Chapter 13: Hideaway: Chapter 13

Devil’s Night

Six Years Ago

Tossing my keys on the desk, I closed the door and walked across the room, pulling the curtains closed. I peeled off my sweatshirt, kicked off my shoes, and dug in the top drawer of Damon’s chest of drawers, pulling out some boxers and a T-shirt. Yawning, I walked into the bathroom, the white marble floors feeling cool and smooth under my feet.

My brother wouldn’t be home until at least dawn. Was Kai still planning to go to The Pope tonight? He must’ve gotten that key after our conversation this morning, before he knew that he’d run into me again.

I hated the idea of him going without me.

After tossing my clothes into the hamper, I changed into the shirt and boxers, washed my face, brushed my teeth and hair, and walked out of the bathroom, hitting the light on the way out.

I crawled onto the bed, grabbing the pillow and hugging it as I reached up and pulled the chain on the lamp. The room went dark, the subtle hum of the air conditioning flowing through the house soothing me. My breathing slowed and my heartbeat calmed.

Kai was probably really angry with me. He had no reason not to believe Damon. He probably felt betrayed, lied to, and pissed off.

Pissed off enough to think he damn well should’ve stayed with the devil he knew rather than the devil he didn’t. Maybe he’d be sharing that hotel room with Chloe tonight.

And for some reason, I liked the ache that caused in my chest. Anger was easier, and I almost wanted him to go running to her. It would make him the same as every other man I knew. Self-serving, insincere, and greedy.

If he failed me, I could go back to not minding not having him, right?

I had Damon, after all, and here, I was queen, at least. He never brought girls to his room. He never made me leave, so he could have privacy. This was our space, and no woman was above me in his life at home.

I just had to find contentment in everything I already had.

I yawned again, my eyelids growing heavier and closing.

But then I heard the door behind me open and the floor creak.

I turned my head over my shoulder, tensing when I saw a tall, black figure moving toward the bed. I could just make him out, removing his shirt as he stood over me.

“You’re home already?” I said, remaining still.

But he just replied, “Shhh,” and I didn’t press further as I turned my head back around, staring off into the dark.

He didn’t turn on the light, so I guess that was a good sign he didn’t want to yell at me.

I felt the bed dip behind me, and he laid down, making it creek with his weight.

I don’t know why he wanted me here. I mean, I slept next to him more than I didn’t, but I knew he was mad, so it was better just to give him his space tonight.

But then I felt him at my back as he rolled toward me and snaked an arm around my waist.

My lungs got smaller as I tried to take in more air, and I could feel the vein in my neck pulsing.

What was he doing?

His breath hit my neck, and before I knew what was happening, he was kissing my skin and reached under my shirt, taking my breast possessively in his hand.

A cry caught in my throat. “What are you—”

His hand moved to between my legs, and he gripped me, holding me tight as he thrust his hips against my ass.

“Damon, no!” I cried, scrambling to push his hands away and get off the bed.

But he held me tight. Pushing me onto my back, he climbed on top of me, pinning my hands above my head, and slamming his mouth down on mine, rough and possessive.

I tried to scream through his attack as tears spilled from my eyes. No, no, no, please! Don’t do this. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to twist my head away. Nausea rolled through my stomach like an avalanche. No, no, no…

Until he forced his tongue in my mouth, and I paused, realizing something was off. I froze, inhaling deeply through my nose.

No Davidoffs. Not even a hint of any cigarettes on his skin, his breath, his hair…

I fought, screaming into his mouth as I ripped my arms out of his grasp and slapped him across the face.

“You’re not Damon?” I barked.

He grabbed my wrists, securing them above my head once again. His hot breath fell on my face, and I breathed fast and shallow, his weight on me too heavy.

“And you’re not fucking him like he said, are you?”

Michael? What the hell was he doing here?

“Who are you?” he asked.

“Get off me,” I growled, squirming. “What are you doing?”

It would be just my luck for one of the guys—or worse, my brother—to walk in right now and look for some way to make this my fault.

He released one of my wrists, leaning to my left, and the next thing I knew, the light was on, and Michael Crist was staring down at me.

Releasing my other arm, he propped himself up, letting his eyes drift down my body. I quickly pulled my shirt back down.

