Chapter Seven

Bailey

E verything ached as I stretched out beneath the thick duvet. My wrists were rubbed raw from the restraints. The flesh between my legs was tender. My pussy was fucking tingling still. I should be feeling shame right now. At least that's what I'd been raised to think.

The nuns at Wickford Hollow Orphanage would be trying to perform an exorcism on me if they knew what I'd done last night. What I let them do to me. But I felt none of that. Only gratification. It's only in the throes of my release in which I truly felt free.

I could feel hot breath on my neck and the weight of a strong body pressing into the mattress behind me. A smirk pulled at the corners of my lips as I tried to guess which one of my guys it was. Just when I thought I was getting good at this game, one of them would surprise me and I was always shocked to find it was not whom I'd thought.

My pussy spasmed at the touch of his hand against my back, moisture pooling in my core. I leaned back and giggled. "If I guess correctly, do I get a reward?"

Silence. Oh, he's playing hard to get . All right, I could play too. I pressed my ass against his middle, satisfied that his cock was as hard as I hoped it would be. "Saint?"

His hand traveled lower. He traced his fingers delicately around my tailbone. I squirmed against him. "Poe, please. Don't toy with me."

I started to turn my head, but he grabbed the back of my neck and held me in place. Oh, for fuck's sake this was torture. His cock pulsed against my ass and my nipples pebbled. This had Grim written all over it.

I pulled the top of my nightgown down and reached for his hand. He sucked in a sharp breath as I guided his fingers to my nipples. "Play with me, Grim."

He chuckled as he squeezed my nipple between his fingers and pulled upward. "You guessed wrong, little vixen. You lose. What's my reward?"

Oh fuck. My stomach tightened. His voice… it wasn't any of my guys. I whipped around and gasped. Dirty blond hair, slicked back. Blue-green eyes, as clear as the sky right before it starts to rain. Tattoos covering every inch of him, all the way up to his chin.

Panic flooded every cell in my body as he lay there calmly, smiling like the devil.

I pulled up my shirt, realizing my nipples were still hard. "Who the fuck are you?" I rasped.

He propped himself up on his elbow and smirked. "I'm the monster under your bed."

Fuck.

My knees trembled as I took a cautious step back .

He scrambled off the bed like an animal, like a predator, and charged toward me.

I couldn't move. Couldn't run. My feet were betraying me. So I closed my eyes and screamed.

The door to my bedroom burst open.

"Bailey!" I heard Poe shout.

Strong arms wrapped around me, and I shrank down onto the floor. "Bailey, open your eyes. It's me, Saint. It's okay."

I looked up and saw his beautiful hazel eyes and burst into tears.

Grim paced my room, throwing open the closets and peeking underneath every piece of furniture. "What happened? Did someone break in? Who's put the fear of the mother fucking devil in you?"

"Easy," Saint growled at him. "Bailey, are you okay?"

I shook my head, my face now a sniveling mess of snot and tears. "I-I don't know who he was. He was in the bed. I thought… I thought it was one of you."

Poe's face paled. "What did he look like, Bailey?"

Grim snickered. "Are you serious? She was obviously having a nightmare or something. There's no one else in this house but us."

Anger welled in my chest. I jumped to my feet and before I knew what I was doing, I slapped him across the face. "Fuck you, Grim. How dare you. I know what I saw. He was here in this room."

Grim grabbed me by the throat and pinned me against the wall. "There's only one way in this room, Bailey. There's no way a man could have gotten out without us seeing him."

I glared back at him. "Unless he's like you."

"Let her go right fucking now, Grim," Poe snarled.

My heart raced as Grim, and I stared each other down. "Not until she accepts the fact that she's sleep deprived and might be imagining things."

"Fuck you," I whispered again .

Poe grabbed the hand that Grim had wrapped around my throat. "She's not. Let her go."

Grim squeezed my neck tighter before letting out a frustrated grunt and releasing me. "What the fuck are you going on about, Poe?"

Poe sank down onto the bed. "I've seen him too… I know who he is."

Saint's nostrils flared as he towered over him. "And you are just telling us now? Who is stalking our little fox in our home?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Poe's face was damp with a fresh sheen of sweat. "Raine Wickford. Daisy's husband… She killed him too. He's like us."

Grim clenched his fists and stood over Poe like he wanted to punch him. "And what the fuck does he want?"

I whimpered. "I think he wants me."

The three of them turned to look at me as if they just remembered I was in the room.

"Did he touch you?" Saint asked, his chest heaving.

I nodded. "I thought it was one of you…"

Grim charged toward me and pushed me back against the wall. He raised his hand to my throat again but stopped. "Fuck this."

"Grim," I pleaded.

