Page 42 of The Reveal
What I mean is, I stagger away from him in shock, his words like a poison in my blood. I throw myself back down that spiral staircase, not sure how I don’t fall and break my neck. My body doesn’t feel like mine, and I don’t know what to do about that. I feel ... disfigured by Ariel, by the way he kissed me, by thenick.
By the way I came apart of my own volition, rocking myself against his cock the way I did. Like he’s one, big, giant sex toy.
Shamelessly. Mindlessly.
No, not mindlessly. That’s the worst part. Much as I’d like to blame it on vampire compulsion or whatever magic it is they do,Ikissedhim. I started it.
I knew exactly what I was doing.
I make it down the set of stairs on the other side of the polished wood floor, through that dark, empty room, and I don’t even look around. There’s some part of me that doesn’t care if more terrible things leap out from the shadows.
On some level, finally getting eaten alive would be an excellent way to not have to deal with the ramifications not only of my actions here tonight but of what he told me.
But the thing is, I still don’t want to die.
And I want to know what’s happened to Augie, with the same level of ferocity.
I make it outside again, into that alley, and walk a whole lot slower than I should. As if I’m daring something to come for me.
Yet somehow, I know that nothing will.
Sure enough, nothing does.
I stand next to my truck, holding my breath. I can hear the rush of the river nearby. I can hear shouts in the distance and what sounds like drums. There’s a loudboomsomewhere, and I can see shadows racing away from it on the other side of the river. And then, moments later, more shadows racing toward it.
I gulp in some air and make myself look up. Up high to the roof of the MMA school, where I can see a figure silhouetted against the stars.
That form of his like marble, etched into my own skin like a new tattoo.
Like he’s altered the shape of my body with his.
So there’s nothing to do but climb into my truck and aim it home.
I barely see the road and all the usual blockades and other issues as I drive. I do it all on dangerous autopilot, out of downtown Medford and into the fields that used to be suburbs. Into Jacksonville, where curfew is in effect and no humans are on the streets. Samuel makes sure of it. But that means it can only be monsters congregating beneath the old neonJville Tavernsign, so I take the early turn and head up the hill.
Then I’m driving up toward the house, and I’m home, but when I turn off the truck’s ignition, I don’t go anywhere. I sit there.
I sit there for much too long, trying to figure out what the hell I’m going todo.
Or how I’m supposed to feel about all the things I just did. And didn’t do.
I’m not sure which is worse. That I didn’t manage to get a straight answer from Ariel about where Augie is or what’s happened with him orwhythe vampire king knows who he is anyway. Or the fact that I rubbed myself all over that giant marble cock of his, let him notquitebite me, and liked it.
More than liked it.
I almost feel like maybe I finally experimented with some of those drugs that everyone else in my family seems to like so much. I feel ... loopy. Outside myself. Something likefuzzy.
I don’t normally sit in the truck, not out here in the yard like a target. Certainly not in the dark. I normally don’t go out in the dark at all. Inormallytake the curfew Samuel imposed seriously, because it’s just common sense. The fewer humans wandering around at night, the more of us make it to morning.
I know that I should move quickly, get myself to safety, lock myself away from the monsters.
Though that feels less imperative than usual when I was just scaling one like a jungle gym.
I sit where I am. I stare up at the house and the lights beckoning from the attic, where I left them on before I took off. I look to the side and see more lights from the three cottages, announcing that there are people at home.
I try to find this comforting. But I’m long past that.
At first, I didn’t believe him.
