𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨?
Newly graduated accountant Cordelia Ashling has come to terms with the fact that her life is destined to be absolutely uneventful. That is until her parents gift her wi...
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The veil of night covers the cemetery on the side of the house. The ancient trees are like the bones of fingers reaching for the silver clouds in the sky. I don't remember why I chose to come out here. It's the last place I thought about visiting after what happened on my first night in the house. The tombstones with crosses adorning the top and life-size statues of angels with massive wings give me the creeps. There are too many places to hide.
I turn on my heels and pick up my steps, hurrying toward the manor. This isn't a safe place for me. Things are lurking in the darkness, creatures I know little about. Beings that want to kill me.
The snap of a twig is like a shotgun in the silence. Despite the risk, I set into a jog. The consequences of running without my inhaler handy are deadly. But I feel eyes searing into my back. My assumption is confirmed when pounding feet chase after me, out of sync with my pace.
But I remember what I told Elias earlier...I want him to chase me. Maybe it's him behind me. He said he'd do it when it was dark out. Maybe he woke me up to have a little fun and I was just so sleepy I don't remember. That's a little odd; normally I would remember waking up, but who knows on this island?
I slow my steps just a bit, glancing behind me one more time. As I suspected, the figure behind me is very Elias-shaped, and when I turn back to face where I'm headed, a smile is spreading over my face.
I duck behind a tall tombstone and press my back against it, waiting it out. I'm certain he saw me, and in a moment, he'll swing around this concrete wall and pounce on me.
And isn't that what I wanted?
"Come on out, little dreamer. I want to play," he says, his voice a low rumble that sends chills down my spine.
My heart pounds against my ribs and my breaths become shallow. He sounds so dangerous. Of course, he is dangerous. The man isn't a man at all. He is a hunter...a creature that lusts for blood. My blood. He wants to sink his sharp fangs into my delicate skin. My legs squeeze together in an attempt to subside the dull ache between them.
I don't want to come out and make this easy for him though. I want him to find me. I sink down into the grass, but a twig snaps under my butt, and the sound echoes through the empty cemetery. Shit.
"It appears we are playing," he says over the sound of crunching leaves under his feet.
I hold my breath as he moves closer, clenching my eyes shut like he won't find me if I can't see him.
"What is it you pictured, Delia? Am I the big, bad wolf and you're the innocent girl with a basket of muffins for her grandmother? Perhaps I'm the cat and you're the mouse?" Several beats pass without any sound. It is like the entire world has been placed on pause. He appears beside me, crouched to my level. "Or maybe we should just keep it simple, my pretty prey."
He doesn't give me a chance to respond, his large hand reaching for my throat. I scramble to the side, kicking my feet before getting them under me. I bolt through the graveyard, zig-zagging to avoid the headstones.