He smirked. “No wonder he keeps you under wraps.”

He rolled off me, onto his back, and laid at my side, sliding an arm underneath his head.

“I sometimes feel possessive of Rika Fane like that, too,” he said, turning his gaze on me. “Although she’s not my sister.”

I dug in my eyebrows, suddenly on alert. How did…

He knew?

Or maybe he just suspected, and I’d confirmed it when I freaked out during his little gamble.

He half-smiled, probably amused by the confusion on my face. “You look just like him. I don’t know how Kai doesn’t see it.”

“I’m not his sister, and—”

“Damon’s business is Damon’s business.” He sat up, swinging his legs off the bed and standing up. “But you’re ruining Kai’s night, kid.”

I rolled my eyes, sitting up as well. “Well, I’m out of the way now,” I pointed out. “You and your bestie can go have a ball.”

He laughed, holding my gaze. “I have a better idea,” he said, giving my thigh a slap. “Let’s go into the city.”

And then he reached down, grabbing my ankles, and yanking me to the end of the bed.

“What?” I slid over the sheets, falling to my back. “No!”

But my protest fell on deaf ears. He hauled me up, and my heart caught in my throat as he threw me over his shoulder, and my whole world turned upside down as I dangled more than six feet off the ground.

“You can’t!” I thrashed, making him stumble. “I’m not even dressed!”

“Jesus Christ!” he barked, falling into the nightstand. I shot my hands out to the wall to keep us from falling.

“You know, I’m getting tired of telling assholes to let me go,” I told him.

“So, don’t. You know you want to go.”

Something fell on my back, and I grabbed at it, seeing the sleeve of his hoodie he must’ve picked up from somewhere.

He started walking, and I got farther away from the bed, the nightstands, and the bedroom.

“Come on, man.” I whined, his shoulder digging into my stomach. “Damon won’t like it.”

“He won’t know.”

Yes, he will! My brother would be where they were. How would he not see me?

He wrapped his arms tightly around my thighs, and I stopped fighting as soon as he began descending the stairs. I didn’t want him to drop me.

He stopped, and I felt a draft on my legs as he opened the door at the bottom.

“Seriously,” I begged. “I don’t want to go. Damon would kill me if he found me with Kai again.”

But he just ignored me.

“Come on!” I yelled, kicking and hitting his back. “Don’t be an asshole! I don’t want to see him anyway. The pansy-ass barely put up a fight when I left, not man enough to come for me himself, huh?”

A smack hit my ass, and I yelped. The burn spread out, making me wince.

He walked for the stairs, and I caught sight of my father’s bedroom door opening, light pouring into the dark hallway.

“What the hell is going on?” He stepped out, immediately meeting my eyes as I hung upside down and twisted my head to see him.

“Gabriel.” I panted as Michael halted. “He just came into Damon’s room. I don’t want to go with him.”

My father just arched a brow, but I lost sight of him as Michael turned around to face him.

There was silence, and I stayed frozen, waiting for Michael to put me down.

But he didn’t.

Instead my father spoke up. “Gates are locking for the night,” he informed Michael. “You take her out of this house, you can’t bring her back until dawn.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, frustration boiling my blood. I wasn’t surprised. What did I expect him to say when a half-naked guy sneaks into his house to kidnap his daughter?

Absolutely nothing.

I heard the door close again, and Michael spun around, descending the stairs as his body shook with laughter.

“Model father, that one.” He squeezed the back of my thigh. “I think you’ll actually be safer with me.”

We made it down the stairs, and he opened the front door, walking out.

“Listen,” I said, seeing the driveway as my hair blocked the rest of my view. “I can’t go with you. He’s already angry enough.”

“I told you, he won’t know you’re there.”

And then I was swinging back upright, my feet finding the ground.

My head swam with dizziness, but I saw him open the back door of his G-Class and all of a sudden, music and laughter poured out. I looked in, seeing the car packed with people. No one I recognized.

“Make room,” Michael told someone.

He then turned and pushed me into the seat. “Ty, do her face,” he said to someone and the door slammed behind me.

I looked around, finding people piled in the back seat, girls on laps, while the front had two bodies sharing the passenger seat. Michael moved around the front of the car, heading for the driver’s side. People glanced at me, but they were smiling and still carrying on their conversations.

