Real Girl (Aston Creek High 4)

“Lucien,” she beams, clapping her hands together as I hastily slam my hand back under the blankets, not wanting to get sprung with a weapon. “How lovely of you to come and wish Skylah good night on the eve of her wedding.”

Lucien’s hand discreetly moves to his side. “Of course,” he says with a nod, smiling at his wife as though he’s the innocent man he’s always claimed to be. “She’s been my little girl for so long. I’m looking forward to walking her down the aisle tomorrow.”

Maria beams and I realize that it’s fake as shit but she’s desperate to hold up her act. She doesn’t want her world crumbling down around her and she’ll do whatever it takes to hold onto it.

“Well then,” Maria says, turning her gaze on me and narrowing her eyes as though she blames me for her husband’s appalling behavior. Though, if that’s true, it would explain why she’s so desperate to marry me off and get me away from him, and if they happen to get their pockets lined in the process, then even better. “We should let her rest. She needs to be up at the crack of dawn for hair and makeup. Dark circles under her eyes for the ceremony would be a bad look.”

Lucien’s jaw tightens but as his wife stands imposing at the door, refusing to give in, he nods. “Yes, good idea,” he says darkly. “We should leave her.”

Maria steps out of the doorway, making room for Lucien but he doesn’t move right away. He hovers, waiting to see if Maria will leave so he can play out his sick fantasies, but after a long-drawn-out minute, his feet start taking him to the door. He steps out and Maria glares at me one last time before slamming the door with a hard thud.

A breath leaves me.

That was a close call.

I throw myself out of my bed and race across the room as disappointment fills me. I start pushing my dresser in front of the door.

I’ve survived another night but at the same time, Lucien is still walking these halls. If only Maria had kept away for thirty seconds more, I would have had my shot to take him out.

But I will. It might not be tonight or even tomorrow, but one day, I’m going to kill Lucien Valentine. When I do, it will be for Slade and for all his victims like me and Daniella who have had to look over our shoulders all these years. His death will be for all the people he has wronged, but most importantly, for all the girls who he will no doubt hurt in the future.

Never again will he hurt another girl.

With the dresser securely blocking my door, I make my way back to my bed. It’s one thing being awake with a stake in my hand but being able to sleep is a whole other issue.

I glance back at the door before sliding down between the sheets and just like every other night, the second my head hits the pillows, thoughts of Slade swarm my mind. I cry into the pillow until the exhaustion finally claims me.

Chapter 10

Lucien’s fingers dig into my arm as he slowly walks me down the aisle. “Smile for your guests,” he demands, spitting the words through his teeth while keeping his voice low. He stands tall, acting like the respectable, important man all these people assume him to be.

I hold back tears as I look anywhere but at Marcus at the other end. When I first stepped out onto the aisle, I met his eyes and he looked at me like a tiger ready to devour his last meal. This is going to be my life now.

This is fucking sick.

The music plays as the guests stand around me but I don’t hear any of it, just the loud thumping in my ears and the voice inside my head telling me that I need to run, but running comes with its very own set of consequences. Lucien made sure of that this morning when he strapped an electric shock band around my thigh and slipped the controller into his pocket. If I run, I’ll be shocked and go down like a sack of shit. I won’t even get two steps. There’s also the threat of Lucien going after the people I love and I can’t risk that which is exactly why I keep putting one foot in front of the other.

It’s a joke that this sham is happening in a fucking church but it’s not like we could have the biggest wedding of the year anywhere else. Maria would be the laughing stock and she’d rather die than have the world know that she didn’t do this how the rest of her country club bitches would have done.