Page 57 of Alamort

It dazes him for a split second. All it did was successfully piss him off further. My limbs failed to convey the strength of my words. Self defense is clearly not my strong suit. He redoubleshis efforts, his hands squeezing tighter, forcing my head to collide with the forest floor. Light flashes behind my eyes with each impact. Not the heavenly kind or the light at the end of the tunnel. The one when seen from a sudden explosion. The contact with the uneven ground sends a sharp jolt of pain coursing through my head, spinning and twirling like I’m back on the teacup ride from that fair Addi and I went to years ago, where I got sick and threw up. I might now. My neck rises from the ground, only to collide with a sharp rock.

I bite my tongue to stifle a scream. Years spent with my dad coming into play. Do not show him weakness. My eyes squeeze shut, keeping my tears at bay. It’s probably not that bad. I’ve had worse.

His hands fall away, and I sputter for air. Choking on the very thing I need, nice. Wincing, I drag myself towards a nearby tree.

Where the fuck did he go? My eyes dart around the dark to find him kneeling on the forest floor, his hands up in surrender. His intense, pitch black eyes pin me with a piercing glare. Behind him stands River, who I thought at least got away, with a knife to his throat.

“River!” He says pleasantly. The low growl in his voice that he used with me is gone. Back is the charming playboy façade. “That’s a dangerous toy you have there. Why don’t you put it down? This has nothing to do with you. This is between me and the little Pyro.” His glare returns.

Where did she get that knife? She’s a magician tonight.

“You don’t get to hurt my friends, Ben.” Her voice is low and deadly, void of emotion. She’s capable of murder, since that’s the reason she’s here. But would she do it for me?

“She’s not your friend, River.” He growls, switching back to the asshole he truly is. The more enraged he becomes, the more the knife buries itself into his throat, leaving a crimson stain beneath its tip. I feel like I’m witnessing something important,but the oxygen hasn’t fully returned to my brain, so I’m just a bystander in this conversation.

“Do you know what she did?” He seethes, still staring at me.

River shakes her head sadly, the only emotion she’s showed thus far toward him. “No, Bennett. Hatred, revenge, and lies blinds you and your brothers.” He stops pushing against the knife. Searching my face for something.

“What do you mean?” His voice falters and cracks. For a second, he looks like a broken boy, looking for answers. He’s like me. River’s head snaps to me, remembering she has an audience.

“Go home, Priya. I’ll take care of this.” She says it so gently, a contrast from the night we’ve had. Somehow, my legs manage to get underneath me. The last thing I want to do is pass out in the middle of the woods. I wince, the world spinning in circles again. My hand grips the closest thing next to me. A tree. The bite of the bark on my palms keeps me grounded, limping my way back to my dorm.

The room has an off-putting smell that lingers in the air. The fragrance of wildflowers has faded, now overpowered by the fresh scent of new furniture and clothes she purchased to replace the belongings destroyed in her room. Another one of Bennett’s “great ideas” that fell flat. Sometimes, I wonder if she experiences emotions differently, like I do. Her reactions to most of the things happening around her are subtle, almost nonexistent.

The resistance of the hardwood floor makes the new sitting chair scrape against it, creating an unpleasant noise while I position it across from her bed, near the vent. Opening effortlessly, the vent reveals the carefully hidden camera I placed before her arrival at Cox, remaining untouched. Good girl. Curiosity killed the cat. As unaffected as she seems with the Demons’ scheming, I don’t think she’d be too pleased with my cameras. It’s keeping her safe.

Well, her finding out would be fun. When anger consumes her, she transforms into a fiery kitten, spitting and hissing. There’s always been an unexplainable tension between me and animals, as if they could perceive something about me that others couldn’t. But she’d be my favorite animal. A sudden lowthump echoes once in my chest, soon giving way to a serene, steady beat.