Drunk already, I would assume.

Michael climbed in the car, tossing his shirt and hoodie on the people to his right, and started the car.

And then a girl was on me.

I sucked in a breath, looking up as she straddled me. She was in short shorts, but she also wore a brown leather jacket, boots, and a scarf. Her face was painted like a sugar skull. Black rimmed her eyes, and she had beautiful designs of flowers across her temple.

What was she doing?

Raising some kind of spongy wedge, she dabbed it in some white makeup and came at me.

I reared back. “What are you doing?” I yelled over the radio blaring Save Yourself in the background.

“She’s disguising you,” Michael said as he put his car in drive and pulled around the driveway, heading down toward the gate. “Cooperate.”

She smiled, her burgundy lips spreading to reveal pearly white teeth. Leaning in, she started dabbing make-up on me again.

“It’s almost midnight,” she whispered excitedly. “Dia de la Muertos.”

Day of the Dead? It lasted from Halloween until after All Saints on November first, I knew, but why…

Oh, the make-up. It hit me why she was wearing face paint and what she was doing to me.

And the candles in the cemetery, too.

I didn’t know much about the holiday other than a parade I’d seen as a child in Meridian City.

“Are you cold?” Michael asked, and the next thing I knew, a sweatshirt came flying into the back.

I snatched it up. Awesome. All I had on was the thin boxers and a T-shirt.

And then my Vans came tumbling back at me, too. He grabbed my shoes? I hurriedly pulled everything on, immediately feeling warmer.

“Where are we going?” I tucked my hair behind my ears, making it easier for Ty to work.

Her eyes gleamed. “Hide and seek.”

Bellows and cheers instantly hit my ears as Michael swung open the double doors to The Pope.

It took less than forty-five minutes to get into Meridian City, the streets all the way from our seaside village to the bustling metropolis were now dark and quiet for the evening.

At least thirty people loitered in the lobby as I looked around and instinctively pulled up my hood—or Michael’s hood—worried that the face paint wasn’t enough to disguise me. Groups of teenagers were scattered amongst black columns that stretched up to the dark, high ceiling with ornate woodwork and crystal chandeliers. A few sat on sofas and cushioned chairs or stood near the large windows boasting beautiful white drapes and tall potted plants and baby trees nearby.

I’d never been here before. Our father rarely found a reason to bring us—or Damon, anyway—to the city. I knew it was in danger of closing, though. The stadium that was supposed to have been built years ago never happened and business was suffering. It really was a shame it was so empty and unappreciated for its grandeur.

An arm hooked around my neck, and I saw Michael standing next to me. He still had his shirt off.

“You got nice legs,” he said, staring around the lobby. “You might be safe from Damon at the moment, but don’t think your safe from the rest us.”

He then looked down at me with a challenge in his eyes.

“And don’t think I don’t know how to take care of myself,” I retorted. “I don’t mind hitting a girl.”

His lips spread wide, and he laughed under his breath. Michael didn’t seem like a guy who ever gave much away, but I felt a tug of pride that he seemed to find me amusing, at least.

Everyone fanned out, the girl who’d done my make-up taking my hand and dragging me toward the elevators. Michael and a few others followed.

“The game is,” the girl stated, “a cross between Hide and Seek and Seven Minutes in Heaven.”

Seven Minutes in Heaven? I groaned inwardly. I’d already played that tonight.

“You hide, and if you’re found,” she continued, “you and him get to have a few minutes alone.”

“And if I don’t want to play?”

“Why wouldn’t you?” Michael pushed the button for the thirteenth floor and the doors started to close. “It’s fun.”

Yeah, fun. You’re telling me my brother plays this with only the hope of copping a feel in a dark closet? They were either lying or extremely sugar-coating this game for my sake. I had no interest in this.

“How many ‘seekers’ are there?” I looked back to the girl, ignoring Michael.

She shrugged. “One for each of us. Sometimes more.”

More?

The elevator ascended, but my stomach was sinking. Chills spread up my legs, and my mouth went dry.

Then Michael leaned into my ear, whispering, “You don’t want Kai to find someone else, do you?”

My lips quivered with a little snarl. “There’s no guarantee he’ll find me.”