"No," he called back as he stormed out.

Saint glared at Poe. "Everyone needs to take a moment. But you better tell us everything you fucking know later." He followed after Grim and didn't even look at me.

Fuck.

I felt like everything was crumbling. But it wasn't my fault. They wouldn't listen. And now Raine Wickford was getting more aggressive.

Poe cradled his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, Bailey. This is my fault. Fuck. I'm so sorry."

"I'm not safe here anymore," I whispered. Raine could get to me anywhere in this house. But what scared me more was my pull to him. Maybe I wanted him to get to me.

Poe rushed to me, and I let him wrap his arms around me. Maybe because he was the only one who wasn't angry with me for getting assaulted. "Don't say that, little fox. You know we will protect you. I'll fix this. I promise."

My old friend shame began to creep back into my veins. That feeling of being alone and misunderstood was threatening to pull me under and drown me once again.

I nodded, but I was retreating within. I needed to shut down if I was going to survive this. "I'm going to shower and then I'm going to pack a bag."

He cupped my face in his hands, desperation running wild in his eyes. "Bailey, no, please don't leave. We can figure this out."

"Oh, my sweet, Poe. I know if anyone can it's you. I'm not running away I just need to clear my head. Maureen has been bugging me about a girls' night anyway. I still have the keys to my old house. It will just be for a night or two."

He let out a deep sigh. "All right, my love. I promise everything will be better when you get back. You have my word."

I brushed a strand of hair off his forehead. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

I threw my bag over my shoulder and headed for the front door, which was being blocked by Grim. "Bailey, wait."

My eyelids fluttered. He was so fucking beautiful. Even when he was angry. "I just need some space."

He ran his thumb over my bottom lip. "Don't forget who you belong to when you're out there."

I rolled my eyes. "Is that what you call an apology? Fuck off, Grim. Would it kill you to say something sweet for once? "

He stepped into me and pressed his cold palm to my chest. "Nothing can kill me because I'm already dead. And you know I don't do sweet , Bailey. You're lucky I'm even letting you walk out of here."

I shook my head and snickered. "You're not the only one who's ever felt trauma or pain or had a shitty fucked up life. But you're the only one who seems to think that entitles you to act like a fucking prick. I love you, Grim. Maybe try to figure out if that means anything to you while I'm gone."

His lip quivered and his breath hitched. We stared at each other for so long, I thought we would never stop. And then he stepped back. "Go… before I lock you in my room and show you what it means to be loved by me."

I looked around once more, hoping that Saint would come to say goodbye. He didn't. I fought back the urge to cry as I walked out the door. Maybe things that are too good to be true are just a lie.

I called Maureen on my way into town. I had to pick up some supplies for the house and told her to meet me at the store. I hadn't been back to my old place since I'd left. We would need food, and I was going to need lots of fucking alcohol. She was so excited to spend a night with me, it broke my heart that I couldn't match her level of excitement. I was happy to spend a drunken night with my best friend but the shit that just went down at Wickford dampened my mood like a dark cloud.

I pulled up in front of the market and hopped out, eager to get this little shopping trip over with. As I perused the aisles, the whispers and stares commenced. Didn't these fucking people have anything better to do? They looked at me like I was the devil. And for what? Because I bought an old house with inheritance money? I get that my life was strange, but I'd never been anything but kind and polite to them.

I went straight to the wine aisle first, placing four bottles of red in my cart. I eyed a bottle of tequila for a few seconds before throwing two of them in as well. Fuck it. Twenty minutes later, I had stocked my cart with all my favorite snacks: chips and dip, cookies, frozen pizza, fancy cheeses, crackers, and of course eggs and bacon for breakfast tomorrow. I couldn't cook like Poe, but I did live on my own for most of my adult life. I knew how to make a few decent meals.

There was still no sign of Maureen by the time I reached the checker. That girl would be late to her own funeral someday. I chuckled to myself. I was already feeling lighter at the thought of getting drunk and eating junk food with my best friend. Sleepovers at her house when we were younger were still some of my favorite memories. No matter how old we got, we still acted like silly teenagers when we got together. I didn't realize how much I missed it until now.

The checker pursed her lips at me as she rang everything up. "Problem?" I asked.

She was maybe eighteen years old with bottle- blonde hair and long pointy pink fingernails. I remembered her from elementary school. Quiet, shy girl until she discovered drugs and booze. Now she had the audacity to look at me with judgment?

She rolled her eyes as she scanned the last item. "That'll be one fifty-two, ninety-seven."

I snickered as I inserted my credit card into the machine. "Sure. Whatever."

The guy bagging my groceries threw her a look. She cleared her throat. "Is it true your house is haunted?"

