10. Erebus

My little nightmare had survived yet again. The previous trial had been the most difficult one yet. Red Light, Green Light with knives and axes? It had been a pure stroke of genius when we had brainstormed that one.

A pang of sadness hit me, and I stroked along the bracelets lining my wrist. Harper Leigh probably wouldn't survive the next game. It was a shame because I wanted to keep her. One evening with her wasn't enough.

She was confusing, though. Her reaction to Viola's death puzzled me. She was there, and her vitriolic speech to Landry and Addie made little sense, especially the fact that she never wanted to see them again. Was she playing us? Trying to muddle the truth?

Despite her role in Vi's death, I still desired to keep her. Cage her and lock her away forever, so no one else could ever see her again. I could teach her to behave and abide by my rules. After all, I had done that exact thing with Gumbo.

Absentmindedly, I reached down and caressed the gator at my feet, who let out a little grunt. "Minos, let's keep her," I pleaded to my brother, who stared at the monitors, poking out my bottom lip for good measure. I knew he was as affected by her as I was.

He sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes, done with the conversation. "Fine. Only if she lives through the remaining games. All of them," he said with a sigh, not looking at the pouty face I made.

Victory had never felt as sweet. I did a fist pump in the air and said a silent prayer to Monsieur Agoussou that he would protect Harper. I was so close to having her as mine.

My finger hovered over a button on the keyboard, and I stalled, my mind racing. I wondered what Harper would think when she saw the next video clip. What would her reaction be to the events that unfolded before her? Sure, she knew about Viola's death, but there was no way she knew what happened afterward.

Grinning to myself, I hit the key and sat back in my chair, waiting for chaos to erupt.

It was pitch black, and the sound of the frogs filled the background with a symphony of noise. The moon shined down on the lake's surface, reflecting back a silvery glow. If you stared closely at the screen, you could see bodies tangled with one another on the ground near the water's edge.

"Fuck, just like that, Landry. Don't stop," a feminine voice moaned.

"You're going to take this dick like the good slut you are. Your pussy feels so good. I can't believe I waited this long to fuck you," Landry grunted.

Even in the shadows of the night, slivers of skin were evident. Traces of a leg or arm. Whimpers and groans filled the air, drowning out everything else.

"Don't pull out, please," the woman whined.

"That's right, going to fill this sweet cunt up."

After several moments, everything went quiet. "Tell me you'll leave Harper, the Bible thumper. You know she'll never put out."

I smirked to myself, remembering what we had done and the blood running down her thighs. Nothing pleased me more than knowing I was the only one who had touched her. I was her first.

"Addie, get it out of your head that we're going to be together. You're just an easy lay. Harper is the kind of girl you marry."

The sound of a slap echoed in the night. "The kind of girl that lays there like a dead fish once a week. Even if you marry her, you'll never get enough of me. Admit it, Landry. Harper is just safe and easy. She's gullible and believes all of the shit you tell her. Wonder if she knows that last week you ate me out on her bed?"

"Shut the fuck up. I'll kill you if you ever tell her. Fuck up my plans and you'll end up in the lake with Vi."