“Then make sure he does.”

I licked my lips, immediately tasting the black cherry lipstick the girl had painted on. She released my hand as the doors opened, and I watched as everyone brushed past me, shooting out of the elevator.

But I took my steps slowly.

The hallway was dark and loud, an abrasive Fear Factory song growling over the chatter, and I clenched my fists, suddenly feeling nervous. I didn’t want to get into a situation I couldn’t get myself out of. I’d actually feel a little more comfortable with David here.

I laughed to myself at the irony.

I followed everyone as they trailed down the hallway which was littered with more people and room doors wide open like this was one big, communal space.

The wall sconces glowed with dim light, but the overhead chandeliers were off, so it gave the floor a haunting, cave-like feel. We drifted down past open doors, music coming from every room, and it seemed more like a dormitory than a hotel. They must’ve bought out the entire floor.

Masked teenagers filtered in and out of dark rooms lit only by candlelight, and I looked in one room, seeing several dancing slow and heated. Two girls were making-out, hands everywhere, and another girl straddled some guy on a chair.

If my brother saw me, I’d blame this on Michael. It was his fault I was here.

“Alright!” someone shouted, and I looked up. Will stood on top of a cooler outside a room, looking back and forth down the hallway.

A dozen or so people started to gather, and I kept my hood up and my head down. I hadn’t seen Kai yet, but Michael was still next to me, so I felt less unsafe. I smelled the room service drifting out of the room to my right and a hunger pang hit me. I hadn’t eaten since…the bread and soup this afternoon?

“To keep this workable, we’re going to limit it to rooms 1312 through 1322,” Will instructed. “Ladies, you know the drill. Find a hiding place in any of those rooms, and make it a good one. You can change hiding spots, but if you’re caught in transit, you’re caught.” His face was adorned with a knowing smile as he looked around to the guys, warning them. “And if you’re told to back off, you back off.”

A few chuckles went off around the area, and I immediately took a step back. Where was Kai? If he wasn’t playing, then I didn’t want to. And for Christ’s sake, what if my brother was the one to find me.

So, what do I do? Find somewhere safe to loiter until this shit was over or go now and find the best hiding spot?

And then I saw a dark figure step out from one of the rooms behind Will and slowly approach. As the glow of the sconce fell across his mask, I wanted it to be silver.

But it was black, and the vein in my throat started throbbing. It was my brother’s. I cast my eyes down again.

“You have one minute to hide,” Will said, and then he looked at the guys, “and then you get fifteen minutes to lock yourself in a closet with your buddy’s girlfriend if you beat him to her.” Laughter exploded, following some catcalling. “When everyone hears this horn,” he held up a foghorn, “time’s up and you come out.”

He tossed the horn to a nearby kid, probably a lower classman whom they pegged to do their shit work, while Will jumped off the cooler and pulled his mask over his face. I guessed he was playing, too.

I started walking backwards, taking step after step. I wasn’t going to just hang here and let Damon see me, but I had no intention of being found, either. I knew the perfect hiding spot.

“Ready?” Will called out. “Set?”

I looked to my right, seeing room 1332. A little farther.

“Annnnnnd…go!” Will shouted.

I didn’t wait to see what anyone else was doing. Spinning around, I ran down the dark hallway, hearing laughter and squeals behind me as I raced to 1312, pushed open the door, and quickly whipped my head left to right to see if anyone was in here.

But it was empty. Yes.

Feeling the vibrations of the other girls running down the hall, I ran to the bed and gently climbed on top, stepping behind the three rows of soft, cool pillows propped up against the headboard. Holding the pillows up and keeping them in place with one hand, I slid behind them, lying down across the top of the bed with my back to the headboard. I sank behind the pillows, quickly reaching out and feeling them to make sure they still stood propped up, not giving me away.

My heart raced, and my lungs seemed like they were getting smaller. I could barely breathe out of fear. I wasn’t so sure I was scared, though. It was just the chase.

But I knew I had a good hiding spot. It was in plain sight.

One morning when I was younger I woke up to Damon in a fit. Somehow, during the night, I’d gotten burrowed back in the pillows, and I was still pretty little at thirteen. Skinny. He’d woken up that morning and didn’t see me in the bed, big as it was. He thought I’d gotten up already. However, when he went downstairs and couldn’t find me, he’d searched the house and the grounds, calling for me.

