It was everything I thought it would be. She was fucking magnificent. Hell. It was even better than any fantasy I could have conjured up. Her darkness reached out, brushing against mine like we were one and the same. Her warmth stimulated me, and it only made me crave her that much more. For a long time, I’d been numb.
Like Savannah, my life hadn’t been rainbows and sunshine. But unlike her, it cost me my life. Now here I was—completely indebted to the dollmaker to help bring suffering to those who had wronged her. But there was no denying the magnetic pull I felt for Ember. There was something about her, something that wasn’t easily shakable.
My gaze raked over the woman I’d become enamored with. Dark lashes cast shadows over her sharp cheekbones, her chest rising and falling with deep, even breaths. She was bare from the waist down, and even though the blanket covered her, that knowledge made me want to fuck her all over again.
Isabella’s ear-shattering scream pierced through the air, causing my head to whip towards the door. Killing childrenwasn’t something I took pride in, but she was apart of this family, and Savannah had been quite clear in her instructions. It didn’t matter how much I liked Ember or how much I didn’t want to harm Isabella. This was what I’d agreed to.
I crept out of the room and made my way down the hall until I reached the nursery. The baby was tucked away in her bassinet, a white blanket swaddling her. Through the material, I could see her feet kicking and moving about as she worked to break free. Her lips were tugged down to form a pout as she let out another sharp scream.
She was going to wake the entire house if she continued at this rate. Gripping the lip of her bassinet, I gently rocked it. The baby continued to cry for a few more moments before her eyes locked onto mine. Slowly, she began to calm down. Within seconds, she was out again.
She was so peaceful.
Something twisted within my chest—a shred of guilt that was nearly impossible to ignore. But I had to. There wasn’t another option.
Before I could contemplate it further, the doorknob of the nursery jiggled. Blowing out a breath, I summoned my shadows, commanding them to conceal me.
Marcella entered, her hair a mop on the top of her head as she glanced around the room. The nightlight in the corner flickered due to my unwanted presence, but she dismissed it and made her way towards the bassinet. Her expression was unreadable as she peered inside, her eyebrows tugging together in confusion when she realized the baby was still sleeping.
The scent of alcohol wafted off of her, perfuming the air with its heavy odor. My upper lip curled in disgust. Her children deserved better than her. She was nothing but a trophy wife, pretending to the public that she was a good mother who had her shit together. It couldn’t be further from the truth.
Marcella tugged her silk robe tighter around her body, a shudder rolling through her from the chill my presence brought. She glanced around the room again, almost as if she could sense me lurking within the shadows. Pressing her lips together, she spun on her heels and hurried from the room, gently pulling the door closed behind her with a soft click.
Killing Fabian was fun. But I had something specific planned for Marcella. She didn’t justtryto kill Savannah. She betrayed her.
***
I followed Marcella around most of the day while I waited for Ember to get home from school. There was nothing interesting about her daily routine. She played on her phone a lot, drank, took care of the baby. And by that, I meant she did the bare minimum.
Motherhood wasn’t something she excelled at in the slightest, but it was no surprise to me. Everything Marcella did was done with an underlying motive. She was a venomous manipulator who posted everything about her life on social media and exploited her children for personal gain. For now, she was basking in all the sympathy from her followers regarding herinnocenthusband’s death.
The highlight of my day was when Ember finally stepped through the door. She barely spared her mom a glance before stomping to her room and dropping her bag on the floor. She kicked off her shoes and flopped onto her mattress.
I watched her for a while. She valued her daily naps almost as much as she valued bedtime. The girl slept a lot, which was only slightly annoying. But I could look at her as she did nothing all day, so it wasn’t that frustrating. When her breathing grew deep and her muscles relaxed, a small smile tugged at my lips.
Silently, I crept out of the room and drifted down the hall to Isabella’s nursery. There were a million things I’d rather do than what I was about to, but this was what I signed up for. Backing out wasn’t an option. A trickle of guilt coiled around my gut, rising until my chest ached with it.
I swallowed nervously as I approached the sleeping baby, taking in her long lashes and elevated breathing. She was beautiful—much like her sister, but way younger. She was innocent in every sense of the word.
Blowing out a breath, I summoned my shadows, relishing in the way they twisted around my fingertips. I’d make it quick and painless. If she had to die by my hand, I wouldn’t make her suffer. The shadows slowly protruded from my being, inching closer and closer to the sleeping baby with every second.
Guilt threaded through my chest, but there was nothing that could deter me. My loyalty was more important than my morality. This entire family deserved to pay for what had happened, and by the time I was done, their bloodline would cease to exist.
Just as the shadows closed in on Isabella, the familiar creak of the bedroom door stopped me in my tracks. My shadows fell away instantly, and I quickly spun on my heels, coming face to face with Marcella. Her eyes were as wide as saucers, her lower lip trembling as she took me in for the first time.
“Marcella…” I trailed off, my voice slightly strained from the guilt still battling my mind. “It’s about time we’ve been formally introduced.”
Chapter Twelve
A familiar tune drifted through my subconscious, lulling me from the depths of my slumber. I didn’t want to wake up though. Sleep was safe. Sleep was familiar. And sleep was peaceful. I didn’t want to have to face my mom again after finding out about the vile things she’d done. She was callous, vindictive, fake, and vile.
When I told her about what nearly happened at the party, she was so excited for me to attend, she barely batted an eye. Instead, she blamed me for it. Sleep was a much better alternative than looking her in the eye again.
With as much courage as I could muster, I attempted to let sleep take me again. Just as my eyes grew heavier, a sharp scream penetrated the darkness and jolted me awake completely.
My chest heaved violently with the shock of the sound, my mind racing as it worked to piece together what had just happened.
The last time I heard Mom scream like that, it was when she found Dad dead.
