The second he steps away, I feel a mixture of coldness and relief. But then he’s coming right back.
The intensity in his eyes holds me in place as he walks to stand beside me, his chest brushing against my arm. He smells like leather and smoke. It’s intoxicating. He’s intoxicating.
Fear has a taste. Acidic, burnt metal. It numbs my tongue. Not just my tongue, but my entire being.
I’m so, so scared.
But yet, so… consumed by him.
I keep my head straight but don’t let him out of my line of sight. He leans into me, pressing his weight against me. I combat his strength. Rather than being pushed away from him, I’m being absorbed by him. Hot breath warms my skin as his lips trace the outer edge of my ear. Another shiver wracks my spine.
“I want to devour you,” he whispers.
My lip trembles. I suck the traitorous lip between my teeth, if only it stops showing my weakness. When I risk a glance at him, his eyes have zeroed in on my lips.
“Are you here to kill me?” I ask lowly, trying my best to mask the tremors wracking through my body.
I’m failing.
Slowly, he shakes his head. “Why would I do that?” I’m not sure how to answer that. He continues, “I wouldn’t kill you, little mouse. I want to keep you.”
“What if I don’t want you to?”
He smiles. “You will.”
I open my mouth, ready to tell him about himself and his momma, but the words die on my tongue when he reaches up a hand and swipes his thumb roughly across my bottom lip.
“Mm,” he growls in delight. “Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to allow you the opportunity to run and hide. If I find you, then I will deliver your punishment. If I don’t, you go unpunished and I will leave.”
I pinch my eyes shut, a small single strand of hope threading throughout the hysteria. I know this house like the back of my hand. I know where the good hiding spots are.
There are two bedrooms down there in the hallway on the bottom floor. The first bedroom has a tiny little nook in the back of the closet. Just barely able to fit my body in, but I used to hide there all the time when Nana and I would play hide-and-seek.
“Fine,” I whisper. “How long will you search for me before I win?”
He smiles. “I’ll give you five minutes before your ass is bent over my knee.”
I huff, jerking my face away from his hand. He lets me go, but the smile on his face grows.
“Your time starts now, Adeline. Better run.”
I don’t hesitate any longer. Turning, I bolt out of the room, slamming the door shut behind me. I don’t miss the amusement on his face when he watches me do so, but I don’t give myself time to care.
I head straight for the stairs, keeping my steps light as my little legs carry me down the steps at an alarming speed. Halfway down, I nearly pitch forward and face plant, barely catching myself on the railing and keeping the loud squeak from escaping.
I feel like throwing up, the adrenaline and fear intense and biting at my nerves.
Making a left turn, I aim for the hallway and slip into the first bedroom just as I hear heavy footsteps from above.
My heart races impossibly faster, and my hands tremble fiercely as I slide open the closet door. The metal rattles from my sloppiness. A slight, insignificant sound that feels like thunder rolling throughout the bones of the house.
Heaving in a deep breath, I force my body to slow as I glide the closet door closed and hurry into the nook.
I’m panicking.
My chest is tight, and I have the strangest urge to cough. Could be because my throat is dry and steadily closing. I want to claw at my neck, force the muscle to open back up, and let in the oxygen I so desperately need.
It’s all in your head. Breathe, Addie, breathe. He’s not going to find you in here. Nana never could.
His footsteps have disappeared from above me, meaning that he’s made his way downstairs most likely. I bite my lip hard, tangy copper filling my mouth. And still, I keep biting down.
Shuffling and distinct noises filter through. And as the minutes pass, my breathing begins to slow.
But then I hear the door slowly creak open, and my breathing stutters. I clamp my hand over my mouth, refusing to make a sound, even if it literally kills me.
The closet door slides open, and his scent fills the tiny area. Leather. A hint of smoke. And something else. Something that would ordinarily make my eyes roll if it wasn’t so goddamn suffocating.
“You can come out now, baby,” he breathes, the sound of his voice gravelly and deep.
Oh, no. No, no, no.
I don’t move, hoping that he’s just guessing.
“I can smell you,” he says. And if that’s not the creepiest thing I’ve ever fucking heard, I don’t know what is.
Risking a peek around the corner, I see him standing at the entrance of the closet. He’s not looking in my direction. His head is down, staring off at a random spot on the ground.
“You have ten seconds before I come drag you out.” He takes a step back, and I decide to just go for it.
I dart out, slipping past him and heading towards the door. He lets loose a deep, cruel laugh. It’s a sound I’ll hear in my nightmares for the rest of my existence.
But I don’t stop. I run down the hallway and head for the front door, gasping when I find it locked.
“You unlock that door and there will be consequences,” he warns. I startle at his proximity. There’s not enough time to unlock the deadbolt, knob, and chain. He’s too close.
Sunroom. It has a back door that leads outside. I turn, and out of the corner of my eye, I see my shadow round the corner of the entranceway to the hallway I came from.
I bolt through the living room, then the kitchen, and towards the door that leads into the backside of the hallway. Praying that he didn’t stay in the hallway, I fling open the door to find it empty. At least within five feet of me, I can’t see past the darkness beyond that.
Heading straight for the sunroom, I barrel through the door and find him already there, leaning against the door that I need to escape out of.
I skid on my feet, halting my momentum before I crash right into his waiting arms. I back up, chest heaving and mind racing.
He tsks. “You’re very predictable, little mouse. We're going to have to work on that.”
I just stand there, frozen in place as I process the fact that I won’t be able to get out of this house. He’s incredibly fast, but the scariest part is that I didn’t hear a single fucking footstep from him. I sounded like an elephant and he was quieter than a mouse.
“You’re not touching me,” I hiss, my voice wobbly and rife with unshed tears.
“A deal is a deal, little mouse.” He looks up at the night sky. “It is beautiful in here. I think it’s only fitting that the punishment occurs here, don’t you think? It feels like we’ve come full circle.”
Growling, I finally force my body into action and run right back down the hallway towards the stairs.
Maybe I can find a spot to hide again. Somewhere he won’t find me this time. My mind turns over every possibility as I swing myself around the banister and charge up the steps.
A whisper of wind brushes against the back of my thighs, and when I glance behind me, I see him right on my heels.