By the time I woke up to all the commotion, and crawled out of where I’d been sleeping the whole time right under his nose, he wasn’t happy.

I think he was a little scared that day. I also realized he might actually care about me.

I heard the door swing open all of a sudden and bang into the wall, followed by giggles. I tensed, stopping my breathing.

“Behind the drapes!” a girl whisper-yelled. “I’ll see if I can fit in the cabinet.”

Another squeal followed, and I heard shuffles, the squeak of a hinge, and a thud. The music still drifted through the walls like a subterranean echo, and I clenched the pillow at my side, trying to stop my shaking.

And then I heard it. Howls from somewhere distant.

And then there was thunder. Like the heavy footfalls of a dozen guys charging down the hallway.

I closed my eyes. Five rooms. Unless they ripped this place apart, they wouldn’t find me.

Doors slammed against walls, sounding like they were being kicked open, and deep voices called out, but I couldn’t make out their taunts. More doors opened, each one sounding closer than the last until finally…

The door to my room was thrown open, the doorknob hitting the wall again, and I jerked in fright. My blood raced, and I froze.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” a smooth voice teased.

And I heard a giggle from somewhere in the room.

That’s it. Lead him to you. I just had to stay here until they found the others and got busy doing whatever they wanted to do.

Various sounds drifted in from the hallway, as well as a yelp from some girl in another room. Someone had been found.

“Check in the closet,” someone else said.

There were two in here.

I kept as still as possible, but then I heard a shuffle, and I trained my ears, listening.

“No!” One of the girls laughed. The rings on the curtain slid down the rod, and I knew one of the guys had found the girl in the drapes.

“Piss off,” she snapped. “I don’t mess around with juniors.”

“Well, lucky for you,” he replied, “I like older women.”

I heard a scoff from her, and a chuckle from him.

“There’s a girl in the cabinet. Go for her,” she told him.

Just then, wood hit wood, and it sounded like the metal handle of a cabinet jiggling. “Bitch!” I think the other girl hiding in the cabinet exclaimed.

“Hey, thanks,” the other dude said. I heard some more shuffling and protesting, a door slamming shut (the bathroom?), and then footsteps.

Silence followed, and then the voice of the girl who’d been hiding in the drapes spoke up. “Don’t tell anyone about this.” The bed dipped under me, and I jostled side to side, my eyes going wide with alarm.

“Don’t worry,” he told her. “You’ll want to tell everyone about this.”

And I felt them both moving and shifting on the bed.

I held onto the pillows, trying to make sure they stayed covering me, as they started going at it. Heavy breathing, constant rolling, kissing, and a few moans from her, and then suddenly the headboard hit the wall.

Jesus! For a girl who doesn’t mess around with underclassmen, she was certainly giving this her all.

My body rocked back and forth, and shook my head. I couldn’t stay here while they had sex.

Turning onto my stomach, I dug my elbows into the bed and pulled myself off the side, sliding onto the floor. I crouched down on the carpet, still for a moment and listening for their moaning and kissing.

It was still going.

They didn’t notice me.

Crawling around the bed, I headed for the door to see if the hallway was clear. Everyone had to have been discovered by now.

But just then the hotel room door swung open again, and a young guy, his mask pushed up on top of his head, immediately spotted me.

“Well, well.”

Oh, hell, no.

I pushed myself to my feet and barreled past him, running into the hallway.

And right into someone else’s arms.

I screamed, drew back my hand, balled my fist, and popped the guy right in the face of his mask.

He stumbled back. “Shit!”

Pulling off his mask, he let it drop to the floor and grabbed his nose with both hands.

Will Grayson.

I backed away, maintaining my distance. But I kind of wanted to laugh. These people had been grabbing me all night. It was only a matter of time.

A few hoots of laughter filled the hall, and Will pulled his hands away to check for blood.

“Can’t you take her, man?” someone shouted.

People laughed, but I kept my eyes on him, ready. I wasn’t getting caught.

“Well, what do you want me to do?” He held out his hands, arguing with his buddies. “I can’t hit her back!”

“No, you can’t, can you?” I egged him on.

