Chapter 21

We killed time in the park, Rufio and I watching the kids run around like chickens with their heads cut off while their parents half-watch from the benches scattered around the playground.

I finish another sandwich and give Rufio a cereal bar and some water before we make our way back to the guardhouse. We’re a little early, so we have to wait until the other guard arrives to swap shifts. When the other guard arrived, he nodded his head at me in greeting before talking quietly to my guard.

Once they’re finished, they shake hands, and my guard walks over to me.

“I just realized I never told you my name. I’m Giles.” He holds his hand out, and I shake it, opening my mouth to tell him my name before remembering I need an alias.

“Wendy. Thanks for helping like this.”

“No problem, honestly. It will be nice to have company. Here, follow me. My truck is parked around the back. The folks don’t like worker vehicles spoiling their view.”

“Heaven forbid.” I laugh as I follow him around to the parking lot. He has an old Ford pickup. When we reach it, he opens the door for me and holds it as I climb in, Rufio jumping in beside me.

“Good job, buddy.” I snort before looking back at Giles.

“Good thing you have a bench seat.” I say as Giles closes the door, and Rufio makes himself comfortable beside me before licking the side of my face.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” I tell him as Giles climbs into the driver’s seat.

“I need to head home first to change and grab my camping gear, if that’s alright.”

“Of course.”

I sit quietly as he drives, still not sure how to make small talk with someone I barely know. Suddenly, all my insecurities about being socially awkward make their way to the forefront. I have to look out the window so he doesn’t question the tears in my eyes.

“You mind if I put some music on?”

“No, please go ahead. Just don’t be surprised if I doze off. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

Which isn’t entirely untrue. It was windy, which kept waking me up, thanks to the lack of glass in windows of the little playhouse.

“Do what you need to do. I’m just going to be loading up the truck anyway. One of us might as well get some sleep,” he jokes.

I relax and close my eyes, but I don’t sleep. I’m not sleeping in a car with a man I don’t know. But faking it, no matter how pathetic that makes me, means I can avoid small talk. I’d feel embarrassed if I wasn’t so goddamn relieved.

When we stop, I crack my eyes and see we’ve pulled up outside an apartment complex. Giles jumps out of the truck and closes the door softly, clicking the locks. I flinch at the sound, though he probably only did it because he thinks I’m asleep and doesn’t want anyone to bother me. Still, the last thing a woman feels is safe when someone locks them in somewhere. Tension thrums in my veins as I watch him walk toward the apartment without looking back.

He hasn’t set off my alarm bells, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let my guard down. I reach into the pocket of the backpack and pull out the phone and my knife. I’d put them there earlier, not thinking I’d need them. But now… well, I’d rather be safe than sorry.

I go to put the phone in the back pocket of my jeans, but a little voice in my head tells me to be cautious. Instead, I slip it into one of my socks. The knife is harder to hide, so I slip it into the front pocket of my hoodie.

I run my hand over Rufio, who has his head resting on my shoulder. I turn a little and rest my head on top of his, closing my eyes and pretending to sleep once more. My nerves are already frayed.

It takes Giles twenty minutes to get changed and bring his things down. He loads up the back of his truck before opening his door and climbing back in. He closes the door loud enough to wake me if I were asleep, so I pretend to wake up. Jesus, when I think about my performances lately, I deserve an Oscar.

“Sorry about that. I’m ready to go now. Did you need to stop anywhere or let anyone know you’re coming?”

I hesitate, unsure how to answer. “I’m going to surprise them. Besides, I don’t have a phone.” That might be a stupid thing to say, but for some reason, I don’t want him to know I have one. I’ve kept the thing shut off since Mallory gave it to me, so it still has plenty of battery life.

“You don’t have a phone?” He looks at me with a grin. “I’ve never met a woman who doesn’t own a cell phone before.”

“Oh, I own one. I just don’t have one. I dropped the damn thing in the river, and I haven’t had a chance to buy a new one yet, but I figured I can do that when I get to where I’m going.”

“You’re a strange woman, Wendy.”

“Thanks.”

He laughs at me, but he’s quiet after that. I lean back and gaze out the window at the ever-changing scenery. Thankfully, this time, he doesn’t try to make small talk. He just drives, looking more and more relaxed the farther we get from the city.

Despite my promise to myself not to fall asleep, the last few days catch up with me, and I fall into a light sleep.

We hit a bump, and I’m jolted awake. It takes me a while to realize we’ve turned off the road and are moving over bumpier terrain. I sit up and look around, noticing it’s starting to get dark now.

