the lower cabinets of the double-sink vanity. He found the vanilla-scented body

lotion I left behind and popped the top. He brought it to his nose, closed his eyes,

and took a deep whiff. His low groan was disturbing, but what sprang to life just below his belt left black spots swimming in my vision.

I wasn’t some naive virgin, but the erection pressing against Ellery’s jeans had a nauseating mix of fear and revulsion clawing at my throat. Helpless feminine fury ignited. Fucking perverted psycho bastard!

“Breathe.”

Holding tight to Kayden, I fought my way free from the anger ignited by Ellery’s perverse pleasure. With my emotions under lock and key, Ellery’s

reactions rose to take their place, his twisted desires upping the creepy factor to

the nth degree. It was unsettling to have his emotions drown out mine. Whether

it was due to the depth of his depravity, or to the connection I shared with Kayden, the intensity of the wrongness left me rattled.

Warmth stroked over my shoulder, down my arm, and brushed over my

wrist, Kayden’s touch a physical anchor against Ellery’s pull. “Whatever he’s doing, it can’t touch you.”

Hearing the thread of anger in his voice made me realize how hard must it be

for him not to be able to see exactly what was happening. Yet I knew that if Kayden witnessed Ellery debauching my body lotion, it would not end well. As

for me, I was definitely getting another scent.

“I’m okay.” My voice shook, undermining my words. I held tight to

Kayden’s wrist and straightened my spine. “I’m okay.” This time it came out more convincingly.

Ellery sauntered past and I flinched back, even knowing he couldn’t touch me. “He’s moved to the closet.”

Kayden’s grip tightened on mine.

I watched happenings in the closet. Ellery had his back to me, but from where I sat I could glimpse his profile. It was enough to tell he was studying the

gun safe. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the bullet, then he slowly dropped into a crouch. His mouth moved, and the resulting buzz of sound

indicated he was talking to himself. His head cocked as he examined the safe’s

dual lock that required both an electronic combination and a key.

Kayden shifted, his arm brushing mine, and the image sharpened. Ellery’s

lips twisted into a cruel smile, and then I heard him, clear as a bell. “Cautious girl, aren’t you?”

Whatever he said next faded into that annoying buzz. He adjusted his crouch,

and half turned to face the bathroom. I leaned a little harder into Kayden. The present faded and Ellery snapped in focus as if I had found the correct setting on

a lens.

Ellery held his palm up, the bullet sitting squarely in the center. “I know what you can do, Cyn.”

His words sounded right next to my ear, and I couldn’t stop from darting a

quick look over my shoulder. Past and present collided, the mirror behind me nothing but a gray haze. When I turned back, Kayden’s normally bright image was a smudged, dull glow. Panic rose, but I jerked my attention back to Ellery.

“You, on the other hand.” His other hand rested on the safe, deep, raw

scratches marring his wrist. My mind stuttered and I almost missed his next words. “You don’t have a clue as to what I can do.”

He stared in my direction, a disconcerting knowledge adding an unholy light

to his gaze. My heart raced, and my breath escaped in short gasps. I could barely

feel my hold on Kayden, but I still gripped tight, praying it was enough to keep

me safe from the evil in front of me.

Ellery’s eyes darkened, the blackness swallowing his pupils. It was terrifying

to watch. The air around him shimmered like a heat wave. For the briefest moment, my hold on the past bent and quivered, and my grip on Kayden slipped

under the paralyzing fear. Ellery’s image morphed into a twisted nightmare, hinting at the evil within. The demonic visual twisted the world sideways, and when it realigned, the bullet in Ellery’s hand was gone.

Frozen under the primal fear flooding my mind, I couldn’t look away. Ellery

blinked, and the color slowly returned to his eyes. He canted his head side to side as if cracking his neck. The movement unlocked the terror holding me in place. I sucked in great gulps of air as I blinked away the lingering images.

His mouth moved, but the words got lost in the past. His head jerked, his gaze darting past me, as if he heard something. A few seconds later his lips tightened, and his brow furrowed. He muttered something I couldn’t catch.

Abruptly, he slammed the heel of his palms against his temples in two short strikes, then shook his head.

At his weird behavior, tiny spider feet raced along my spine. He was acting

weird. Weird enough to wonder if his mental deterioration was happening faster

than we assumed.

He raised his head, and a carefully composed smile was firmly in place. He

got to his feet and brushed his now empty hands against his jeans. The move flashing the damning scratches that decorated his wrists. Scratches Kelsey left behind when she tried to pry his hands from around her neck.

Violent fury cascaded through me, all sharp edges and bright intent.