“Fine,” he huffs.
He slams the door behind him, leaving me panting.
How can something so good turn bad so fast?
“What’s wrong, Little Ghost?” an ethereal voice asks, sending a chill racing down my spine. “Did he leave you unsatisfied?”
Adrenaline kicks in. I dart for the exit, but before I reach it, a figure launches from the darkness. He must have been lurking in the shadows all along. I squeal in pain as he grabs my hair to yank me backward. His gloved hand covers my mouth.
“Don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be,” he purrs.
It’s Two.
I recognize his voice.
I try biting down, but he’ll feel nothing through his thick gloves. I struggle while he chuckles. His muscular arms contain me in a tight embrace, restricting all movement.
My eyes widen as the art room door opens. I hope—pray!—that it’s Nate. Instead, a man wearing a black tuxedo and matching ski mask steps inside.
“Do you really think you can run from us?” the new arrival questions. “There’s nowhere for you to hide. You’re ours now. Our toy to play with. We’re not letting you go.”
Two’s breath tickles my ear. “If I take my hand off your mouth, are you going to play nice?” I manage to nod against his grip. Slowly, he withdraws it. His fingers move to rest around my throat. He grips my neck, applying light pressure to my windpipe. “One wrong move, and I’ll snap your pretty little neck. One wrong sound, and you’ll be as dead as our last present.”
“Who are you?” I gasp. “What do you want?”
One laughs. “So many questions, Little Ghost…” He saunters forward. His eyes scan my body, taking in every inch. “That’s not what I’d be asking if I were you.”
“What then?” I ask.
“I’d ask what we’re going to do to you.”
I notice something around his neck, and my stomach churns when I realize his necklace is made up of small skulls instead of beads. Just like the one left on my pillow. My breathing quickens as One runs a gloved finger along my collarbone. His hand dips lower, skimming over the boning of my corset. He keeps going, gliding down the soft fabric and tainting it with every stroke. I swallow hard when he reaches the top of my panties. The warmth from my mound radiates through the fabric and makes him pause before he meets my heat.
“What are you going to do to me?” I breathe.
One laughs, tearing his hand away.
“We’re going to destroy you, Little Ghost. I thought you’d have realized that by now,” he says. His mask is mere centimeters from my face. “And when we’re finished breaking you, you’ll be thanking us for it.”
I can’t let them see how afraid I am. I won’t.
“Screw you,” I snarl, sounding braver than I feel.
“There she is,” Two says. “Our brave little ghost. You handled yourself well tonight. I wondered whether I should step in.”
“I don’t need your help,” I say. “I don’t want it.”
“I think you’re going to very much want what we’re going to give you,” One says. “In fact, you’ll want it so badly that you’ll stop trying to forget about us. Ignoring us won’t work. It won’t send us away. You’re fighting it, but I know you want our attention. You enjoy it. You crave it, and soon, you’ll crave us.”
“Never,” I spit. “You’re crazy.”
Two sighs, speaking to his friend, “He’ll be sad to have missed this.”
“What’s wrong?” I rebuff. “Did your British friend not make it out of the asylum?”
Two cackles, tightening his grip on my throat. “We’ll send him your regards. Although, I’m sure you’ll be seeing him very soon.”
My stomach churns.
