Page 34 of The Games We Play

“Sexually? Yes,” I respond and find a pair of black leggings and a black shirt.

“Going somewhere?” The bed rustles in the darkness behind me. He shuffles into his clothes and the blue light from the mask illuminates the room.

“I have a thing I need to take care of,” I say casually and grab the knife from the bathroom floor. I spin and X takes up the entire doorway, his hands braced at the top of the wooden frame and he leans forward slightly. He’s shirtless and his muscles pop perfectly at this angle.

“A thing?” He tilts his head to the side and angles down at the knife.

“Can you teach me?”

“Teach you what?”

“I need to find someone. Someone who touched what is yours today.” The moment I say the words, he closes the distance between us in one step and pins me against the wall with bruising force.

“What are you keeping from me, Puppet?”

“I envisioned killing him at the restaurant. Watching the life drain from his eyes. Using his blood to make a masterpiece.” I twirl the blade in my hands and glance back up at the dominating man before me.

“Your wish is my command. Does this person have a name?”

“Jackson Henry.”

He nods and backs up a step. “Tomorrow night we will hunt.”

I pop out my bottom lip at being told I have to wait and X pulls it down with his thumb. “You need to rest Puppet and frankly, so do I. Tomorrow we’ll feed the beast inside both of us.”

Nineteen - Tess

I’m shocked when Xopens the passenger door of his car outside my house the following night. I never thought about where he came from…or lived. Or what his life looked like outside of our fuckery. I was even more shocked when he made me change into something…less. My dress cups my ass and the shin-high black boots give a badass vibe.

Who is this man? And do I want to know? Better yet, do I already know him and simply haven’t connected the dots?

I’ve already incriminated myself with two deaths on my hands. The headlines for the newspaper are calling it a possible serial killer in the area. I hit my two-person body count in one night. Now I’m going to add a third…or more.

Maybe I can come up with a cool name for myself. Something catchy.

“Puppet,” X says and I look over at him. “You’re shaking the whole car.”

He places a hand on my legs and I stop them from bouncing. “Sorry. I’m…excited.”

“Close your eyes,” X orders and I listen. He grips my chin and pulls me toward him. His lips crash into mine, full of passion and lust, and he stokes the flame that burns constantly for him in my soul before pulling away.

“Here.” I open my eyes to see him holding a mask out to me, similar to his. The one from the Haunted Nights I left in Ryan’s car.

“How did you get this?” He makes a sound that I assume is smirking and clicks on his turning signal.

“I have my ways.”

I slide it on an and glance at X. Two people with the same image, stalking their next victim.

He puts the car in park and outside the car window are my classmates, dressed up as anything from sexy deer to spandex Spiderman suits. And somewhere in there is Jackson.

“How did you know about this and that Jackson would be here?” I ask.

X leans back in his seat. “Remember, find the target, isolate the target, feed the beast within,” he says, like he is giving driving lessons. I laugh and slide my hand along the hilt of the hunting knife sticking out from the top of my boot.

“Say less.”

It doesn’t matter how he knew. All that matters is that I’m about to have the time of my life.

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