sound doesn’t carry as far if I keep the office door shut, so I tend to work while closed up in the room. I am able to concentrate better if I have music to drown out the world.

When I get up to get some dinner, I hear the front door shut as soon I open my office door. “Hello?” I call out.

Silence.

“Lucian, I thought you weren’t supposed to visit?” I ask, walking down the hallway to the living room. When I get there, the door is shut, and the deadbolt is locked. “Okay… this isn’t funny, asshole.”

I scream when I hear a door slam upstairs and I have an uneasy feeling in my chest. Lucian wouldn’t try to scare me. He would just push me over the couch and make me come. He doesn’t sneak around like this. If I call out to him, he always responds if he is near.

I go back to my office and grab my phone, shutting myself inside. I call Lucian and listen for his phone in this house.

“Miss me already? It’s been less than a day,” he says nonchalantly.

“I’m going to kick your ass if you’re trying to scare me,” I say, my voice trembling. I am praying that it’s him. It has to be him because the alternative is terrifying.

“What are you talking about, Elise?” he asks sincerely.

“You sneaking around. I called out, but you didn’t answer,” I say, trying to convince myself to not panic. When I hear another door slam, I scream again.

“I’m at home, Elise. What’s wrong? Is someone there?” he asks.

“It has to be you,” I say tearfully.

“Baby, I need you to tell me what’s going on,” he says to me before whispering to someone. “Something is going on at Elise’s house.”

“I was in my office all day. I came out to get dinner and h-heard the door shut. I called, but you didn’t answer. Then doors were slammed upstairs and footsteps. Please tell me it’s you. I won’t be mad. Please, just tell me it’s you,” I cry.

“Where are you in the house?” he asks calmly.

“I’m in my office. I’m sitting on the floor against the wall,” I say quietly. I hear more footsteps, only this time they’re in the hallway. I slam my hand over my mouth to muffle my sudden burst of sobs as I move to sit under my desk.

“What’s that? What’s happening?” he asks.

“Someone’s in the hallway,” I whisper.

“We need to go,” Lucian says to someone. “Elise, hide and we will be there in just a second, okay?” I pull my knees to my chest and hug my legs.

“They’re here,” I say almost inaudibly when I hear the knob turn. I set the phone down and cover my mouth so I can bury my face. My whole body is vibrating, and time seems to be passing slowly. I hear soft footsteps on the other side of my desk, and then silence. I stay as quiet and still as I can.

I feel like I’m a little kid again, hiding from my foster parents to avoid being whipped. I don’t know how long I’ve been here for, but when a hand touches my shoulder, I scream and try to get further under the desk.

“Woah. Hey. It’s me. It’s Luci,” he says as he pulls me out from under the desk. I am shaking so badly that I can’t talk or move, so he pulls me into his lap and holds me tightly. Memories of my trauma are flashing in my mind, and I can’t make them quiet. These flashes of memories I haven’t experienced outside of my nightmares and it only further drags me down into the depths of my panic.

“Breathe, Elise. It’s okay,” he whispers.

“Whoever it is, they’re gone,” I hear Bradley say. “Did you see anyone, Elise?”

“It can wait a…”

“No,” I sniffle and sit up. “I heard them come in, and then it was silent until Luci got to me.”

“Stand up here and talk to me,” he says. I get myself up and instead of talking, he just hugs me.

“You tricked me,” I say as I hug him back.

“Calmed you down though, didn’t it?” he chuckles.

“Thank you,” I say.

“Let’s go walk through the house to make sure nothing was messed with,” Lucian says, nudging me. I nod and we start downstairs. When everything looks to be in order, we move upstairs. I save my room for last, because that is the door I heard the door slamming.

When I open the door, I look around for a moment but freeze when my eyes fall on my bed. “What the fuck is that?” I ask, pointing to a single black rose on my pillow. I go to step closer, but Lucian pulls me out of the room.

“Call a meeting,” Lucian says to Bradley. “Now.”

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“Someone else is asking you to consent to the games,” he says with anger in his tone. “Two people cannot ask the same person because it leads to confusion for the prey.”