And the crowd went wild.

He shook his head at me. “You little shit.”

And I smiled even though my hands were shaking. This was more comfortable for me. I was used to rough housing with guys.

But he inched forward, threatening, “I’m going to get you in a closet for that.”

“Not if you can’t catch me.” Then I sucked in a breath and stepped forward, launching my fist toward his face, but he knocked it away. I quickly shot my left palm up under his jaw, sending his head jerking backward.

Oh, shit, it worked!

He stumbled and growled, grabbing me by the sweatshirt, yanking me in, throwing me over his shoulder. Not again!

“Is that the only way you can win, huh?” I barked, squirming as the bystanders reeled with enjoyment. “You pick up the guys you fight, too? Or do you like your men bent over, is that it?”

Laughter filled the hallway, but then I was flying again, and I squealed, my ass crashing into the ground. What the hell?

The wind was knocked out of me, and I coughed, trying to get in a breath.

Will came down on top of me, pushing me onto my back and grabbing my wrists. I fought, struggling my burning muscles against his hold, but he eventually forced my hands above my head, holding them there. I wasn’t strong enough. Son of a bitch.

I shifted under his weight, the crowd howling around us as he pinned me to the floor.

Will grunted, the stench of beer all over his breath as he struggled to keep hold of me. “This is what you really want, isn’t it, runt?”

“Eat shit!”

I thrashed under him, but he just busted up laughing.

They were all laughing. My brother was right. This was what it always turned into with women. I was reduced to being on my back, no doubt where Easy Cheese here thought I belonged.

I belted out a growl, throwing all my weight up into him, and flipped him over. I landed one punch, knocking him in the nose, before he threw me off. I landed on the ground, and we both scrambled to our feet, him holding his nose and wincing.

I launched for him again.

But someone caught my sweatshirt from behind and an arm wrapped around my waist, lifting me up off my feet.

“Whoa, there, Tiger.” The broad chest at my back shook as the man behind me laughed.

I breathed hard, jerking my head to get a look.

I came face to face with a silver mask. The hood of his black hoodie was down, but I met his eyes as they gazed down at me and saw his dark hair.

Kai.

He looked ahead, jerking the chin of his mask. “What the hell are you doing?”

I looked to Will, his head tilted back, his finger under his nose, and blood trailing down to his top lip. “Getting the shit kicked out of me,” he grumbled as the crowd’s amused chatter surrounded us. “She’s a scrapper.”

“I only got hits in, because you let me,” I spouted off. “Let’s finish it. For real this time.”

Will rolled his eyes, and Kai tightened his hold, but I heard his breathy laugh behind me.

“No one wants to see you hurt, babe,” Kai said, lowering my feet to the ground and coming to stand at my side, looking down at me. “You okay?”

I pushed my hair behind my ear, pausing when I realized my hood had come down. I glanced left to right. Please, let Damon not have spotted me here.

I pulled up the hood, covering myself as much as possible.

“Are you from another school?” Kai asked. “This is a Thunder Bay party. Are you supposed to be here?”

He didn’t recognize me.

The make-up. I’d forgotten about the make-up I was wearing.

Plus, I was in my pajamas and a sweatshirt, different clothes than at the cemetery.

I started to back away.

The longer I stayed, the bigger chance I’d be discovered. It was time to leave.

“Wait a minute,” he said, stepping toward me. “This is a private party. Who are you?”

My gaze flashed to the people around the hallway, seeing them watching us.

“I can call you a ride,” Kai offered, slowly advancing as I backed away. “Do you have a car? How old are you?”

“Kai, let her go. Come on!” Will called, heading into another room.

I took a step, holding Kai’s eyes and my heart pounding. “Old enough to have seen and heard worse,” I told him.

And he stopped mid-step.

A shot of thrill swelled in my throat, and my legs burned with the urge to run.

He stared at me, his chest rising and falling faster. He remembered. I was scared he wouldn’t. Maybe I’d dreamed the confessional this morning, and it never really happened.

But he cocked his head, and it felt like he was zoning in.

Shit.

I took another step back, past the crowd, and kept going.

“Michael brought me here.” I swallowed, my mouth so dry. “It has nothing to do with you. I don’t even want to be here.”

