His voice.
The way he laughed when he told me what he’d do.
Something festers in my gut, searing its way through me, dissolving the walls of my body, each pulse of pain a slow acid burn through tissue.
It could have been worse. It should have been worse. But his words cling to me like filth, burrowing under my skin, sinking deeper with every breath.
A whisper of movement stirs at the edges of my vision. Shadows stretch, reaching for something they never quite touch. Just waiting.
I close my eyes, hoping the images don’t follow me into the dark.
I jolt awake, my body twitching violently. The room is too quiet, too still. I blink into the dark, trying to focus. When my eyes finally adjust, I realize his chair is empty. Of course it is.
So much for second chances.
Lying on my back, I listen for whatever woke me.
The woods outside are quiet. My house isn’t.
The floor creaks.
Except it’s not the usual settling sounds. It’s heavier.
Like weight shifting.
Like someone’s there.
I try to scream, but thick globs of panic clog my throat. Out of the darkness, something solid—something real—appears before I can make a sound.
A voice purrs in my ear. “Miss me, baby girl?”
No. No, this isn’t happening. This isn’t—
His fingers find my throat. Not squeezing. Just stroking. Tracing the bruises. Savoring his own handiwork.
“You didn’t think I’d leave you unfinished, did you?”
His breath ghosts across my skin, warm and damp.
“I promised you a long night.”
This isn’t real.This isn’t real.
His fingers curl against my throat, mapping the shape of my terror.
“You were just a job at first,” he breathes. “A stepping stone for the Disciples. For Isa. But now?”
Lips drag across my jaw. There’s nothing spectral about it. Just fucking skin and heat, leaving behind a warmth that scorches across my skin.
It’s too real. Too human.
“Now, I think I’ll haunt you forever.”
He inhales slowly, savoring the scent of my fear.
“I’ll whisper to you when you’re alone. Linger in the corners of your mind. Crawl into your bed and tear down every wall you build to keep me out.”
He presses a grin to my cheek. “Your body was only the beginning, baby girl. It’s your mind I really want.”
