Chapter Seven

F or the first time since they'd arrived, there was a silence between us. A quiet understanding that we belonged to each other. And a deep sense of dread that we'd soon be ripped apart.

In all of my life I had never experienced anything like this. Something so depraved and vile and yet utterly beautiful at the same time. I had dreamed of it. But after being told my fantasies were dirty, I'd locked all those thoughts away.

But Grim, Poe, and Saint… they accepted me. Their desires matched mine. It wasn't wrong to want them. I couldn't believe it was wrong to want them. To want this. Forever.

I put clothes on, actual clothes, for the first time since they'd arrived. I sat down at my kitchen table in a T-shirt, shorts, and fuzzy slippers. With their clothes back on as well, they seemed to tiptoe around me.

Saint set a steaming cup of coffee in front of me. Without complaining I shuffled to the cabinets and grabbed sugar. He tracked my movements, observing everything I did even as I went to the fridge to retrieve the milk.

I didn't want to offend him, but after the night I had, I was going to take my coffee the way I wanted it. Just like they took what they wanted.

Grim sat at the windowsill, the same one he'd first violated me on. He stared out the window as the October mist came down on my driveway. I wondered what he was thinking. How long would they stay?

Maybe I could cook them breakfast or dinner or something. Fuck. Did they even eat food? What in the hell was I thinking? That I could do normal things with three demonic spirits that invaded my home?

Yes, they gave me the best fucking erotic night of my life, but they aren't my boyfriends. This wasn't an episode of The Vampire Diaries. Hell, I don't recall Elena ever getting railed by three guys in the same night. So yeah, reality was setting in fast.

But I wasn't ashamed. No. I enjoyed it. I fucking loved it. And when they left, I would remember it forever. I'd never fully enjoy regular sex ever again, but that was okay because for one vicious night, I got to live out my wildest fantasies. And that would have to be enough.

"We don't want this to end, little fox," Poe blurted out, cutting the silence like a knife.

I drew out a long-held breath. "I don't want you to go."

There, I said it out loud. I couldn't bear the thought of not having them here with me.

Grim's shoulders' heaved. "We have to go… but no one can stop you from coming with us. If you want… "

Saint growled. " No . She has her life to live."

"Wait, you're suggesting that I go back to Wickford with you? It's condemned. The city is tearing it down next week." I hadn't even thought about what would happen to them when that happens.

Saint gave Poe a look as he protested. "You're such a good girl, little fox."

"The best girl," Grim added.

Poe leveled his gaze on me. "Once the house is destroyed, there will be no reason for us to stay. This is it, little fox. Our one last hurrah. I'm happy it was you…"

Fuck. This was crazy. I've spent less than twenty-four hours with them, and I was already growing attached. I let these monsters in my bed. In my house. In my life. I made that decision when I broke into Wickford. Despite my skepticism, a small part of me knew the superstition could be real.

Ever since I was a kid, strange things happened around me. I always had a sixth sense. Crows and black clouds seem to follow me everywhere I went. While my family has long since passed away from this life, my connection to them has remained. They come to me in dreams. A part of me wanted to awaken something last night.

I was tired of being alone…

"What if I was able to stop the city from tearing the house down, could you stay?" I finally understood everything that has led up to this moment.

"And how would you do that, Bailey?" Saint growled.

"I could buy it," I replied.

The three of them exchanged a worried look. Grim rested a hand on my waist. The warmth from his fingers tingled my skin. "Can you?"

My heart was racing. I nodded. "When my parents died, they left me a pretty good chunk of money. I haven't touched any of it. Was saving it for some reason. Now I know why. I could buy the house and have it restored. We could live there… together. "

Poe ran a hand through his dark hair. "You would do that for us? Why? We came in here and defiled you."

I choked back a sob. They had no idea. "No. You liberated me. Set me free. Now that I've tasted it, I want more. I don't want it to ever stop."

Saint laced his fingers through mine. "You're young, little fox. Your tastes will change. And when they do, you'll wish you hadn't kept us."

I shook my head. "No. I will always be happy I kept you… But maybe, you'll grow tired of me. Is that what's holding you back? Will you grow bored of me?"

The three of them rushed forward at the same time, each placing a strong hand on me. Grim cupped my chin in his hands. "Never. In the hundred years we've been imprisoned, not a single person has seen us the way you have. You have given us so much more than flesh, little fox. Your warmth and care are more than we've ever known."

My chest ached. "You said you were poisoned. What happened? I think I've earned the right to know."

Poe motioned for me to take a seat on the couch. "We were tricked," he murmured.

I tucked my legs underneath me, pulling my robe down around my knees. Goosebumps pebbled my flesh. "Who did that to you?"

Grim sat on the coffee table across from me. "We worked for Mrs. Wickford. She was a widow who lived there all by herself. I maintained the house while Saint oversaw the grounds and Poe cooked all her meals. She gave us room and board, and a small weekly salary."

Saint sighed as he sank into the seat next to me. "She was a reclusive woman. No one ever visited, and she never left. She spent most of her time in the garden, humming to herself."

"But after a while," Poe interjected, "she took more of an interest in us, inviting us to eat dinner with her and joining her by the fire at night for drink and conversation. She was a lonely woman."

"And she was very beautiful," Grim added.

A slight twinge of jealousy panged me as I imagined my guys doting on this woman. It was silly, but my heart had started the process of claiming them. And I couldn't stop it.

"It wasn't long after that she started visiting us at night in our rooms as we slept," Poe continued. "Her carnal appetite was insatiable. She grew very attached to all of us. And we attached to her. But something snapped in her one day…"

A shiver crept up my spine. "What happened?"

Saint's face paled. "She lost her fucking mind."

Grim squeezed his hand. "An old woman started coming around. A witch. She fed into her delusions. Told her that we could live forever."

I gasped. " No … Fuck."

Poe nodded. "Fuck is right. She refused to get help. To see a real doctor. So we told her we were leaving. That we wanted no part in her witchcraft."

I leaned forward, riveted. "How did she react?"

Saint snickered. "Mrs. Wickford gave us her blessing and invited us to one last dinner."

A cold chill swept through me. So cold I could feel it in my bones. " Poison ," I whispered.

Grim drew in a sharp breath. "All four of us died that night. On Samhain—Halloween. But only the three of us were stuck inside that house for eternity."

"She left us a note," Poe started. "That if she couldn't have us, no one could. At least not forever. The veil between the living and the dead would drop for one night only. If someone with intent was able to open the door to that cursed room, then we could leave. But her witch fucking cursed us. "

Saint nodded. "There was a catch. We would be tied to the person who opened the door. And in order for our spirits to release them, to return to the house, we'd have to get their permission to defile them. Otherwise, we'd be trapped in nothingness."

"The Wickford house is our home," Grim added, "and it's the devil we know."

Tears streamed down my cheeks before I could stop them. "You're safe now. I will save your house and keep you for as long as you want to be kept."