Page 8 of Within Shadows
Watching her walk into the college with her tufts of hair sticking up everywhere shouldn’t have me imagining fisting that ponytail, but I’ve never claimed to be a good man. Maeve has a decent schedule this year, and I’m interested to see how she flourishes. Seeing how fast she made friends with Garrett puts my teeth on edge, wishing she’d share that pretty smile with me. Soon enough, I’ll be the only one she looks for in a crowd. It’s almost the end of her day, and I already miss seeing her. I stretch in the front seat of my car and stifle a yawn, realizing Al is grinning at his phone in the seat next to me.
“Still boring that poor girl with your weak pick-up lines?” I taunt him. Al glares at me for a minute and motions towards the college.
“At least I’m talking to Jess, not sitting outside her college like a fucking stalker,” he grunts.
“Oh, I’m not ‘like a stalker’. I’m her self-appointed bodyguard, who is shamelessly stalking her. For her own good.” I shrug, and he rolls his eyes again. The bell rings, and students slowly start filtering out, some on their way to other classes and others done for the day. I watch carefully, pulling my sunglasses down until I finally catch sight of her. Fuck, she’s stunning. Maeve is staring down at her phone with a heated look as she gently places the headphone in her ear.
“Little minx,” I whisper between my clenched teeth. I can guarantee she’s listening to our music. A man ducks in front of her, waving his hand in her face, and the moment a flash of fear registers in her eyes, my door whips open and I launch from the car. Al grabs my shoulder to stop me, and I pivot, getting close enough to listen without smashing the guy's face into the concrete right then and there.
“I thought I told you to stay away from me, Oliver. Stop calling me that.” Her voice is strong and steady, and I grin with pride. Alshakes his head, but keeps a close eye on Oliver. I tuck that name away, fully prepared to look into this pathetic man.
I should have looked into him sooner rather than later. I should have sat outside her house all night like I had wanted to, but I let Al talk me into leaving after she had made it home. And that was a regret I would live with for the rest of my life. Oliver had crossed my girl, and he was going to be swallowing his own blood after I cut his tongue out of his mouth. Not only had that little shit smashed her doors down, but now she’s sleeping in another man's bed. The idea of her curled up in his sheets has my knuckles aching as I tighten my fist. The police report was easy enough to retrieve, and digging deeper gave me a crystal clear idea of who is tormenting Maeve. A restraining order filed by her against Oliver Haldon, has a rage bubbling beneath the surface.
That sick fuck had hit her, beaten her until her eye had swelled shut, and left that pretty little scar on her pouty lips. I’m going to make him pay, especially since he doesn’t seem to be respecting that order. His daddy had bailed him out every single time he stepped out of line. It was time for Oliver to learn his lesson. I am going to watch him, hunt him until he feels like prey to a man and can feel the fear he’s haunted her with.
I finally drag myself away from staring through the window of the room she’s sleeping inside of, my skin itching to break something. I walk further down the street to get into my car, heading straight to Maeve’s house. HerfriendGarrett is having a security system installed tomorrow, and I don’t like the bitter taste of another man taking care of what belongs to me. But Ican’t be rash, not if I want to enjoy the chase before I devour her. This hunt will be one that Maeve enjoys.
I step through the police tape, kicking broken chunks of the doorframe out of my way as I walk into her house. That little prick didn’t appear strong when I watched him step into Maeve's path, but the flicker of fear in her eyes was all I needed to know that he’s dangerous. Watching Maeve and keeping tabs on her was my favorite part of every day ever since she crossed my path. Slipping a tracking device into her bag was too easy, and my girl has no idea that I have been lurking in her shadow.
Garrett might be a problem in the future, but as long as he doesn’t cross any lines, then I’ll let her lean on him. For now. My foot bumps a cat food bowl as I frown down at it. She took Atticus; I saw her take his cat carrier into the other house, but she must have forgotten his bowls. I scoop them up and move through the house, stopping in the kitchen as I peer through her pantry. Her food selection is dreary, mostly junk food, and I frown. Somebody needs to be taking care of her, and I’m going to be that person.
I pull my phone out, ordering her a month's worth of easy meal kits to be delivered to her door. She could also do with a daily vitamin and more water. I’ll pick my battles for the time being. I step into her bedroom next, taking a deep breath as I stare down at her rumpled sheets, remembering how the report said she had hidden beneath the bed. She was terrified, and not in the way I planned to scare her.
She is going to shake beneath my hands, eyes wide in fear with every coil of pleasure I’ll draw from her body. She’ll be afraid that her body will combust from every orgasm I rip from her. I palm my cock, hard and aching through my pants, but I force myself to look away from her bed. A small picture sits on her dresser, facing the bed, and I pick it up, tilting it to see it clearer from the moonlight shining through the window. Jessand Maeve are grinning, and I recognize it was taken the night we met.
