Page 31 of Your Masked Haunting

An idea appears in my mind, and a proud smile shifts beneath my mask. Eventually, she’s going to go to the third floor because as much as she wants to pretend to be in charge, she’s still a bit shy, and she isn’t going to want the rest of the party to possibly hear us, which means she’ll lead me up and away from the main group.

But I have a better plan, one that gives me the reins of control. I waste no time before taking off up the flight of stairs near me, two with every stride, not stopping until I reach the third floor.

The best part of owning this house is knowing the layout and exactly where I’m going to go. She might have spent more time here, but I know where I want this sexy chase to end. I turn right when I step onto the third floor instead of left toward Mona’s room. I head into the first room, thankfully unlocked, to my right, one with a lock on it, so I can be sure we won’t be interrupted.

Shutting the door behind me, I grab my phone from my pocket and quickly open my camera app. She’d probably call this cheating, but I like to think that it’s using my resources. It takes me a moment to spot her, but when I do, I can’t tear my gaze from her, even if I wanted to.

She’s navigating the place on her tiptoes, carefully peeking around every corner before taking another step, every move calculated and sure. She’s the one supposed to be hiding from me, and yet she looks like the predator and I’m the prey.

Setting my phone down on the small table by the door, positioned so I can still watch, I slide the drawer open and grab one of the very reasons I chose this room—a lighter. I move on to the other reason, plucking an armful of candles from one of the cabinets on the back wall.

This room is an old library, full of old books and journals kept and collected by the Schraders. The ambience, with a bunch of candles burning, ornate dark green wallpaper, shelves filled with books lining the wall—it’s sexy.

I keep an eye on her, switching cameras when she disappears from view, while I finish lighting them all, setting them on the small table by the door and around the room in the least flammable places.

Hopefully, she won’t be too disappointed in my impromptu takeover of her little game. She deserves to be hunted and chased, but this isn’t that. I want to scare her, catch her off guard, and snatching her up as she strides past the room is the perfect way.

The candles have a couple of purposes tonight—to give us a romantic, soft glow and … well, she’ll find out soon enough.

Her hand grips one of the posts on the main staircase on the first floor, and she takes a tentative step up and then another, my heart doing little backflips in my chest as she gets closer to me.

Slowly trekking up the stairs as if she were hiking a rocky mountain side, she holds the railing for dear life. She quickly reaches the second floor, taking a few minutes to walk through the bustling rooms and long hallways while keeping an eye out for me.

I can tell she’s getting discouraged from the drop in her shoulders and slowness in her pace. Soon enough, it’ll all be worth it, and she’ll be screaming just the way she wants to.

I play the next few minutes out in my head, each fantasy sending my blood pooling to my dick. The image of her lust-blown pupils when I remove her mask, sliding two fingers into her mouth for her to greedily suck. I’ll then sink to my knees and swipe my tongue through the wetness waiting for me.

Fuck, the anticipation is eating me alive.

After lingering around the second floor, she finally braves the next staircase, bringing her straight up to me. She strides onto the landing of the third floor, slowly looking right, left, and forward, trying to decide on which path to take.

Her confidence in her decision-making skills have wavered completely. She’s on edge, nervous, and probably a bit fearful after losing her control, which will make every other emotion … sensation so much better.

The hallway to her left, the one that leads toward her room, is pitch-black, and as she makes the choice to wander down it, I lose sight of her, the camera only extending to the baseboard of the furthest wall.

She’ll emerge soon enough after realizing that I’m not in her room, if she decides to check, and that’s when I’ll grab her.

My hand is on the doorknob, ready and waiting, the blood in my ears thumping to the bass beneath my feet. An aroma of spice, pumpkin, and vanilla fills my nose as I inhale, the candles burning bright all around me.

My gaze is glued to the screen, and all of a sudden, she bursts into frame, running like a monster is on her heels. Instinct takes over. I fly out of the room and into the hallway, shoving my phone into my pocket.

She screams when she spots me, the noise almost instantly drowned out by the music. Her boots dig into the wood, slamming to a halt, and instead of racing down the stairs, she races toward me, not stopping until she barrels into my body, knocking me back an entire step.

“Whoa,” I grunt and catch her, taken aback at the sheer force behind her tackle.

“Behind me!” she squeals.

My gaze snaps up, searching for what she could possibly be talking about. But I don’t see anything, aside from the darkness and shadows, outlined in the purple glow of my mask.

With my arm secured on her back, I guide us back into the room I was in, sealing it shut and locking it once we’re inside. I step back, rubbing up and down her arms as tears build in her eyes. Not exactly the type of tears I was aiming for tonight.

“What happened?” I demand to know, trying to calm the anger in my voice at whoever or whatever dared to scare her.

Her body is moving with her gasping, ragged breaths as she tears her mask from her head. She’s shaking, face pale and skin cool. It’s like she saw … a ghost. She rocks back and forth on the sides of her boots. I brush my fingers along her wrists, feeling her heart race uncontrollably.

“Deep breaths, baby.” I exaggerate my next inhale, long and slow. She doesn’t catch on to the first one, but she does the second. “There you go.”

I breathe with her until she calms, enough to at least talk to me.