“Who… Why?” I ask. “Why would someone else want me to consent? Wouldn’t that just be going against you?”

“Yes,” Lucian says as he leads me out of the house. When we get outside, there are already a lot of people out on the sidewalks.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“To the community center,” he says. I stop walking and he turns to me.

“Have I done something wrong?” I ask hesitantly.

“No, love. You haven’t done anything wrong,” he says. “I apologize if I am scaring you. This is just concerning because if someone left you that, then chances are they’ve been close to you for weeks now. Have you noticed anything peculiar?”

“I mean… the night you had that end of summer thing, The front gates were open when I got home,” I say and he sighs.

“Rest of the house is clear,” Bradley says.

“She’s going to need new locks, and her alarm needs to be checked,” Lucian says.

“Can uh… Can someone see if there are anymore cameras?” I ask. “I can check mine to see if anyone has accessed them or attempted to.”

“Can you do that remotely? I don’t want you in the house until we are sure no one can get in,” he says.

“What’s going on?” Carol asks, hugging me.

“Someone left a black rose in my room,” I say.

“Someone broke into her house while she was in her office. She called me in a panic because they came to the office while she was hiding under the desk,” Lucian corrects me.

“Oh, honey,” Carol says. “Has anyone asked Laura for her camera access? She has one out front.”

“I just called a community meeting, so I’ll ask her there,” Lucian says. “Can you get me the log for the front gate the night of the end of summer party?”

“I can. I’ll email it to you in a few minutes. Why?” she asks.

“The front gate was open when Elise got home before she came over,” he says. “We’ll see you over there.”

She nods and we walk to the community center in silence. Lucian keeps his hand on my lower back and glances over at me occasionally. When we get into the conference room, Lucian pulls me into his lap to hold me while everyone comes in.

“I had a few of the watchmen from town come also,” Bradley says quietly.

“Thank you,” Lucian replies before cupping my face and having me look at him. “I promise, this is not an unsafe community. No one living here would go against me or harm anyone.”

“Someone harmed my mother,” I counter. He nods, understanding my worry.

“I will do whatever I have to in order to keep you safe, even if you choose to not give consent and want to remain separate from me,” he says. “No matter what, I protect my people. You are one of us now.”

“I am giving you consent on Halloween,” I say. “I know I’m not supposed to decide until next week, but I have faith in destiny, and I don’t think my mom would have brought me here without a reason. I don’t know what the reason is, but I know it involves you.”

“Have you gotten anywhere with her things?” he asks.

“No, but I have a gut feeling that I need to find out something soon,” I say. “Will you help me?”

“I would love to help,” he says, kissing my forehead. “I’ll bring the notes that my dad had as well and maybe we can piece something together.”

“Everyone is here,” Bradley says quietly.

“Sit here and I will talk to everyone. Don’t be afraid to speak up. This is your life being messed with, so you have a say in all decisions,” he tells me. I nod and he sits me in his chair as he stands.

“You okay?” Bradley asks me quietly.

“Uh. Yeah. Just freaked out,” I say. “I felt like I was hiding from my foster parents again.”

“Which ones?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Take your pick,” I shrug. “Junkies, abusers, rapists, and the occasional violent drunk. I was terrified of most of them.”

“Hello everyone. Thank you all for coming on short notice. We had a problem arise, and it requires immediate attention,” Lucian says. “After our meeting earlier today, Elise went home and was in her office for most of the day, working on some things for her job. When she took a break, she heard someone in her home. I won’t give a step by step or divulge unnecessary details, but she called me for help. When Bradley and I got there, we all searched the house, and a black rose was found in her bedroom. Now… I don’t think I need to stress how inappropriate that is, considering she was already chosen as potential prey by me. This is a violation on many levels, but the most concerning is that while she was hiding, they came into the office where she was, which means they knew she was hiding from them. That alone indicates a lack of consent, which directly violates everything we stand for.”

“Was she visited by anyone but you?” Laura asks.