I punched in my pin number and sighed. "This whole town is haunted."

Her eyes widened. "What is that supposed to mean?"

I grabbed my bags off the counter. "Haunted by ignorance and hate."

The checker muttered under her breath, " Crazy bitch . "

My hands clenched around the bag handles. But it wasn't worth it.

As I stalked off, I could hear them laughing.

Fuck them. I wasn't going to let them ruin my night. After everything that happened this morning at Wickford, I just couldn't take any more drama. I needed to have fun.

I shoved my bags in the trunk, slammed it shut, and stepped back into a wall of pure muscle.

"How's it going, Bailey?"

Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I spun around and came face to face with Billy. "I'm not in the mood for your shit today, Billy."

There was a time when I used to think he was handsome. He was popular in high school, captain of the football team, and all that shit. But over the years, I've come to find him disgusting. He pushes people around and has no respect for anyone. Especially women.

Billy didn't budge an inch. He placed his hands on my trunk, boxing me in. "Looks like you're having a party. Am I invited?"

I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. My heart was racing I glanced around, looking for someone to make eye contact with. For anyone to see that this man was assaulting me. But everyone kept their heads down. Just like they did in the diner the other day when he smashed French fries in my face.

"Leave me alone, Billy. I'm just trying to get home and make dinner."

A snarl took over his lips. He stepped into me, letting me feel the weight of his chest against mine. Showing me he was stronger. "You know one of these nights, you're going to cook me dinner. Right after you take my cock in your ass."

I dug my fists into his chest and pushed but he wouldn't move. "That's never going to happen. Now get the fuck off me."

Billy wedged his leg between mine, lifting it up as he ground his thick thigh against my pussy. "Oh, come on, Bailey. Don't play hard to get. You and I both know you've been dreaming about my dick since freshman year."

I was going to be sick. I squirmed back but he had me in an iron grip. "Please, stop. I'm not interested in fucking you."

He pinched my arms. "No one says no to me. No one. Especially not sad little sluts like you. I bet your ass is so loose, I'll slip right in." He hovered his lips over my ear, his breath reeking of whiskey. "I bet we could get two cocks in there. You'd like that, wouldn't you, slut?"

All my rage and fury boiled up inside me. "Get the fuck off me!" I screamed.

He laughed as he stepped back, releasing me finally. "Are you gonna cry, Bailey? You know that only makes my cock harder."

I clenched my fists. "No, I will not be shedding one fucking tear for you." Before I could stop myself, I swung my arm with every ounce of anger and adrenaline I had. A loud pop sounded as I connected with his mouth.

His eyes widened as he stumbled back. "You fucking bitch!"

I fumbled for my keys and backed up toward the driver's side of my car. "Stay away from me, Billy."

He spat blood on the ground, his lip swelling up like a balloon. "You know, I was just messing around but now I'm fucking pissed. After I fuck you, I'm going to kill you."

My hands started to shake as he lunged forward and grabbed me by the hair. I screamed as he pinched my jaw between his fingers with his free hand. "You're going to regret punching me, slut."

"Get off her!" Maureen shouted from behind him.

I fought down the bile that was rising in my throat and looked past him to see Maureen sprinting toward us in her stiletto boots.

Billy shoved me back against the car door and spun on her. "You should find better friends, Maureen. This one just moved to the top of my shit list."

She whacked him with her purse. "And you're at the top of mine. Now leave her alone or else I'll have you thrown in the drunk tank."

He laughed and threw up his hands, mocking defeat. "That's right, run to daddy like you always do, Maureen." He walked backward, glaring at me the whole time. "I'll be seeing ya real soon, Bailey. That's a fucking promise."

My whole body trembled as we watched him walk down the street and turn right back into the bar. I'm sure he was telling all his buddies right about now how much fun he had terrorizing me in broad daylight.

Maureen grabbed my hand. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

There would be bruises on my arms soon, no doubt. And my scalp was tingling from the grip he had on my hair. But his words hurt me more. His threats. And for the first time in my life, I wanted to kill someone. I wanted to kill Billy.

I sucked in a sharp breath. "I'm fine. He's just a fucking asshole. Let's just get out of here, okay? I need a drink."

Maureen nodded but the worry in her eyes was obvious. Billy just went from being a harmless prick to an actual threat. "Yeah. Fuck him. We are still going to have fun tonight. I promise."

My hands were still trembling as I lifted my keys. Maureen grabbed them. She opened the trunk and pulled out the bottle of tequila. "I'll drive, Bales. You just relax and sip on this. It'll take the edge off."

I nodded and climbed into the passenger seat. She drove us through the back country roads, away from the main part of town, the music blasting, as I took slow long pulls of tequila.