In the garden, the man in the mask found me.
Or I found him.
But it sure seemed like he was waiting.
Mr. X was leaning against the great oak tree that I’d seen Ren sleeping on my first day at Beast Academy. A masquerade-style mask sat on his face, red and black from the looks of it beneath the dim light. It covered his forehead and went down to below his nose, leaving his handsome jaw exposed to the night air. I tried to make out anything familiar in what I could see, but there was nothing. This man exuded mystery in a way I’d never seen. My heart skipped an actual beat when he spoke.
“Hello, Fiona.”
Have you ever been attracted to a voice? His was a throaty purr, something like a cross between Enrique and, dare I say it, Ren. He was tall, but then again all of the Council boys are. Too thin to be Theo, I guessed, sizing up the shadowy stranger.
My heart froze.
What if there’s another boy that I don’t know about?
He moved and the moonlight caught the edge of his cape. When I was younger, my father bought me a video game that I spent hours playing. I remembered that my favorite character in the game had been a master thief who wore a mask, like the man before me. My hands trembled by my side as I took in the quiet, still air around us.
The Council manor was sketchy, but this man was dangerous. I could sense it. My back hit the brick wall behind me. If I screamed, would somebody come get me? Dracus was still pissed. Theo was off this planet in his own thoughts. Jasper and Enrique, I hadn’t seen much of. And Ren? Ha! He was the last person who would save me.
The man in the mask grins, and I can see he has sharp canines but handsome lips. A dangerous combination. He took a step forward. The hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention, each one a silent scream to run back inside and lock the door behind me.
“Tell me about the mark on your back,” he said. Said wasn’t right. Commanded. My skin erupted into goosebumps, and I stubbornly stared back at him. A hateful voice gnawed at the back of my head. You idiot! What were you thinking coming here all alone? You should’ve told Theo!
Right, after I yelled at him and said I didn’t trust him? I skipped dinner tonight.
No. I took a step forward and steeled myself. This was for my parents. For the house that I’d never return to. “Tell me about my mysterious new school.” My eyes narrowed. “Or is it a prison, Mr. X?”
Mr. X’s grin was almost contagious. He ran his tongue across his bottom lip for a brief instance. A throb of desire broke through my fear for a brief moment. I pushed that feeling far, far away. Not the time, hormones. This guy could murder me.
“I need you to tell me about the mark on your back, Fiona,” he whispered in a husky tone. Before I can stop him, he closed the gap between us with a speed that I couldn’t see. I gasped as he leaned in towards me, pushing me against the wall. His touch sent a wave of heat through my body.
Worse.
He kissed me.
He kissed me until I was breathless with desire.
“I’ll be back,” he promised.
And then he was gone.
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