I stumbled over something on the floor, looking away to find my footing and quickly looking back at him. But he just stayed rooted in his spot, watching me.

Wasn’t he going to say anything?

I continued backing away, afraid to turn my back on him.

And then he took a step.

I sucked in a short breath. “What are you doing?”

He took another step. “Giving you a head start.”

My stomach leaped. “But I don’t…I didn’t want to play!”

“Oh, you’ve been playing with me all night,” he said, a growl lacing his voice. “Run. Because I turn into a very different person when no one’s looking.”

I lost my breath and whipped around, taking off. The lobby. There would be people in the lobby. And desk clerks. I raced to the end of the hall, past the elevator, without looking back and bolted through the Exit door leading to the stairwell.

Bright light blinded me, and I grabbed onto the railing as I ran down the stairs, swung around the bannister, and leaped down the next flight. I heard the door above slam shut, but then a loud gong echoed in the stairwell, and I knew it was the sound of it swinging open again.

I choked on a breath and swooped down another flight, jumping stairs as I did. But I couldn’t not look back. Twisting my head over my shoulder, I searched for his shoes or any movement, but nothing. Not even the sound of steps being taken.

But then, all of a sudden, he landed with a loud thud on the landing one short flight up, having leaped over the railings and two flights.

He straightened his bent knees, standing tall again, and his dark eyes pierced me through the horrid mask. My heart lodged in my throat, and I squealed, racing faster down the stairs and feeling him on me like the clothes on my back.

The muscles in my legs burned, and sweat covered my brow, but God, I was excited.

I wanted him to catch me.

Launching myself down, down, down, the stairs, I could hear his jumps getting closer and closer. But I didn’t look back. I didn’t want to see him coming. I just wanted to feel it. Feel his arms wrap around me and danger take hold, forcing me to face it.

I sucked in short, shallow breaths, every inch of my skin desperate to be grabbed, squeezed, kissed, bit, and sucked. God, what was he doing to me?

Reaching the lobby, I swung open the door, catching sight of black out of the corner of my eye and smiling, almost delirious, because I was so fucking scared he was damn near right behind me.

I ran through the door, into the lobby, and looked around, seeing a few stragglers still sitting around the dimly lit hotel. No clerk stood behind the desk, and I swung around, not seeing any security guards or janitors or anyone. Not that I was planning to run for help, but I assumed what Kai would or wouldn’t do depended on who was watching.

Whipping around, I stumbled backward, watching the door and the white wall of the stairwell visible through the small rectangular window suddenly turning black as his form covered it.

A raging heat burned low in my belly, and I stopped breathing as he swung the door open and stepped through, locking eyes with me.

He seemed so much bigger now. He was already tall, but I was scared, and the fear had me gauging his size to mine. He could probably wrap his arms around me nearly twice.

Do it, I dared him with my eyes. It had been a fucking long day, and I was so tired, but fire coursed through my veins, never making me feel more alive. I wanted to see everything he was made of. Quiet, pondering, stoic, and reserved Kai Mori. Come on. Fuck with me.

I dipped my tongue out, licking my lip and tasting the sweat on my skin.

And he shot off, rushing me.

I gasped, spinning round and darting for the first doors I saw. I ignored the attention we’d attracted from the people sitting in the lobby and ripped open the door, rushing through.

It slammed behind me, and I dashed across the ballroom and scrambled behind a set of black drapes, just as the door swung open again.

I clamped my hand over my mouth, desperate for air, but I couldn’t stop gasping. It was too loud. The door shut again, and I couldn’t hear anything else, my heart was pounding in my ears so hard. Was he in the room?

Did he give up?

I wanted him to find me, adrenaline from the chase heating my blood, but I was so scared, too.

“You feel it, don’t you?” he called out.

I closed my eyes, shaking uncontrollably.

“I’m already inside you.”

My clit throbbed, aching, and I reached down, holding myself between my legs. Oh, God.

“I know you’re in here,” he continued. “I see the drapes moving.”

My hands fell away, landing on the window seat behind me as I fell back and stared at the black cloth in front me.

“I want something that’s not mine,” he growled, and I knew he was right there. “But we’re not here, are we?”

What?

“We don’t exist, and this isn’t happening,” he told me.

