Nightfall (Devil's Night 4)

She was incredible, and I hated that no one saw how beautiful she was except me. I’d been dying in that bus and fucking happy for it.

Her body moved in slow, steady breaths, and I watched her lips meet, so softly time and again with each breath.

“I love you,” I murmured.

She didn’t shift or open her eyes, the exhaustion taking over as she sank deeper and deeper into sleep.

Standing up straight, I stepped away, but then I dropped my eyes to her back, seeing the bruises and scrapes.

How did she paint her back? Did her brother help her?

I doubted it.

Squatting down, I leaned in closer, studying the marks on her arm and back with the little moonlight streaming in through the sheer curtains.

Licking my thumb, I rubbed at the dark purple one with red around it, but…

The makeup didn’t rub off.

I narrowed my eyes, licking my thumb again and rubbing harder.

But then she whimpered, shifting away from me like it hurt.

I rubbed my finger against my thumb, not feeling any grease or oil from the makeup, either.

I stopped and looked up at her face, studying the drop of blood coming down from her eyebrow she said was part of her costume.

Heat filled my veins, and my pulse echoed in my ears as my mind raced.

The bruises on her legs that I saw in the swimming pool…

The bruise on her leg in lit class.

The overly baggy clothes and how she hardly ever showed skin.

Rising up, I stared down at her, tempted to drag her out of this bed.

But it was late, and she needed sleep.

Tonight was Devil’s Night. I’d let her rest for now.

Because later today I was going to find out what the fuck was going on once and for all.

Emory

Present

I pulled back, staring down at her face to make sure she was real.

Alex… I smiled from ear to ear. “Oh, my God.”

“Shh,” she hissed, glancing at the door. “I know. I know. But don’t start celebrating. Neither of us is saved yet.”

She shot off the bed and hurried to the door, listening for something, and then whipped around, running into the bathroom.

I stared after her as she filled a glass with water and drank it down. Where the hell did she come from?

Did…? How…?