“Bradley and I will be reviewing footage this evening,” Lucian says.

“I’m sorry… There is a record of that? Did everyone always have access?” I ask.

“No,” Lucian says. “I am the only one who had direct access. You are aware of every time access was granted to anyone else, and I was selective about who had access.”

“Oh… Well, that’s okay,” I say. “It would just be weird if people were just watching me sleep.”

“Speaking of footage,” Lucian says. “Anyone who has a security camera outside of their home, no matter if you are near Elise or not, I ask if you could get me the footage for the last month.”

“I’ve already emailed you mine,” Laura says.

“Lucian,” Carol says, looking at her laptop.

“Yes?”

“The gate was opened with your code,” she says, looking up at him. Lucian walks around the table to look at her screen.

“I use Dad’s code now,” he says. “How often is that code used?”

“Daily,” she says cautiously.

“Son of a…” Lucian starts to say but stops and takes a deep breath.

“What does that mean?” I ask quietly.

“It means… Someone had unlimited access to the community,” Bradley says to me.

“Does anyone have a laptop I can use?” I ask.

“You can use mine,” Bradley says. He moves his over in front of me. Everyone is watching as I get into my alarm system. I created the software that it runs off of, so I know how to access it remotely. The password is over thirty characters long, so it’s not like anyone can guess it. I’m not even sure how I remember it.

I start looking at the activity log as Lucian comes around to see what I’m doing. “I’m so confused,” Bradley mutters.

“When were you normally coming into my house?” I ask Lucian. He taps around on his phone and shows me a list of times for the camera footage, and I compare it to when my alarm was accessed. “This can’t be right.”

“What is it?” Lucian asks.

“It’s showing that the times are correct for when you came in. It would show, for example, that you turned off the alarm at midnight, and then reset it when you left at two in the morning, but then it would be shut off again less than ten minutes later. It would be reset about thirty minutes before my alarm would go off at four thirty. Last week, it was also being accessed, but it would turn off around ten and be reset just a few seconds later.”

“Oh, that’s not good,” Bradley says, looking up at Lucian. “That means…”

“I know,” Lucian says simply. “I know what it means.”

“I have something,” Laura says, nearly shouting. “What time did Elise call you today?”

“5:22 PM, why?” Lucian asks.

“What time did you get to her?” she asks.

“Probably four minutes later. Why?” Lucian asks again.

“I have someone on my camera with a ceremonial mask on entering her house at 5:19 PM. They never left out of the front door,” she says. “They were still in the house when you guys checked.”

“Mom’s stuff,” I say as I jump up. Lucian tries to grab my arm, but I pull away and run out of the room. When I hit the sidewalk, I sprint toward my house. Everything is a blur. I don’t know how, but I know now that this involves my mother. If she thought I was in danger, this would be the safest place for me. She trusted everyone here and that’s why she bought a house in this gated community. She knew if I was here, they would protect me in any way they could.

The door is wide open when I get there, so I slow my pace as I step into the house. Every light in my house is on, which is weird. I never turn everything on because it’s too fucking bright. I go to the basement, because that’s the last place I was when I was searching. Before I can walk down, Lucian grabs me.

“Fuck, Elise,” he says as he hugs me. “You can’t fucking do that.”

“It’s about her. I know it is,” I say as I pull away and look at him. “It makes sense now. If she thought I was in danger, that’s why she found me. She told me she was my aunt, because it hurt less, but she knew she was sick when she reached out. She bought this house and made sure I would get it. Because of how I grew up, she knew I would move here. She knew If I moved here, everyone would keep me safe. She knew someone was after me. My old apartment… We had a problem with the doors and windows always being left open or unlocked. We always blamed each other, but what if it was someone looking for me or just watching me?”

“If that’s the case, then it would have to be…”

“My biological father,” I say.

“Why would someone stalk the child of someone they raped?” Bradley asks.