“Where are we?” I ask, looking at the trees on either side of us.

Before he can answer, I see metal gates just in front of us. He slows the truck and lowers his window so he can type something into the keypad before the gates swing open with an ominous creak. I don’t get a chance to read the name atop the gates, but I don’t need to. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that we’re entering a cemetery.

“And we’re in a cemetery because…? Oh shit, your name is Giles, isn’t it? Please tell me this isn’t the part where you claim I’m The Chosen One, and we’re going to wait at a freshly dug grave for a vampire to rise.”

He full-out laughs at that but keeps driving until the road narrows.

“You mean like that one?” He points, and I follow his finger to see a mound of dirt.

I swallow hard. “I’m not the girl you’re looking for.”

He chuckles again. “You’re hilarious. And no, I’m not here to tell you you’re the slayer. My cousin works here. We’re picking her up.”

“I thought it was a fishing weekend with your brothers?” I ask, secretly relieved that it’s a woman we’re picking up and not a man. Being in the car with one strange man is one thing, but two is asking for trouble. Trouble I wouldn’t be able to get myself out of with a stupid paring knife.

“Lisa grew up with me and my brothers. As far as she’s concerned, she is one of us, and none of us have been able to tell her any different. Come on, might as well stretch your legs. Better leave the dog in the truck, though. I don’t think we want him digging up bones here.”

I gag, and one hundred percent agree. I give Rufio a pat on the head and climb out, closing the door behind me. He presses his paws against the window and barks, making me feel like a bitch. But then I think about him coming up to me with a femur in his mouth and decide we can let him out in a little while, somewhere where buried bodies aren’t an issue.

There’s a chill in the air, making me thankful I’m wearing the hoodie. I look around to see who else might be here, but it looks deserted. Mind you, the place is huge.

“This way,” Giles says, catching my attention before heading down the narrow path, past some trees, and toward the new grave. I shiver, which he sees when he looks back over his shoulder.

He shakes his head, a smile playing on his lips. “I promise, no vampires. The groundskeeper’s cottage is at the top of the hill.”

“It’s really quiet here,” I say, trying to make conversation and wince. “Of course it’s quiet,” I mutter as I follow him up a sharp incline.

Just when I’m about to call it quits because my thighs are on fire, I see the cottage.

“Does your cousin live here?”

“Yeah, it’s a perk of the job.”

“Strange perk. I’m not sure I could live at the edge of a cemetery.”

“I don’t know, there’s a peacefulness here. No bullshit, rich bitches trying to suck my dick while their husbands are at work. No pricks looking down at me like I’m nothing.”

I tense at his words, his hate for his job feeding his anger and making me nervous.

“Why do you work there if you hate it?”

“Because I meet some interesting people.” He looks at me, and for the first time, I see the flair of interest in his eyes as he takes me in.

Crap.

“So your cousin, she’s expecting us, right?” I ask as we reach the door.

There is a wheelbarrow propped up against the side of the place, but otherwise, it’s neat and tidy and kinda cute. You know, for a creepy-ass house that’s surrounded by potential vampires and zombies.

Giles grabs the knob and turns it, pushing the door open. I walk inside after he gestures for me to enter.

“Hello?” I call out. When I don’t get an answer, I turn around and look at Giles. “I don’t think she’s here.”

He closes and locks the door before turning and grinning at me. There is something off about that smile. I swallow and take a step back as he looks at me. Suddenly, a dozen alarm bells start blaring.

“Where’s your cousin, Giles?”

“Oh, he’s already left.”

“What? Wait, you said your cousin was a girl.” I take another step back, my body making the connections my brain hasn’t.

He laughs, but it’s nothing like the light, friendly sound from before.

“You’re all the same. So fucking easy.”

I back up until I’m pressed against the wall. He slowly comes closer, making my head thud with each step.

“Every year, we bring a girl camping. We like something fun to hunt and fuck.” And somehow, I know the person they fuck is the same person they hunt.

“This time it’s my turn. I had someone else in mind, but then, like fate, you landed in my lap.”

“Okay, whatever kind of joke this is, it’s not funny. I want to leave now.”

“Oh, we’ll be leaving soon enough. But I’ve decided I want a taste first before the others tear you up. I hate secondhand pussy.”

He moves closer, my shock rendering me frozen for a moment. The mistake proves costly when he backhands me across the face. I fall to the floor, my cheek feeling like it’s going to explode.

“Fuck around, and I’ll make it hurt so fucking bad you’ll pray for death.” He unbuckles his belt and pulls out his hard cock, giving it a stroke. “But you be good to me, and I can make it good for you too.”

