Page 30 of His Obsession

“Rest of the house is clear,” Bradley says.

“She’s going to need new locks, and her alarm needs to be checked,” Lucian says.

“Can uh… Can someone see if there are anymore cameras?” I ask. “I can check mine to see if anyone has accessed them or attempted to.”

“Can you do that remotely? I don’t want you in the house until we are sure no one can get in,” he says.

“What’s going on?” Carol asks, hugging me.

“Someone left a black rose in my room,” I say.

“Someone broke into her house while she was in her office. She called me in a panic because they came to the office while she was hiding under the desk,” Lucian corrects me.

“Oh, honey,” Carol says. “Has anyone asked Laura for her camera access? She has one out front.”

“I just called a community meeting, so I’ll ask her there,” Lucian says. “Can you get me the log for the front gate the night of the end of summer party?”

“I can. I’ll email it to you in a few minutes. Why?” she asks.

“The front gate was open when Elise got home before she came over,” he says. “We’ll see you over there.”

She nods and we walk to the community center in silence. Lucian keeps his hand on my lower back and glances over at me occasionally. When we get into the conference room, Lucian pulls me into his lap to hold me while everyone comes in.

“I had a few of the watchmen from town come also,” Bradley says quietly.

“Thank you,” Lucian replies before cupping my face and having me look at him. “I promise, this is not an unsafe community. No one living here would go against me or harm anyone.”

“Someone harmed my mother,” I counter. He nods, understanding my worry.

“I will do whatever I have to in order to keep you safe, even if you choose to not give consent and want to remain separate from me,” he says. “No matter what, I protect my people. You are one of us now.”

“I am giving you consent on Halloween,” I say. “I know I’m not supposed to decide until next week, but I have faith in destiny, and I don’t think my mom would have brought me here without a reason. I don’t know what the reason is, but I know it involves you.”

“Have you gotten anywhere with her things?” he asks.

“No, but I have a gut feeling that I need to find out something soon,” I say. “Will you help me?”

“I would love to help,” he says, kissing my forehead. “I’ll bring the notes that my dad had as well and maybe we can piece something together.”

“Everyone is here,” Bradley says quietly.

“Sit here and I will talk to everyone. Don’t be afraid to speak up. This is your life being messed with, so you have a say in all decisions,” he tells me. I nod and he sits me in his chair as he stands.

“You okay?” Bradley asks me quietly.

“Uh. Yeah. Just freaked out,” I say. “I felt like I was hiding from my foster parents again.”

“Which ones?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Take your pick,” I shrug. “Junkies, abusers, rapists, and the occasional violent drunk. I was terrified of most of them.”

“Hello everyone. Thank you all for coming on short notice. We had a problem arise, and it requires immediate attention,” Lucian says. “After our meeting earlier today, Elise went home and was in her office for most of the day, working on some things for her job. When she took a break, she heard someone in her home. I won’t give a step by step or divulge unnecessary details, but she called me for help. When Bradley and I got there, we all searched the house, and a black rose was found in her bedroom. Now… I don’t think I need to stress how inappropriate that is, considering she was already chosen as potential prey by me. This is a violation on many levels, but the most concerning is that while she was hiding, they came into the office where she was, which means they knew she was hiding from them. That alone indicates a lack of consent, which directly violates everything we stand for.”

“Was she visited by anyone but you?” Laura asks.

“Bradley and I will be reviewing footage this evening,” Lucian says.

“I’m sorry… There is a record of that? Did everyone always have access?” I ask.

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