Page 117 of Beautiful Prey

The day went by quickly. I hadn’t bothered much to look at the time as I had been lingering upstairs. When I did come down, it was to make food and fold mine and Emery’s clothes.

It wasn’t until I heard the door shut above and heard Emery’s footfalls on the stairs that I realized he must be done with whatever he had been working on.

When he saw me at the doorway of Uncle Pete’s bedroom, he stopped. He wore his mask again, his expression hidden, but the look he gave me was enough to make my pulse quicken.

His arms and hands were blackened by some dark substance. It looked like oil.

“It’s getting dark,” he said after a pause.

“Is it? I hadn’t noticed,” I replied.

He closed the distance between us, placing a hand on either side of the doorway above my head, leaning in. “You ready to go outside, birthday girl?”

I pursed my lips, unable to hide my excitement. “Yes.”

He studied me for a moment, and I could tell he was feeling uncertain about letting me out, his ghosts still trying to convince him I wasn’t to be trusted. I refused to give anything away, only silently hoping he didn’t change his mind. He looked me over one last time, then dropped his arms. “Let me wash and change. Then we’ll go.”

I nodded, giving him a little smile.

As he took off his clothes and slipped into the bathroom, I got myself a jacket from the duffel bag since I expected it to be cool, especially with a breeze off the water. But I had no shoes. I’d left my one pair at Lena’s and Emery hadn’t exactly remembered tothrow an extra pair in. So, I had no choice but to double up on socks and hope I didn’t step onto wet ground somewhere. I did find a pair of thigh highs, one black, the other creamy white, and put those on first before pulling thicker socks over them. I might have looked silly, but it didn’t matter as long as my feet stayed protected and held a smidge of warmth.

I fixed my hair in the mirror, smirking as I imagined Emery’s amused look at my mix-matched clothing and no shoes, feeling sorry he hadn’t thrown a pair in the bag.

Then my smile dropped as I felt a nervous twist in my gut. He hadn’t shown any signs, but I felt a lingering tension growing between us again ever since I confessed I wanted out of the house.

What if something set him off again? What if as soon as I stepped outside, he lost it, unable to ignore the doubts in his mind? If he sent me back inside, if I learned I was still his prisoner whether I’d given in to him or not, I didn’t know how I would cope. We might go back to square one, when he first took me.

We were both walking on thin ground that was ready to crack with one wrong move…

I took a deep breath.

It’s just a walk, that’s all. As soon as he sees you’re right there beside him, no ties or leash needed, he’ll see you’re a good girl willing to stay.

Even in my head that sounded…crazy. But if that’s what it took…

In the kitchen, Emery was there waiting, wearing the black shirt and pants from the banquet, hair damp, a few wavy locks sticking to the sides of his masked face.

His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides as he saw me, that dark fire relit in his gaze as he stared at me.

For a moment, neither of us moved. Then he stepped over to me, making me tilt my head back. His hand went under my chin, his thumb brushing just below my bottom lip in a soft, sweet caress.

“You sure you don’t want to just stay down here and let me peel that dress off you with my teeth?” he said in a low voice.

My eyelids fluttered, my body heating up at the thought. It was tempting but…

“Outside first,” I said carefully. “After…I’ll let you do whatever you like. Deal?”

He considered that. I could see that look of uncertainty again in his eyes. He dropped his hand and stood back.

“Alright,” he said.

He went for the stairs and, without hesitation, I followed.

He didn’t falter as we climbed the steps up to the hallway, then turned into the garage. Only when we got to the door leading to the outside did he pause. He glanced over his shoulder at me, then looked down at my feet.

“No shoes, huh?”

I shook my head.

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