by Mason, V. F.
If this man is dead, there is a reason for it. Doesn’t change the fact that he is a killer, but I can learn to live with this.
He only showed it to me now with no explanation to test how much I truly love him, and if he thinks I will tolerate this kind of behavior—or rather abuse of my mind—from now on, he has another think coming.
I gave him a gift, my heart, something I thought was dead all this time. And that’s how he reacts?
This, I can’t live with.
I’m so mad my cheeks burn and my fingers itch to do something, and since I can’t punch Eudard, I’ll do the next thing that calms me down.
Bake.
Getting up, I curl my toes into the carpet and walk to the bathroom. Ignoring the various hickeys of possession on my neck, I wipe my face and comb my hair, and even though it still doesn’t hide the fact that I had sex in this bed, I look presentable enough.
I stroll back to the room, search through the bag and put on a light summer dress, then slip flip-flops on.
I make it to the kitchen quickly. The house is silent, so it feels like each step echoes off the walls. I turn on the kitchen light, whistling when it comes into view.
It’s spacious with white and gray colors coating the walls and furniture. It has all the latest equipment any cook would want to have. Another thing I notice about it is everything is exactly placed like it used to be back in the day.
Despite her job description as Ridge’s secretary, Mom would spend hours baking goodies for the twins who ate them all up so quickly I wondered if they were starved at home.
I also questioned her desire to bake for them when it wasn’t in her job description. Couldn’t Melanie do it? But Mom always laughed at my comments, waving off my worries that I just didn’t understand their family dynamics.
“Okay, let’s bake some muffins,” I announce to myself, because cooking in the quiet is a chore. I open the cupboard to grab all the needed ingredients, along with the pans and such, when the clearing of a throat snags my attention. My hand pauses midway to the sugar on the top shelf.
Glancing over my shoulder, I see Laura standing in the doorway, pressing her notebook to her chest and cocking her head to the side while headphones dangle from her neck. She is wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Her blonde hair is up in a ponytail that she twirls around her finger.
“Hey.” I wave at her like an idiot, and she lifts her chin, walks to a chair by the counter, and hops on it, her gaze still on me. “What are you doing here?” I ask her. Since the stretched silence grates on my nerves, I spin around to get the rest of the baking supplies, needing to be busy with something.
“I was about to take a walk in the garden, but you’re baking.” I gather the ingredients and go to the table. Continuing to sit where she is, she rests her chin on her palm, zeroing her gaze on the things. “Is this for tomorrow?”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“Tomorrow is the Sunday before the town’s anniversary holiday.” Right, when the founding five founded it—how could I have forgotten that? The town always had a three-day weekend to celebrate the occasion with small businesses putting their food in shelters and creating a buffet in the main area of the community, right outside the mayor’s office. Sometimes people organized dance parties, and we had fireworks too, which the kids enjoyed a lot.
Basically, everyone always had a lot of fun during the celebration where the entire town interacted with each other.
Laura’s voice pulls me back in. “Usually during Sunday mass, Eudard’s alter buys muffins for the church kids.” She bites her lips and then adds, “So I figured since you live with him, they’ll be homemade from now on?”
Several thoughts swirl in my mind at once with this.
First is that she is so breezy about her brother’s alter; second, she is not surprised I’m here or that I might know about him.
And third… she is so calm, all things considered. Shouldn’t she at least fire some questions my way? I’ve been here for less than two weeks. In those weeks, we haven’t seen each other besides Ethan’s funeral, and now I’m living with Eudard.
Her eyes flash in amusement, reminding me of her brother’s, and she starts playing with her headphones. “Oh my God, the look on your face is priceless.” She starts bending her fingers one by one. “If you’re here, it means you know about Eunan. Eudard has been crazy about you most of his life and never dated anyone else, so the speed doesn’t surprise me. And I’ve been applying to colleges these days, so I wasn’t in town.” Her voice drops. “I had to attend Ethan’s funeral. The founding five are usually present during such occasions.” The way she talks about him makes me think she didn’t have much affection for him. “Oh, and you are Arianna Griffin.”
I almost fall down from her words, my mouth dropping open.