“Think about it,” I say. “Mom was raped around her twenty-fifth birthday, right? I turn twenty-five on Halloween. They left a black rose indicating that they, basically, want to fuck me on my twenty-fifth birthday. What if that’s the connection? Turning twenty-five? Mom was dying and knew she wouldn’t make it to then, so she did what she could to get me here. She had no idea I would wait years to move here, but I did. When I said I thought I was destined to be here, this is what I meant. Being here… Being safe…finding Lucian.”

“So, we need to find out who raped your mother,” Lucian says.

“Yes,” I confirm.

“I’ll do some research to see if any other groups have been formed by previous members of the community in the last twenty-five years,” Bradley says.

“Let’s go down,” I say.

“I’ll go first, Mighty Mouse,” Lucian says, making me smile.

We go down to the basement and find that everything has been dumped out and sifted through. “Asshole,” I grumble. “I had everything so organized.”

“He was looking for something,” Bradley says.

“Carol said she wrote a lot, and I can’t find anything from around the time she was raped until about a year after I was born,” I say. “I bet he’s looking for that. She might have kept it separate.”

“She would have hidden it if she thought you were in danger,” Lucian says.

“So… what now?” I ask.

“Now, you need to stay with Lucian,” Bradley says. “Or he needs to stay here.”

“I don’t want to be alone,” I say, but it would be easier to go through things if I were here.

“I can stay here, if you want,” Lucian says. “I can stay on the couch or in a guest room downstairs.”

“No,” I frown. “Sir, you’ve had your dick in my throat more times than I can count. You can stay in my room with me.”

“Okay,” he laughs. “Understand that tradition still holds. I won’t do anything to you without you asking.”

“So, I can just tease you all week by wiggling my ass against your dick all night?” I ask with a grin.

“I am not above jerking off and making you watch,” he says seriously.

“Fuck, I am definitely doing it now,” I laugh.

“I’ll go finish up the meeting. You two get some rest and sort through shit tomorrow,” Bradley says. “I’ll bring you some clothes, Lucian, and I’ll come to change the locks before I turn in for the night.”

“Okay,” Lucian says as we walk upstairs. “Everyone’s gate code needs to be changed tonight and my old code needs to be deleted.”

“I think Carol is working on gate codes with everyone right now. I’ll get with those living in town who need one a new code tomorrow.”

“Night,” I tell Bradley.

When he leaves, we go through the house and shut the lights off while checking every window and door to ensure it is locked before we go upstairs.

“You never did eat dinner,” Lucian says.

“I don’t think I could eat right now,” I say honestly.

“Can you take your medicine without food?” he asks.

“Yeah. I just can’t do it often,” I say. “I’ll make sure to have a decent breakfast tomorrow.”

I take my medicine tonight without resistance. After, we get undressed to lie down, and I steal Lucian’s shirt to wear with nothing under it before we climb into bed. “I should have thought through cuddling naked with you,” Lucian says as he pulls me back against his chest.

“You’ll be okay,” I say, wiggling my ass back against his dick. He groans and pushes his hips against me. The fact he is already hard for me makes me nearly giddy.

We lay in silence for a while, and I occasionally wiggle my butt to tease him. He grips onto my hip and groans every time I do it. After some time passes, I get an idea. I reposition myself so I can drop my hand down to my pussy and start gently rubbing my clit. I keep my movement subtle, but precise. When I moan softly, he immediately rolls me to my back and throws the covers back to see what I am doing.

“Dear God, Elise,” he sighs and turns the bedside lamp on. I roll so that we are facing each other and quicken my movements.

“Fuck,” I moan. “I wish it was you.”

“You’re killing me,” he groans.

“I want to see you come for me,” I pant. “Come for me, Luci.”

Lucian starts stroking his cock and I drape my leg over his so that it forces him to reposition. When he does, he rolls me to my back and settles between my legs with one hand supporting his weight beside my head. I keep eye contact with him as my moans become desperate.

“God, I want you inside of me,” I moan.

Lucian kisses me hard, and we both moan as we come. I feel the warmth of his come hit my belly while in the throes of my climax, and it only heightens everything that I am feeling.

“This is going to be a long week,” Lucian says when he pulls away, making me giggle.