Page 47 of Haunted Prey

CHAPTER ELEVEN

I stood in front of the mirror in Marcus’s room, staring at a stranger.

That was probably a good thing, considering where I was headed, but it still left me feeling uneasy. What if it didn’t work? What if they saw right through me?

Still, Lena had done a spectacular job and I’d be a fool to think otherwise.

It had taken about an hour and a half for us to get ready for the event. Marcus had left for his party and his roommates were gone too. Lena had picked up a few things from her sister. No fancy ball gowns like last time. Just some masks, a wig for me, and a couple leather pieces that went across one's torso like a harness.

I wore one of these pieces now over the top of a dark burgundy dress, the belt fitting across my rib cage, just under my breasts. The other straps came up from under my arms and cut across my collarbone, connecting to a choker at my neck. I made sure to adjust my charm necklace so it didn’t rub against the leather. The dress hugged my hips, the skirt ending at my thighs. There was only a small amount of bare skin between the ends ofthe skirt and the black thigh-high stockings Lena lent me, with little leather straps connected to a garter.

Getting everything on with a messed-up arm was a feat in itself. Having a wheelchair-bound friend trying to help made it downright hilarious. We couldn’t stop cackling as I sat in front of Lena while she struggled to help me put on the stockings. Eventually, she called a friend over to help us both, paying her with a bottle of wine for the assistance. Once we had the clothes down, we worked on makeup.

After that came the wig. Lena suggested it casually, but I thought it was a good idea to hide my identity even if it made me a little uncomfortable. The short black hair barely touched my shoulders, the locks wavy like my own hair. I actually liked the length and realized just how unkept and unruly my hair was, with the ends starting to split. Maybe it was time I cut my hair. Maybe I could get Lena to do it for me.

We tied the mask to me next, a simple leather mask that went across my eyes. Once Lena secured it to my face, the last thing I did was slip on the sling. It took away some of the allure, but it was still necessary for now.

When all was said and done, we checked ourselves in the mirror while Lena applied the last touches to herself. She wore a black dress that showed off her tattoos, with a harness similar to mine. Her hair was done up halfway with the ends wavy, a skull clip holding up the top. She wore black and green eyeshadow and had studded bat earrings dangling from her ears. She looked adorable.

“We’re hot,” she commented.

I laughed, nodding.

As good as we looked, and as confident as it might make me, I was still wary of leaving the house and getting caught.

“That’s the thrill of it,” Lena said when I voiced my concerns. “But really, Eve, I don’t expect anyone to recognize you. And if anyone asks, you're not Eve but Morgan.”

“Morgan?”

She shrugged. “A character I roleplayed in a game once. Not my thing but she was a cool vampire.”

“Great.”

I stared at my reflection, my eyes flickering to the cut on my temple just above my eyebrow. I recalled what I’d done last night. The memory of Emery’s phantom smiling as I did it made me shudder.

Hopefully, because I’d be in an open place with people around me, I wouldn’t see him; he couldn’t haunt me unless I was alone.

“I think we’re good to go,” Lena said, putting the last few items into her bag.

“So how exactly are we getting there?”

“Yeah, about that.” She took out her phone. “Looks like the Uber is almost here.” I glared, and she gave me a sheepish smile in return. “Don’t worry, it’s an SUV so they can accommodate me.”

“That’s not the point.”

“It’s fine, Eve, there will be plenty of others in the city to take us home.”

I should call this off. This was a bad idea. And now I felt idiotic. If I got caught, it was my own fault.

Just have fun, a little voice said.That’s what this was about. To take your mind off all the awful shit. You’re allowed to have fun.

Yet, I still felt guilty. Like I shouldn’t be allowed to have fun at all. Not after everything the last few weeks. And if the cops did grab me, I’d feel like a total dumbass.

Only the idea of utterly devastating my friend kept my mouth shut. And she promised we wouldn’t stay long. The chance that we could just hang out for the rest of the night after was appealing enough.

The ride showed up just as I helped wheel Lena out the door. The man in the SUV came around and was nice enough to help get her into the back while I slid in next to her on the other side.

Once we got into the city, we drove into an area I didn’t recognize, down a street into an emptier, abandoned territory, with some of the buildings broken and rotting, several blackened husks burned up from fires.

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