Shadows (Bayou Magic 1)

He doesn’t look at me as he walks past, so close that I can smell him. I can feel the heat coming off his body.

Suddenly, I realize I do know him. I do recognize him.

I didn’t even know he was still alive.

“Oh, hello,” he says as he looks at me and gives me a happy, wide smile. “Brielle! You’re here. I’m so happy to see you.”

I look around, wanting to escape, forgetting that I’m in a dream.

It’s a dream.

“Yes, I can see you. I can always see you.” He smiles kindly. “Did you see my room of fun?” He gestures to the back of the house where the girls are. “Isn’t it great? I’ve been doing all of this for you, of course. I just knew you’d love it. I’ve been waiting for you because I wanted to have enough practice to make everything perfect for you.

“You’re special, Brielle.”

He laughs and looks around his house.

“I’m so glad I cleaned up this morning so the house was nice for you. Now, I know what you’re thinking…”

He holds up his hands in surrender and sits in an old chair in the corner. I haven’t said a word yet, haven’t even confirmed that I am, in fact, here.

“You’re wondering why I would do such special things for you and not your sisters. After all, fair’s fair, right? Well, I have so many wonderful things planned for them, too, don’t you worry. But you’re the oldest, Brielle, so it just made sense to start with you. They’ll understand, won’t they?”

I don’t reply. I simply tilt my head, watching him quietly. I remember him well, but I don’t ever remember him speaking this much. I didn’t even know he could talk this much. I always assumed he was stupid. I never liked him. He always gave me the heebie-jeebies.

Guess I was right to listen to those instincts.

“Brielle?” He frowns as he watches me. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“I don’t know what to say.” And if that’s not the truth, I don’t know what is. I don’t want to set him off, to send him into an angry tirade and have him go off and kill all of the girls in that room.

But I also don’t want to encourage him.

I’m no psychiatrist!

“Brielle.” He stands and walks to me, taking my shoulders in his hands, and I want to throw up again. I do not want his hands on me.

I never did. Just a brush of his hand on my shoulder when I was a kid made me shiver.

And I’m not sure why he can touch me in this dream when I can’t touch anything.

“I’m sure you’re so overwhelmed with excitement that you don’t know what to say. I understand. You’ve always been such a sweet girl.”

“You barely know me,” I whisper.

“I admit, it’s been a while, but I know everything, Brielle. I’ve watched you on your little tour. You’re such a smart woman, aren’t you? I know you’ve decided to date that man. Now, I admit, I didn’t like it. I wanted to just cut his head right off his body the first time I saw you two together. But I also knew it was just a matter of time until you came around.”

“Came around to what?”

“Well, that we’re all meant to be together, of course. Just the way it was supposed to be all along.”

“You’re crazy.”

The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. His expression falls. The look in his eyes hardens. But before he can do anything else, I smile.

“You’re crazy to think that I wouldn’t want that too, of course.”

“There now,” he says, satisfied. “That’s a good girl.”

I wake with a start and run to the bathroom, then hover over the toilet and throw up until my body is wracked with dry heaves. I can’t stop it. Someone rubs my back while someone else sets a cool rag on my neck.

Finally, I sit on my haunches and look up to find Daphne, Millie, and Cash all staring down at me with concern.

“I know who he is.”Chapter Eighteen“After my head has been chopped off, will I still be able to hear, at least for a moment, the sound of my own blood gushing from my neck? That would be the best pleasure to end all pleasure.”- Peter Kurten, AKA the Vampire of DusseldorfHe hasn’t been this excited in a long time. Brielle finally knows what his plans are, and despite it coming earlier than he anticipated, he’s pleased.

Yes, they will have to decide what her punishment will be for jumping the gun. The timeline is there for a reason, and she ignored it. That displeases him, so there will be consequences for that.

Should he cut out her tongue? He ponders that for a moment as he sharpens his second-favorite knife in the corner of the room of pleasure. No, cutting out her tongue would mean he could no longer have wonderful conversations with her, and that would be a pity.