He lifts his leg and kicks me, his foot connecting just under my chin. Not hard enough to knock me out, but enough for my head to fly back and smack into the wall behind me. I can taste blood in my mouth. It’s trickling down my chin, where my teeth have sliced into my lip.

He reaches down and runs his thumb across my chin, gathering some of my blood before sucking it into his mouth.

“Hmm…my favorite kind of lube. Now open your mouth. And if you even think about biting me, I’ll rip your teeth out and feed them to you one by one.”

With no other option—my brain too fuzzy to think clearly—I let down my barriers and allow myself to taste his emotions.

I almost puke at how excited he is. He wants to hurt me in the worst possible way. He’s already so close to the edge that there will be no way to pull him back if he gives in to it.

I quickly suppress his lust and turn on his fear.

He stumbles, looking over his shoulder like he heard something, and it spooked him. He shakes his head and looks back at me, but fear wafts off him now, making him paranoid and uncertain.

His dick goes soft, making him snarl as he starts stroking it again. I keep pushing the pleasure back down, adding a spike of pain to the mix.

He grabs my hair, making me scream. “You did this. Fix it. Suck me off now, bitch.”

I press on his guilt. There isn’t much there to work with, but I coax it higher and higher until he releases me. He can’t look at me anymore. He quickly shoves his cock in his pants before pulling his hair.

“What did I do? What did I do?”

It’s a rhetorical question, so I don’t answer. But as I slowly get to my feet, I ask my own question. My anger overrides everything else—my pain, my sense of self-preservation, and my promise not to use my powers unless it was life and death, which I guess it is. I could get away now. I could have him crying in the corner as I leave. But if I do, he’ll eventually get over this and find another girl. A girl who won’t have the gifts I do to help her escape. I can’t live with someone else’s death on my conscience. Not again.

“How many times have you done this?”

“Lots of times. It’s easy. Pick someone who nobody would miss.”

I hiss at him, knowing there are people out there who miss me a lot. “And after you hunt and rape them, then what?”

I turn up his guilt and poke at his conscience, making him want to spill his guts in hopes of finding some kind of absolution. He won’t find that here.

“If they are still alive by the time we’ve finished with them, we kill them. After we bring them here, nobody ever looks for an extra body in a grave.”

“That’s why there’s an open grave.”

“Nobody comes here. It’s private property and only open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

I turn up his self-loathing and get sick satisfaction out of making him cry.

“You were going to do that to me—hunt me, rape me, and then kill me?”

“No, I like you. I wanted you just for me. I wasn’t going to let them hunt you, not really,” he babbles, his mind fracturing at my onslaught.

“You were just going to rape and kill me. And what, toss me in a coffin and throw me in that hole before covering me up like I never existed?”

“There’s already a coffin in there. You wouldn’t have been alone.” He laughs, the sound jarring as his emotions attack him. His nose and ears start to bleed as I scramble his brain like an egg.

I pull the knife from my pocket and use my telekinesis to float it in front of me. He sees it and freezes, his fear now becoming so palpable I can taste it.

“What are you?” he chokes out. Now he’s the one backing up, except he forgot he locked us in.

“I’m the kind of girl you don’t take home to meet your brothers.” I shove forward and watch as the knife embeds itself in his throat.

His eyes go wide as I walk right up to him. He reaches for the handle and yanks it out.

Everyone knows that that’s the worst thing you can do. Now there’s nothing to stop the blood from gushing from the wound, spraying me in the process. He staggers forward, his face a mask of shock, fury, and terror, but he drops to his knees before he can grab me. He falls to the side, rolling onto his back. He stares up at the ceiling, tiny gasps escaping his mouth, accompanied by a wet sucking sound.

“That’s for all the girls who came before me,” I whisper, walking over to him.

As I stand here watching, the adrenaline begins to wear off, and the pain in my head and face intensifies until I want to puke. I touch the back of my head and realize I’m bleeding. I wonder if I have a concussion.

When no more sound comes from Giles, I drop to the floor, pulling my knees under my chin, and cry like a baby.

Using my powers has left me feeling drained, but my emotions are running wild. Knowing what almost happened to me has my guilt and righteousness fighting for dominance.

And now I’m at a loss. I can’t call the cops, and it’s not like I can just get rid of the body. I?—

The sound of muffled voices outside has me freezing. I scramble back and try to hide in the shadows as the door opens. I hear a voice that would bring me to my knees if I wasn’t already on the floor.

“Lara?”