The cameras have a few blind spots, but not in areas that raise concern. One points at her bed. The camera abruptly cuts off, leaving the kitchenette hidden from view. In the loo, an additional camera was installed, aimed at the shower and vanity area, intentionally excluding the toilet to ensure privacy. To monitor any movement near the front door of her room, I positioned the last camera above the closet. It would be crazy to not know who’s coming and going while she’s away.

My teeth grind at the thought of the mysterious man dressed in black who’s been leaving her cryptic letters. Deep down, I have a feeling of who is sending the messages, but the identity of the messenger remains unknown. Once I capture him, I’ll be able to extract more information abouthislocation. He’s my lead. The moment the Demons uncover what I know, it will feel like stepping into one of those scandalous novellas that Bennett is so fond of. Dramatic.

With a grating sound, the chair slides back across the floor as I return it to its rightful position. To hide the tainted mess, the decorators set out to rearrange the room, their goal being to convince others it was now completely “new and improved”. I did Priya a favor by putting it back to the way it was when we first met. Everything else was in my control, except for the frustratingly unchangeable colors. The new down comforter has a soft, off-white color rather than the cream color I had grown accustomed to. The designers stuck to a selection of neutrals.

On the bright side, when I rip her virginity away, these sheets will be a perfect souvenir. Where would I display it? The living room for the rest of the Demons to see? Just thinking about their reactions brings a smile of satisfaction to my face. Who will be lost in the plot first?

With a click, I shut the blinds using the controller, plunging the room into complete darkness. The door creaks open. A thin beam of light from the hallway slices across the floor, illuminating the bed in the center of the room. Her silhouette engulfs the doorway before enveloping us in a suffocating darkness. Can’t chance ruining the surprise of who I am. This makes it more fun, the guessing and wondering. There’s a part of her that isn’t curious about my identity. She likes the anonymity.

My superior scotopic vision is a skill that sets me apart from the basic human. It doesn’t make me inhuman, but it makes me better. I find it simple to transmit sensory signals that create real visual perceptions. After spending all my life in darkness, I adapted.

Like a hunter stalking its prey, I keep quiet. I walk with a gentle tread, my steps almost weightless for a man of my size, deliberately hugging the edges of the room where the darkness offers the most concealment.

She uses her cellphone as a makeshift flashlight, searching for her bed in the center of the room. Her movements are hesitant and strained. The light casts eerie shadows on the walls, but never shining directly on me. As I approach her from behind, she freezes in place. Ahh, she’s aware someone is here.

I pounce, using her fear to my advantage. Even though I consider her to be different, I still expect her behavior when I cover her mouth with my hand. The other dips under her black hoodie, pressing her warm body close to mine. I bury my nose into her hair, hoping to catch a sweet dose of my childhood, a simpler time in my twenty-eight years of life. What I smell causes me to pause. There’s a faint hint of flowers and coconut underneath the powerful scent of smoke and lighter fluid. The aroma reaches my nostrils, a wicked smile stretches across my face.

“You’ve been busy, love.” At my voice, her body relaxes. Her trust is dangerous for both of us. I’ll only be her damnation. “Fuck, you’ve got me bloody hard as a rock. You smell like sin and bad choices, Little Monster.” I push my hardness into her. The friction of the jeans creates a pleasurable pain, making me groan into her hair and her breathing speeds up. Fear and arousal can often be confused with each other. I hope it’s a combination of both.

Her self-preservation pleases me, she should fear me. But a darker part of me, needs her to need me. Crave me like the very air she breathes. I want to be so deep in her mind that there isn’t a second she doesn’t think about me the way I’ve been obsessed with her.

“Tell me what you did.” She won’t yell for help. She wants me here. I quench the loneliness she hides so well. We can both be lonely and misunderstood together. She’s mine.

My hand moves down to cup her throat. I want to feel her pulse quicken when she tells me. My fingers skim on her new necklace of ownership.

“The diamonds suit you.” She leans into me.

“I-I burned down one of the Demon’s cars.” The admission catches me off guard, and I burst into a full belly laugh.

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