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Saint stood up; his fists clenched. “Enough with the riddles, Raine. Why don’t you just let the grownups talk.”
“What are you talking about?” Poe asked, ignoring Saint.
Raine was unstable, that much was clear. He loved getting a rise out of all of us. He was a creature of chaos. But he also knew more about this house and everyone in it than we did. I sensed that about him the second he ambushed me in the shower.
Maureen pulled the blanket tight around her body as she shivered, watching the tense exchange between us. What a fucking introduction she was getting tonight.
I inserted myself in the middle of their circle, spinning around slowly to take stock of each of them. “I have had a really fucked up night. I’m angry and exhausted, and I need a hot shower. And you arguing with each other is not helping.” I held up my hands and wiggled my fingers. “See, I’m all right. Still in one piece. Still alive.”
Raine spun me toward him. As we locked eyes, my stomach knotted. Something close to sadness flickered in his eyes. “No, Bailey, you’re not.”
Maureen jumped to her feet, the blanket falling to the ground. “What is going on?” She cried out.
My heart raced as the guys moved in closer, their chests heaving as all eyes fell on me.
Raine took my hands in his. “They can’t kill you because… you’re already dead.”
Raine
Halloween Eve. One year ago.
Pacing. All I’ve done is pace since those little fucks burned down my house. Soon, the city would tear it all down. Condemned. What a fucking joke. This town wouldn’t even exist if not for me.
I should have never married Daisy Thorn. That fucking cunt. I might as well be cursed in that room with her lovers. Once this house was gone, I’d have nothing. She could’ve at least had the decency to let one of them impregnate her before she offed them. Instead of having everything I own default back to the city.
For over a hundred years, I’ve tried to figure out a way to get that damn door open. But I remember the night she cursed them. Only a member of a founding family from Ever Graves could break it. It was impossible. There was no one left in this town from Ever Graves. Or so I thought. Until that night last summer. When I saw her. She had those same violet eyes that all the Bishop women had.
I knew this was my chance. If she freed them, she’d be tied to them forever. She could save this house.
But then the fire broke out.
I tried to stay close to her but there was so much chaos. The halls were filled with smoke and flames and drunken teenagers running for their lives. I even tried to call out to her, but my voice was lost amidst the screams.
By the time I caught up to her, it was too late… I found her at the bottom of the stairs, her body contorted in a way no one could survive. Still, I checked for a pulse.
Nothing.
The Bishop girl was dead. And we were doomed.
Fuck.
I watched from the window as they hosed my beloved house down. I waited while they combed through the rubble. Hours and hours of searching. And when they were done, they left empty-handed. There were no stretchers. No ambulances. No dead Bishop girl in their arms.
What the actual fuck?
I sprinted down the stairs only to find a pool of blood at the bottom.
Fucking hell.
So, back to pacing. I stalked up and down the hall, back and forth, losing my fucking mind for over a year.
And that’s when I heard them.
At first, I thought I was imagining it. I ran to the window and looked down. A grin spread across my lips.
On the front lawn stood two drunk women in slutty Halloween costumes. And one of them was her.
There’s my little snack.