I bit my lip to keep from smiling. Damon would never know, and what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt me.

“We’re not here,” I whispered back, following his lead.

And then the drapes swiped open, and he came at me, mask off, and grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me in.

I whimpered, my mouth crashing to his, and suddenly he was everywhere. Squeezing my neck, a hand gripping my ass, my arms around his neck, and his narrow waist pressing achingly hard between my thighs, I struggled to get closer. I wanted him all over. His mouth covered mine, and we kissed, going hard and fast, eating each other alive. He tasted like everything I’d ever need.

I bit his lip, dragging it out between my teeth as I fumbled with his belt buckle.

“I only want you,” I breathed over his mouth, our soft lips taunting each other. “It’s not like that with him. I only talk to you.”

He pushed me back, shoved up my sweatshirt and shirt, and started sucking on my breast as he nestled himself between my legs, grinding forcibly.

I closed my eyes, groaning. Fire blossomed on my nipple and spread over my skin. Oh, God.

“We’re not talking right now,” he gritted out, moving to the other one. His tongue was so hot and lit a bonfire between my legs.

Jeans open, he grinded on me, and I rolled my hips to meet him again and again. The thick ridge under his briefs teased my clit and as it rubbed over it again and again.

I cried out, and he planted a hand over my mouth, dry-fucking me as he leaned in close and bit my ear.

“I can feel it,” he whispered, his other hand gripping my hip. “You want me, don’t you? You want this?”

I nodded, grunting, sweating, and rubbing harder, trying to chase my orgasm that was cresting.

“I’m gonna sneak these legs open and fuck you in every corner I can get you in.”

Groaning again, I turned my head and snatched up his mouth, so fucking hungry. His words. God, his words. “Fuck me,” I breathed out. “Chase me, steal me, and fuck me. Hide me, I don’t care.”

He grabbed the back of my head, pulled me into his chest, and dry-fucked me harder, both of us panting and grunting and finally kissing as we both came. An electric current jolted and spread down my legs, my pussy so warm as I got wetter.

“Mine,” he groaned.

I slipped my hands under his hoodie, feeling his wet back and buried my face in his chest as the orgasm faded away, and my heart pulsed in my ears.

We stayed there, still and hot, but unable to move. I hooked my legs around the back of his and just breathed in as seconds turned into a minute and a minute turned into two.

His fingers threaded through my hair, and he forced my head back and my eyes up as he leaned down and kissed me softly. Deep, long, and slow, I could kiss him forever.

“Meet me at the Bell Tower tomorrow,” he told me.

But I shook my head. “I can’t so soon. I’ll be on lockdown.”

“I’m not waiting.” He leaned down to kiss a trail to my ear as he reached between my legs to rub me. “You either find a way out, or I’ll find a way in. I don’t mind doing this behind another set of drapes if we have to.” And then he slipped his hand down the front of my sleep shorts and the tips of his fingers inside me.

“Ah,” I squirmed back. It hurt.

But I quivered, too. There was still so much to feel.

“I like chasing you,” he said, a hint of a smile on his lips. “I like our foreplay.”

I nodded. “I like it, too.”

“Hide with me, then?”

Hide from my brother? Hide from David, Lev, and Ilia and sneak around with Kai?

I nodded again. “Okay.”

He kissed me, and while I knew we weren’t being realistic—hiding each other wouldn’t last—I couldn’t help but be excited for the promise of more stolen moments. I just wanted to be with him. I wanted to feel him.

Lost in his lips, I didn’t notice the music at first. A sprinkle of raindrops all around, and I almost looked out the window to see if it was raining, but then I heard the tune quickly follow. The tinkling high notes of a xylophone or some such instrument that sounded like a haunted lullaby hung in the silence of the ballroom.

We both stopped and looked up and then around.

And I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Suddenly, a beautiful woman came twirling out from around the stage, onto the dance floor, her black ballet slippers laced up her ghostly white, but strong, legs, while her midnight hair danced around her. She stepped and spun like a dream to the eerie melody, her tattered, but fancy black costume like a swan around her, adorned with feathers and sparkles. She was dream-like.

“Do you see what I’m seeing?” Kai whispered.

“Yeah,” I replied, unable to tear my eyes away. “It’s the dancing woman.”