After her new security system is installed, I’ll be able to watch over her whenever I want, but that’s still not enough for me. She is worried about Oliver without even realizing something so much more dangerous will be prowling and waiting to strike. I stop when I see a dirty pile of clothes on the floor and pick up the bright red panties made of lace. I stuff them into my pocket, excited to see her round ass in the air with these framing them.
Forcing myself to leave isn’t easy, but I take the cat bowls with me and stop back at Garrett’s house. I set the bowls on the front porch and stare at the door, painfully aware that she’s on the other side, sleeping deeper in the house. She will be here longer than just tonight; the front door repairs will take longer than they expect because I changed the order. She needs a stronger door, and reordering the same one was idiotic.
Maeve deserves the very best, and I won’t need to break it down when I have a key. The grin curling my lips is sadistic, but I can’t stop the excitement. I make another stop, seeing Oliver's car parked outside the ridiculous house his parents have bought him. Spoiled little prick. Hiding a tracker is easy enough, but I go the extra mile to slash his tires. Only three, just enough to piss him off. Little worm is going to be inconvenienced every chance I get, and this is just the beginning.
I consider storming inside and snapping his neck while he sleeps, but I won’t give that mercy to someone like him. My entire drive home, I tap my thumbs on the steering wheel, the weight of her panties keeps drawing my attention until I pull them out and hold them in my hand.
I drop onto my couch, easily logging into Garrett’s security system. I erase the video of me staring into the bedroom window, watching for any sign of Maeve stirring, and again when I brought the cat bowls back. Why did she feel so safe with him, yet squirmed and fidgeted when I had her on my lap? We were both strangers, yet she seems to be comfortable with him.
“Fucking boring,” I mutter to myself. I pull my hood up over my head, drawing the strings tight as I yawn and stretch. Maeve’s panties are clutched firmly in my palm, and I smile to myself as I stare down at them through the small gap in my hood. A door creaking draws me out of my perverted thoughts, and I shove them in my pocket, leaning forward as I listen carefully.
“I’ll grab you a glass of water, baby,” Al says softly. His door shuts behind him, and his figure emerges from the hallway. I sit forward and rest my elbows on my knees, pinning him with a glare. He stops once he notices me and glances down at his boxers, the only scrap of clothing on him.
“Hussy,” I tsk, slowly standing as I turn to head for my room.
“Jess is here.” His words are a whisper, and I stop in my tracks, glancing at him over my shoulder.
“Are you trying to fuck this up for me, Al?” I ask him with more tension in my voice than I intended. If Jess sees my face, then she can point me out to Maeve, and I’m not ready to have our game spoiled. Al puts his hands up in a placating manner.
“She’s staying in my room, and we’ll be gone before you go prancing after your, uh, I’m not even sure what she is to you.” He frowns.
“My wife, she just doesn’t know it yet.” I grin to myself, waving at him over my shoulder as I once again head towards my room. In case Jess gets nosy, I’ll need to be extra cautious. I wouldn’t put it past her; these groupies are all the same. Except for my Maeve. I keep my sadistic smile as I lock my door behind meand don’t bother turning on any lights, able to navigate the room easily with how plain it is. A large bed sits on the far wall, with dark gray silk sheets on it. I flop onto my back and stretch out, yawning into the silent room. It would be so easy to close my eyes, but I can’t sleep yet.
I force myself to my feet so I can grab my laptop from my desk. The screen comes to life as I sit down and pull out my phone. Sneaking a picture of Maeve’s driver’s license was out of the question for now, but I was able to pull a lot of information from her restraining order. One thing in particular has been thrumming through my veins since I discovered it.
“I wonder if she knows the power in her name,” I mumble, pulling up the hospital document that helped her to get the restraining order in the first place. The images alone make my stomach twist—pictures of her face swollen and bruised and dried blood crusted to her nose. But nothing haunts me like the dull and broken look in her eyes. They were flat and hollow, and Oliver is the one cause behind that. My laptop creaks, reminding me that it isn’t Oliver's throat in my hands, and I relax my grip, forcing myself to breathe as I look at the name signed at the bottom. The letters are shaky and unsteady, but I can see it just fine.
“Why would she go by her middle name with her first one perfectly defining my muse? Thalia, you and I are going to be fucking perfect. I can’t wait to show you.” I finish my search, digging into the crap security system Garrett uses so that I can look around the house. When I’m confident she’s resting safe and sound, I get up and stretch my neck, taking satisfaction with every pop that sounds. I slowly open my door, listening to make sure the lovebirds are in their room before I slip out. The house is nearly silent, and I cringe when I hear the familiar thump of a headboard banging against the wall, followed by a shrill cry coming from Jess. Or possibly Al. That thought alone makes mechuckle to myself as I close the door behind me and hum as I walk back to my car.
I wonder how Maeve would feel if she knew just how closely I’m watching her, lurking in every shadow? Would my little muse be turned on, afraid, or excited? I hope it’s all of the above.
Chapter 5
