13. Rain

“ O nly my lips touch you. You are mine, Rain! Never pull that shit again. Do you understand me?” His tone is chilling. It reminds me of the cave. I’ve only heard him use it while in the cave, as he was walking his mom into the fire.

That day symbolized the end of The Chapel, the beginning of our freedom, and his depression.

Did I push him too far earlier?

Kissing his cousin was based on pure instincts. I knew it would piss him off. It would bring him back, but did I push him to the opposite end? Was it too much?

To any other male or female, that shit had to look hot. I felt my body ignite the moment we touched. Being edged only made it that much more intense. But to my E, rage is what consumed him at the sight. As I knew it would.

And now, the Pawn is dead.

What I do know, for absolute certainty, is that my punishment will be severe and deserved.

Grabbing the sanitizer off my lap, I open it, squeeze some of the clear liquid on my fingers, then rub it against my lips. They shrivel, pulling tight and feeling dry immediately from the alcohol content in it. My instant reaction is to wet them with my tongue, which I regret immediately. The taste is horrendous. My face puckers like I just ate something sour.

“Good. Your lip shit is in the middle console.”

It still astounds me each time he does something kind or considerate. This isn’t a natural thought process for E, it takes a lot for him to think of these things and then to act on them. Watching his evolution into a caring psychopath has been one of my most favorite things.

Throwing the sanitizer back into the console, I find and apply my lip gloss. Hydration coats them and life comes back. It feels so fucking good.

We have already left downtown Vail. The car speeds down curved roads as we reach the outskirts. No one else is on the road but us. Our headlights dance along the thick tree line with each turn we make.

No music plays. We are driving in silence, with the exception of the engine roaring. Not a sound has come from the trunk. As each minute passes, I wonder if we killed her by accident.

“She’s either passed out or fucking with us. She isn’t dead,” E whispers as he concentrates on the road.

Placing my hand over his hard thigh, I nod in understanding.

Our lights catch something briefly on the side of the road, almost like there are two eyes staring back at us.

“Deer. Fuckers jump out without warning.”

My breathing becomes heavy as I focus harder on the tree line ahead, watching for other deer and hoping none cause us to die before our time. Just as I am scanning E’s side, he slams on the brakes. The tires screech as we rapidly come to an abrupt stop. My body jolts forward as my seat belt locks, keeping me from flying through the windshield. At the same time, his arm reaches out in front of me as another safeguard. The wind is knocked out of me. My hands react, reaching out and hitting the dash. Tears prickle my eyes from the sheer terror.

A loud thump comes from the back, Francesca’s body rolling into the truck walls. If she was still knocked out, she isn’t anymore.

“Motherfucker. If I could gut him right now, I would.” E is boiling, the words come out through clenched teeth.

Looking up, I see who—or should I say, what —he is referencing.

Dressed in all black, a person in a black warthog mask is standing before us, hands on the hood, as we are now idle, stopped in the middle of the dark road. Another moment passes before the person stands straight and takes off again through the woods.

My words come out shaky as my eyes continue to focus forward. “What was that?”

We both haven’t moved from our positions.

“The Reckoning. The mask is like ours, black. I can’t fucking touch him. He is one of us.”

I can feel the urge radiating from him. The restraint he is showing is admirable.

Still curious, I continue, “How do you know who it was?”

“The animal on the mask identifies whose house or family they belong to. I know exactly who that fucker is.”

With that, E’s arm lowers, moving back to the steering wheel. I lower my own then readjust myself in the seat. My heart still races, as my body hasn’t caught up to my brain yet.

“Your chest will hurt later. Most likely it will bruise. If he wasn’t a Disciple, I would skin him alive for hurting you. Then use it to wrap and bury Francesca in. You are mine. Only I can fucking mark you. Me!”

Reaching over, I grip E’s strong thigh. “You own me. Only you. This was just an accident. I’ll be okay, promise.” As I reassure him, I rub my collar where his blood rests safely in a vial.

One fang pokes out, biting his lip and re-piercing the small puncture he made earlier. A new coping mechanism. As the tiny droplets of blood bead out, it takes every bone in my body to not lean over and lick it off his lips.

Perhaps I will give him a little treat while we are taking care of his cousin, to make up for his earlier aggravations.

Squeezing my thighs, my bottom joins as I grind slightly on the leather seat.

Fuck.

With my clit now decorated and a plug inside of me, the unfamiliarity of it all makes the sensations that much more intense. With each shift in my seat as I continue to watch his profile, the more I drip with need.

“I can smell you from here, little bat. You can’t hide it from me, even in the dark.” The corner of his lip curves as he presses on the gas.

We don’t drive much farther before turning off the main road and onto a private driveway. A large, black iron gate looms before us as we pull up and slowly opens on its own. The windows of the car are heavily tinted, so how did they know to let us in?

“Sensor under the car.”

The drive is made of cobblestone, lined with lights, shrubs, and thick trees. As we drive farther in, I look through the side mirror and see the gate closing behind us. E doesn’t take it easy, he drives full speed down this incredibly long driveway. Where is the cabin? Looking out my window, my eyes try to take it all in but we’re racing past so it’s all a blur, impossible to catch a glimpse of what could be happening.

As I look forward again, a few parked cars begin to line the driveway. As we pass them, the cabin comes into view.

Fuck me. This is beautiful.

Elijah parks in front of the door. He doesn’t give a shit and that's one of many things I love about him.

Love.

We don’t say it. I doubt he even knows what it means or properly feels like. But he knows, and so do I. What we have is rare and one word will not define it.

My eyes blankly stare at the black front door as my mind continues to wander.

Something soft gets placed onto my lap. Looking down, it’s the black rabbit mask his dad gave us earlier. My eyes wander to his, those beautiful blue eyes with brown specks staring back at me. I could get lost in them all day.

“Are you ready to play, little bat?”