Page 46 of Beautiful Prey

I whirled on him, horrified. “No. No, that’s not true.”

“The guy is fucked up, I agree. But clearly, he’s here for a reason. They think he’s ill. So what better way to kill him off slowly. Cruel but genius, I’ll give you that.”

“I’m not trying to kill him!”

Ethan put up his hands in defense. “Alright, hey, not trying to piss you off. But you have to admit, it’s suspicious that you’re here with him. And I can’t say how long until someone catches on.”

He didn’t have to say it, but I knew he was a threat to everything I was working on. I left him to turn in my report to Dr. Langley.

“I heard you were able to get Emery to take his medication,” Dr. Langley said, taking my report and putting it on his desk. “Wonderful job, Eve, truly. This is amazing news.”

I stared at the report, thinking of what Ethan said.

Just tell him.Tell him before it comes out from someone else. Then Emery wouldn’t have to find out. I could say I had to leave, and for some personal reason, I couldn’t continue.

But I was so close to getting Emery on his medication. I knew if he found out now, he wouldn’t see the improvement it couldmake. Plus, I wasn’t ready to stop seeing him. It was fucked for sure, but helping him was somehow helping me.

“He doesn’t react well to it,” I said. “He gets sick. But he is trying.”

“And that’s a start,” Dr. Langley said. “Keep up with it as much as you can. I will let Dr. Hannah know too. We’ll see how it goes in the next few days or so and then we will have another meeting to discuss Emery’s possible future.”

“Meaning…I might still be able to stay longer,” I said.

“Possibly. If Dr. Hannah feels it’s necessary, of course. But if you are still interested, I will talk with her.”

I nodded. I went to leave then stopped and turned back to him. “Is there a chance I could come in and see Emery at different times other than my usual session times?”

Dr. Langley raised a brow. “I suppose you could, though it’s unusual for one to visit at off hours. And we would have to consider the guards’ schedule, when they change.”

“Of course.”

“Emery usually gets outside time in the day if you want to see him then. Just let security know ahead of time. I’ll give you the number to the front desk.”

I took the numbers he gave me on a slip of paper and plugged them into my phone later. I sat in my car for a long moment before I drove to the hotel.

I did everything I could to calm my nerves that night, hoping for one good night of rest. I took a long shower and got carryout from a local diner and watched funny videos on my phone, saving some that I would show to Emery later. I popped a Xanax and drank some herbal tea, then let myself slip away with the TV on.

Everything was dark, and then voices sounded in the distance, mingled with laughter and the clinking of glass. I walked down a hall toward the sound until the dark turned toa kaleidoscope of colors, and I was standing in a crowd, with lights and lanterns changing above me. The room was large and familiar. I saw a staircase to one end and the portrait of Agnes to one wall, smirking at me.

A party at St. Agnes was odd but it didn’t seem to concern me. Even seeing Jamie and Lena walking around didn’t disturb me. The echo of their voices rang out to me, calling me to join them. Come celebrate, come play. From the door of the entrance above, I saw a ripped and bloody banner reading: HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

I whirled around, catching the skirt of the red dress I wore, and laughed, feeling carefree, feeling so incredibly happy.

But there was a shadow watching me. A lonely shadow who called to me too. Pulled me toward it. Like a sleepwalker, I moved through the crowd toward the doors of the east wing.

When I walked down another dark hall past Agnes’s portrait, I heard the sounds of children crying. I walked past the narrow rooms and heard the soft banging of their little fists on the doors, begging to be let out. Their cries turned to awful screams that grew louder and louder until I rushed into a room at the end, letting the door bang behind me.

The cries were silent, and Emery was there alone, sitting in his chair.

“I missed the party,” he said. “I never get to have any fun.”

“We could have fun,” I said.

He tilted his head at me, his skull face smiling. I noticed a cart with a tray on top next to him, his medication sitting there.

“But first, you have to take your medicine.” I popped the pillbox and took out a little pill, holding it between my fingers. I lifted the mask above his mouth and slid the pill between his lips, letting him taste me too, letting his tongue slide across my thumb, letting his teeth graze against me as I slipped my fingers out.

“Now swallow,” I ordered.

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