She leans over the counter, snapping it shut with her finger. “Ladies don’t do that,” she teases me with affection, and my heart squeezes in my chest, because these are my mom’s words.
“How do you know?”
“Eudard came back one year before, and then you came back and bought the house despite the history.” Fear crosses her face, and I’m not sure why. “Then Eunan and Eudard reacted weirdly at the mentioning of your name.” She laughs. “I’d like to say those clues were enough, but I’m not that bright. I heard you talk to Dorothy the other day.” My cheeks heat up, because the time at the church wasn’t my proudest moment in life. “And all the previous confusions just clicked together in one whole picture where everything makes sense, even though it seems like we live in a thriller.” She snaps her fingers. “Plus, you’re not wearing contacts right now, so you better remember them while you’re interacting with the others. Or your whole cover is gonna blow.”
Oh my God! I’ve been acting so reckless since yesterday.
With all these revelations, I realize I miscalculated Laura Campbell during our initial meeting and then based on rumors and reports. I thought she lived in her own head, happily believing a future as a realtor here was possible, but now I notice something on her face that I missed.
Cynicism and pain buried under the bright smile to fool everyone who comes in contact with her.
Just what goes on inside her head?
We need to clear up a few things though. “I’m dating Eudard. Eunan is just a part of him, not an actual person.” She blinks in surprise, and I open up the sugar and flour, mixing them in a bowl. “I’m baking, because I’m mad at him for leaving me alone here.” I don’t think she knows her brother is a serial killer, so I will keep those details to myself. “But since you mentioned the church kids, I don’t mind baking a bigger batch.” Then I remembered how she always hung around with Mom. “I can bake your favorite if you want. The zebra one.”
She grins, squealing, and fist-bumps me. “Woohoo!”
I glance at the clock and wonder when Eudard will come back and how to handle it all.
I’m still so mad over that video and note, but at the same time, I wonder what happened to him that made him crave someone to love him despite everything?
Laura must read my thoughts, because she informs me, “He won’t be back tonight. Eudard doesn’t show up at the house if he will be Eunan the next day.”
That’s another thing I need to ask him about in more detail … the switches. He did say Eunan sticks to a schedule because of church duties. But is it easy for him to plan his life around it? Why just not inform his alter about the truth, that he knows Eachann is dead?
So many questions and zero answers.
Huffing in annoyance, I stir the spoon inside the bowl harder, not that it helps my frustration much. She rubs her hands together. “Do you need any help?”
I slide her three chocolate bars and point at the stove. “Heat them up in the pan so we can have melted chocolate ready to pour over.” She jumps up to do that and my eyes land on her notebook that is flipped open revealing what look like sketches. “You’re an artist.” And didn’t she mention so
mething about college? “You plan to study art? I thought you already finished your degree.”
“I’m twenty, finished high school at fifteen.”
Oh, right.
Ealasaid Laura Campbell was a gifted child and the pride of this town. For some reason though she hated her given name and made everyone call her Laura.
She elaborates, “I studied business administration for four years in a college close to here, didn’t want to live on campus.” The way she says it makes me think she really wanted it but didn’t make that choice.
Was it because she felt like she had to stay close to her brother due to his condition? But he wasn’t living here either.
So weird, but I don’t feel like prying. We’re not close enough for her to tell me her entire life story. “And now you do?”
She nods even though she hesitates before speaking up, cracking chocolate in her hands and depositing it into a pan while I continue to mix the white-brown mass. “It was always my passion, but I was afraid before.”
“You aren’t now?”
She smiles brightly, half turning to face me. “Not anymore. My sketches won the competition, and I get to participate in his class. Which is almost unheard of, because he doesn’t take freshmen students. The demand to attend is so strong he personally picks everyone.” Such happiness laces her tone I wonder who this mysterious guy is. “Can you imagine he is only thirty-five years old? I wish to have his talent and success at his age.”
“Oh, he is a famous artist?” She keeps saying sketches though, so maybe she wants to study design? Her answer confuses me. I add a bit more of the syrup before preparing the muffin cups and filling them up with the batter.
She shakes her head, checking the chocolate with the spoon. “Well, kind of, I guess. He is a sculptor. One of the best, and he will be my professor this semester.”
