Prologue
Ryker
In this town, Halloweenis a bigger deal for teens and adults than it is for the kids going around the neighborhood trick-or-treating.Kayden’s party has always been the event of the year since we were in high school.A handsome, rich boy with his daddy’s credit card who figured out that throwing parties in abandoned houses and places rumored to be haunted was the way to climb the ladder of popularity.
After the first party, which most everyone who attended was tricked into attending, he went from being a shy nobody to the star of our local high school.Everyone kept wanting him around, but I was by his side long before all of that.
It was actually my idea to throw the first party, but it was never my intention to make that known to anyone but the two of us.Every party, we organized together—even those I couldn’t attend.You see, I fell in love with the wrong person, which caused me to spend three years in a psychiatric ward.And this is exactly why tonight’s party is so important.
Three years ago, I would have been so eager for her to attend.I would have done my best to impress her.I would have been designing every minor detail for months to make sure perfection was achieved by her standards.I never wanted to be the center of attention like Kayden, but her attention has always been what I’ve cravedthe most.
She used to be the love of my life but turned into my worst nightmare, all in the course of one night.Our story began the night of that first party.The moment I saw her, my heart skipped a beat.She was beautiful even at that age, but as she has grown, she has become a stunning woman who is impossible to ignore.
She wasn’t always popular either; her popularity was also my doing.I used to buyher everything she desired and drive her around so she could be seen exiting an expensive car.I was throwing money her way every time she asked, making sure she was taken care of since her father had abandoned their family long before I entered her life.In my twisted mind, I believedI could buy myself a place in her heart since she would refuse me in any other way.
Halloween, though, has never been my thing; it was always my friend’s type of entertainment.I mostly enjoyed planning the parties.Tricking everyone into attending the first one by blasting a post with some made-up story of paranormal activity in the building where we hosted it was the highlight of my night until she showed up.Then, in the following years, I only helped to make sure she would keep coming.
It all started as a prank, a sick way to get the attention of those Kayden wished to be around, but it turned into this great event that got bigger and better every year.Every party has a rumor tying it to the place where it is hosted.A story that is mostly folklore.Sometimes, we would build it up for months before entering the property to simulate the existence of the paranormal, manipulating people to believe the stories told by generations growing up in our town.
Parties always get out of hand in this town so quickly anyway, but Kayden’s are prone to include some drama, precisely because we plan them that way.And if you are someone like me, you end up in the middle of the chaos sooner rather than later.I was fully planning to stay locked in my room for the entirety of the party,but when Kayden texted me that she would soon be here, I couldn’t resist.It has been three years since we finished high school.Three years since that bitch made sure I was put away for good.She wasn’t successful, though, and this time I am out for blood.
I'll admit that maybe burning her car wasn't the best move, but she deserved it.I did make sure she wasn't inside; I'm not that much of an asshole.Calling the cops on my ass wasn't the best move on her part, either.Now she has a target on her back, and I'm itching for some fun since I was released a month ago.
Apparently, in this town, being known as a little too fire-friendly is enough to get you three years in a psychiatric facility.Of course, they pushed for more severe punishment, but my lawyer was clever enough and more than well-paid to make sure I just got the easy way out.If you can call spending three years in a psychiatric ward an easy way out, that is.
My mind keeps drifting, over and over again, between the twisted smile on her face the moment the handcuffs locked around my wrists in the hallway of our high school with everyone watching, and the flames rising high as her car burned the night before.
It’s the same smile she has now as she climbs off her motorcycle and removes her helmet.She upgraded from that pathetic silver car that barely started to begin with.I did her a favor by burning it.
She looks better than I remember, her skin glowing under the lights placed around the old manor's yard.She's wearing a black dress and black horns with a matching tail attached to her dress that wraps around her curvy hips.Her hair reaches her waist, and blonde streaks blend into her black curls.Her blue eyes have that signature smoky look she always used to wear, and her lips are the usual shade of red.The only thing making her makeup suitable for the night is the bloody tears dripping down her cheeks.She has ink on her arms and legs,that’s new.And I can’t stop myself from thinking about how hot she looked driving that motorcycle in a tight black minidress and high heels.
Her gaze drifts to me, but it's clear enough from where I'm standing that she has no idea who I am.Good, I don’t need her to avoid me.She's already interested in me.I can tell by the way her eyes linger on my tattoos while she bites her bottom lip.She says something to her friend, and I see him looking at me.I recognize him.He was always the stereotypical gay teenage boy, with too much confidence for his own good.He was loud and took up space in every room he entered.He was hard to miss and hard not to like, but he never outshone his best friend.Good for him.I always liked that guy.The ones who know who they are from an early age are set for great things, in my opinion.It's a curse to spend your years searching for yourself, but Aiden seemed to always have an idea of who he was, and I had admired that about him from the moment we met.
Even though you wouldn't believe it looking at me now, I wasn't always a good-looking guy.I wasn't ugly, exactly, just not someone who would captivate your attention.I've changed a lot since the last time she saw me; I didn't have any ink, and I was significantly skinnier.I had nothing to do but work out for the past three years, avoiding any type of trouble and making sure I would be released on time.It wasn't a prison, but it was not much different from one.
My roommate had a talent for tattoos, and we had paid the guards and nurses enough money to look the other way while he got to practice on my body.It was one way to spend our time, and even though they didn't exactly approve, since we both had been behaving like perfect young men, they chose to look the other way.
When Kayden told me about hosting the party here, at first, I had planned to use it for my revenge, but as the months passed, I decided against it.I wanted to buy this house since before I got locked away.She has always loved it; every time we passed by, her eyes would glow as she took in the building.With all the rumors still circling the town about my name, I wasn't that eager to be in the spotlight, so I made sure that it remained a secret that I own it now.No one has seen me since I got back—I've kept mostly to myself—but everyone expects me to be here tonight.That's why I had planned to leave clues for her to believe I am without actually attending.
Liv is approaching the door, where I have been standing next to Kayden.Her eyes are fixated on me, and I take the opportunity to ignore her and go inside.She doesn't like being ignored; that alone will make it so easy for me to get her where I want her.
She will deliver herself to me before the night ends.This self-absorbed bitch has never been one to let anyone ignore her.She will fight for attention, and that is exactly what I am counting on.I will make her beg, cry, and humiliate herself, and when I am done, she will be asking for more.
