Page 15 of Back In the Shadows

“It’s because I want to see you change.” He pressed his palm against the wall. Xavier’s voice deepened as he spoke. “Watch as the woman who thinks she’s strong enough to handle Death crumbles into something … more manageable … more moldable.”

A spider descended on a thread directly in front of my nose. I jerked back, hitting my head against the glass. Xavier’s laugh echoed through the room.

“Did you know that one bite from my pet would make you very sick?It would take a week for the venom to kill you, though.” He tapped the spot where the spider now rested. “But that’s too quick. Too merciful. I prefer to watch the mind dissolve first.”

“Fuck you,” I spat, my voice trembling.

“Such fire.” He pressed his face close to the wall that separated us. “But fire needs oxygen to burn. And in there? Well, let’s just say I control how much you get to breathe.” He clapped his hands and then threw his head back and cackled.

To demonstrate he held all the power, he moved to the air holes I relied on and slowly began to cover them, one by one. My chest tightened as panic clawed at my throat.

“Please,” I whispered, hating the weakness in my voice.

He uncovered the holes but kept his hand hovering near them. “See how quickly you break? How easily you beg? Death would be so disappointed.” His words slithered through the cage like poison. “But don’t worry. Soon you’ll forget all about him. Soon you’ll learn to plead for my approval instead.”

How could he have possibly discovered the truth about Death? How could he have learned about the closely guarded secret that those who cherished Sebastian above all else had fought tooth and nail to keep hidden? The thought of everyone I loved being exposed to this evil man was enough to make my blood run cold.

My stomach churned as he pressed something against the glass—a photograph. It was me, sleeping in my bed, taken through our bedroom window. “I’ve been watching you for months. Learning your habits. Your fears.” He showed another photo of me with the twins at the park. “Everything you think is yours? It was only borrowed time.”

Tears streamed down my face as I realized the extent of his surveillance, of his obsession. How long had he been plotting this? How many times had he watched me, while I thought I was safe?

“You’re going to be my masterpiece,” he whispered, his breath fogging the glass and his eyes wild. “My perfect bride, preserved forever in this beautiful cage. But first …” He gesturedto the spiders gathering in the corners. “First, we have to strip away everything you think you are.” His maniacal sneer sent me scurrying backward.

I curled into myself, trying to make my body as small as possible in the confined space. The spiders seemed to multiply in the shadows, their presence a constant reminder of my helplessness. Xavier’s soft humming filled the air, a twisted lullaby that would haunt me if I ever slept again.

“Sweet dreams, my love,” he sang, dimming the lights until I was left in near total darkness. “Tomorrow we’ll peel away another layer of the woman you used to be.”

As his footsteps faded, I pressed my forehead against my knees and tried to hold on to memories of Sebastian, Death, and my children. But in the suffocating confines of the glass cage, even those began to feel like dreams, while Xavier’s psychological torture became my new reality.

8

SEBASTIAN

Time stood still until my friends finally arrived. Being alone in the house was maddening, and I desperately tried to make sense of the chaotic situation. A thick haze settled in my mind, like a foreign presence had taken up residence in my brain and was smothering all rational thought. It was almost as if someone else was in my head, but that was ridiculous.Then why have I felt like that most of my life?

I rubbed my face vigorously with trembling hands, hoping to shake off the overwhelming confusion, but it only amplified the intense pounding in my chest. My entire world had flipped upside down, and I was shaken to my very being. Everything was unraveling before my very eyes, and I felt helpless against it.

“We need to make a list of suspects.” I paced the living room, moving some of the still scattered toys out of my way with my foot. Kip and Dope had finally arrived twenty minutes ago, and we were digging in and brainstorming to find my wife. Three heads had to be better than one panicked one.

“I’ve already started,” Kip said, shoving his fingers through his dark hair. Many people had a difficult time telling us apart. We were the same height, with dark hair and broad shoulders.Dope, on the other hand, was much shorter, thinner, and his red hair stood out in a crowd. “With Horizon, we’ve made several enemies, and the list is long.”

Dope nodded in agreement.

“How the fuck did this happen?” I clenched my fists in frustration, digging my nails into my palms as I frantically searched for a solution to Ella’s kidnapping. My heart pounded in my chest as I turned to my friends and ran my fingers through my hair, pulling at it in agitation as I tried to see every angle of the situation. But no matter how hard I looked, all I saw was fear and despair reflected back at me from my friends’ expressions.

I swallowed over the dryness in my throat. “Stephen … he came after Ella last year. Maybe he’s pissed because he can’t find his wife and kids, so decided to takemywife. When we helped his family escape his sorry ass, he saw Ella when we were loading his wife and kids into the van, and later paid her a visit. Ella promised me that he wasn’t a problem, but I think she was just saying that so I wouldn’t worry.”

Kip rubbed his stubbled chin as he shifted in his chair. At least I’d had the frame of mind to set the furniture upright again.

“Let’s go through the list,” Dope suggested.

Kip nodded in agreement before he spoke. “I started eliminating people that didn’t seem likely to be a huge threat or know who we are, but I’ll share those names too.”

I urged him to continue. As Kip ticked off possible suspects one by one, then mentioned who they were and their family, nothing seemed to fit. No one other than Stephen.

“Why isn’t Stephen on that list? We should put a tail on the sick bastard and see what we can learn,” I said.

“He’s not a suspect, Bass. I promise,” Dope explained, his expression grim.

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