A High so Sweet (Thornes & Roses 2)

She moves with her friends as they drift over the lawn to the buffet table. My gaze keeps her in my sights. Her every movement is mine tonight. Only, she doesn’t realize it yet.

“You ready for it?” Finn asks.

“Of course,” I tell him with a small grin curling my lips. She turns to face the garden, and I get my first look at half of her beautiful face. It’s partly hidden by a champagne-colored mask made of lace. The pattern is delicate, like a snowflake, covering her pretty expression. But I don’t need to remove it to know what she looks like. “I’ve been waiting for a long time.”

Finn’s hand lands on my shoulder in a show of camaraderie. “I know.”

When we were growing up, there was a family who lived in town, with a pretty little girl who used to run around in her pink tutu shouting lines from Shakespeare. Her parents were infamous faces, but it was her beauty that brought them a fortune. They plucked the pretty rosebud before she’d bloomed into a beautiful flower and took her to the tainted City of Angels.

“I can’t believe what I’m seeing is real,” I tell Finn. If Damien were here, he’d be as shocked as I am to learn they’d returned. But I did my research, I investigated the reasons, and now I know why. At first, I wanted her out, but now that I’ve seen her again, I’ve changed my mind.

Instead of sending her packing, I’m going to ensure she never leaves Thorne Haven again. She’ll be a captive to me, to this town. She walked away before, leaving me with nothing but memories; this time, she’ll stay, whether she wants to or not.

Because what she doesn’t know is that I will own her.

If she does anything, it will be by my side.

The only problem is, I’m almost certain she hates me as much as I hate her.

It’s almost time.

The hands on the clock will hit the eleventh hour, and our game will start. Everyone gathers on the porch and spills out onto the lawn close by. My father takes a cue from his best friend, grinning like a teenager hyped up on something, and speaks into the microphone, informing the crowd that this year, the party will have a special game of hide-and-seek in Thorne Manor.

Usually this is reserved for the Haven party, our neighbors in town, but when we came to the agreement that the Thornes will host, we went all out.

I glance at Finn, who knows what he must do.

The moment the signal goes, some women race into the house, others into the darkness of the garden to find their hiding places. The adrenaline that’s currently racing through my veins has my body alert and my mind at the ready with so many delicious scenarios.

My father glances toward me, already knowing what I plan to do. I’m aching to race inside, to go to her, because I’m certain of where she’ll be. Our maids have been positioned in the mansion, keeping an eye on her.

He offers me a nod, and I can’t stop my feet from moving into the living room and toward the foyer where I find Joy. She’s standing at the foot of the staircase, her smile bright and cheery. She doesn’t know what I’m about to do.

“Champagne-colored dress, curly brown hair,” I tell her quickly, my voice already turning husky with the thought of finding her on the roof.

“She went up with another girl. They’re on the third floor,” Joy informs me, and my feet have a mind of their own as I race upstairs, taking them two at a time. “Oh, and Cass,” she calls to me from down below, “be careful, would you?”

With a quick nod, I’m moving to the third level of the house, which isn’t actually a full floor. It doesn’t span the width of the manor. There are only two rooms up here, and with the silence I’m met with, I’m sure it’s practically empty.

When I push open the door, it creaks, squeaking along the floorboards of the attic-turned bedroom. It was a space we, as boys, used to bask in because we could be us. No pretenses, no smiles when we didn’t want to. It was a safe space.

But tonight, it’s nothing of the sort.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are…” I call to the darkness. Even with the sliver of light from the moon, there’s not much illumination in the small, cramped space. A shuffle from behind me has me glancing over my shoulder toward the hallway, and I notice a dress that is short, nothing like hers, moving toward the steps.

I could catch the girl racing away from me, but my prey is hidden in the depths of this room. A creak from deeper inside causes my head to turn forward, the closet door isn’t closed, and I know for a fact it’s something we pride ourselves in—tidiness.