Page 154 of Sinister Legacy
My lips spread into a smile, despite my sniffles. “Too soon, King. Too soon.”
TEN MONTHS LATER
The air is scented with popcorn, hotdogs, and cotton candy. Shrieks to my left from one of the rides cut through the tinny music.
Concealed behind the shadows of a nearby tent at the town’s local carnival, I watch Keira laugh with Cassie near the concession stands. My girl is mouthwateringly beautiful in a red-and-black-gingham, zip-up, flannel jacket, boyfriend jeans, and red Vans. I love that her style is so effortless. Keira doesn’t go out of her way to be attractive; she just is.
Bringing the Polaroid camera up to my face, I take a picture. It whirs as I lower it and follow Keira with my eyes, watching her bite into a hotdog while Cassie laughs around a mouthful of fries.
The element of surprise is something I keep alive with Keira. She loves the chase, but the chase can easily become predictable.
She thinks I’m away with my family for an important dinner tonight—a dinner she whined that I didn’t invite her to.
What she doesn’t know is that I planned it, so I could catch her unaware. My little devil.
She’s not at all who she portrays to the world. I find it fascinating to watch her blend in, like the color green in an army print. But she’s not green. Instead, she’s every shade that makes it up. Hiding in plain sight.
She’s become more comfortable with herself in the last few months and is finally able to let go of some of her guilt over her legacy and the conflicting emotions inside of her. Of her own urges that are growing stronger. That’s why I’m here tonight. To offer her a safe outlet for her darkness.
Stalking her has become one of my favorite pastimes. If I thought the urge to watch her from afar would dwindle now that she’s mine, I was mistaken.
I like the anticipation and the hunt.
I like knowing I’ll soon be hurting her in the best way possible, just waiting for her to sing the safe word.
To this day, she never has.
No matter how deep we dive into her complex, twisted, and downright dirty desires, she never puts a stop to it.
I slink out from the shadows when they walk closer to the edge of the carnival, near the tree line. I was hoping she would walk this way. My opportunity to strike finally comes when Cassie turns away to discard their garbage. Finding no trash can, she excuses herself.
Keira doesn’t follow. Instead, she fishes her phone out of her jacket pocket. Soon after, my phone vibrates in my jeans. She’s so fucking pretty when she’s unsuspecting. I thought that maybe she would figure it out, but she never did.
Sneaking up behind her, I clamp a hand over her mouth and drag her away from potential witnesses, deeper into the shadows. Her survival instinct kicks in straight away, and she begins to fight me. I’m sure she knows it’s me and can smell my cologne, but it’s instinct to fight and lash out when ambushed.
Concealed by the trees, I haul her deeper into the cold night, until the sounds of the carnival are far away.
Until I’m sure she can scream, and no one will hear her.
Tossing her to the cold, hard ground, I plant my feet and adjust my skeleton mask. She rolls over, and her hair sticks to the tears on her cheeks as she stares up at me through those wide, blue eyes that cause my dick to jump in its denim confines.
Sliding my hand out from my pocket, I flip the blade up with a twist of my wrist and drag my tongue over my bottom lip beneath the mask. “What’s the safe word?”
I ask her this every time. No matter what, I need her to know the power is in her hands.
“Reaper,” she breathes out, keeping her eyes locked on the sharp blade in my hand beneath the silvery moonlight.
Tossing the camera to the ground, I pull out the second item from my pocket. “See this, baby? It’s a dog leash. Now run like a little pet. If I catch you, I’ll leash and strangle you with it while fucking your ass.”
In the next second, she’s up on her feet and running blindly into the woods. She didn’t even have to think about it.
She knows I’ll hurt her and make her bleed.
My breaths are visible in the cool autumn air as I set off jogging. I can hear her up ahead, zigzagging in her panic.
Imagining her thrumming heartbeat, I inhale the stirrings of her unbridled panic deep into my lungs.
“I can taste your fear, baby,” I call out, stopping to listen. As a twig snaps to my left, I set off in that direction. She’s close; I can sense it.