Oh, so these are sketches of the sculptures she wants to do. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who was into sculpting. “That’s great. I hope it will be wonderful for you.”
We continue to talk and bake while she shares parts of her life, but the muffin cups almost drop on the floor when she shares one particular thing with me.
A nightmare I had no idea about.
Because on that day where I lost myself?
Eudard lost a lot too.
And I'm not sure for whom I weep more in this moment.
Chapter Fourteen
“Love is an interesting thing.
Sometimes it makes you a king.
Sometimes it stings.
Mine is none of the above.
For I’m ready to sacrifice my life for my love.”
Eudard
Eudard, 17 years old
Fall, Senior Year of High School
The bike roars loudly as I fly through the gates of our mansion. I frown because it’s wide open with no security in sight. I’m about to head back to have a few words with our guards—because what the fuck do they think they are doing?—when I notice Eachann parking his car near the house.
Speeding up, the wind slapping my face, I make it to him and park.
Eachann’s keys rattle in his fingers while he lifts his chin in my direction. I remove my helmet, throwing it on the ground before moving to him. I pull my arm back, punching him in the face.
He stumbles back and laughs as he bends in two, although pressing his hand to his jaw. “That’s a mean punch.”
“Yeah, well, you deserved it.” First for making Arianna cry back at the party and then for interfering once fucking again between us. Not to mention that she muttered his name after becoming mine.
I’m not sure which one pisses me off more, but just the idea of her hurt sends anger through my entire system.
I can deal with my own pain and her confusion over who she loves, but I never want her to be hurt.
Eachann stretches his jaw, inspecting the damage, lightly rubbing it with his knuckles, but he isn’t even bleeding. I controlled myself while I delivered that blow. “So the night with her didn’t go as planned?” My brows furrow at this and he laughs again. “Big bro didn’t make the girl happy? Is this why you’re in a foul mood?”
“Shut it, Eachann.” The last thing I will allow is for him to discuss my night with Arianna.
Possessiveness crashes over me, swamping all the other emotions like a wave, reminding me how it felt to finally be able to kiss and touch the body that starred in my fantasies so many times I lost count. I always thought allowing someone to touch me after the things I’d experienced would have been almost impossible, but her touch never brought revulsion.
Just the desire for her to do it all the time, because her hands and lips have the ability to heal some of my parts I thought were permanently broken.
With her in my arms, I’ve found the peace I used to crave as a child. With the girl I so desperately love, I can almost believe a monster like me can find salvation in this world.
What if all those fears exist only in my imagination? How powerful can Liam be anyway? He lost his alias, his money, his mansions, and we are all hunting for him.
Eachann nudges my shoulder, snapping me out of my thoughts, and winks. “How did it go with the ice princess?”
Despite my earlier annoyance, amusement flashes over me. “I’m not one to kiss and tell.”
He gasps jokingly, covering his bruised lip with his palm. “Oh my God. You guys had a kiss.” He fans himself and grins.
“Careful, Eachann, people might confuse you for a girl.”
He places both of his hands on his hips, puffing his chest, and replies, “Gonna wear that loud and proud for your information.” We share a look for a second and then burst out laughing, the sound echoing through the space and bringing back all these memories where we used to pull pranks on people, and they’d curse us for hours.
A fun we both lost, because we’ve rarely laughed in each other's company in the past few years.
But then something from the night pops into my head, and I frown, amusement gone from me, for I still remember Arianna’s tears. “Why did you kiss Patricia?”
His face twists, and he rubs his lips with the back of his hand as if trying to wipe the memory of the kiss away.
Considering tomorrow everyone will know about the kiss at school, the task will be impossible. “A necessary evil. I didn’t know how else to cure Arianna of the notion she has a crush on me.”
A growl slips past my lips, and I tense, not liking the reminder that my girl had these kinds of feelings for him.
Doesn’t matter.
She is mine and no one else’s. I can give her time to understand one simple fact, and I don’t mind driving her insane with my kisses until she relents.
Before I can comment, he elaborates. “Patricia told me that Arianna had a secret to share with me, and I suspected that she decided to confess.”
He doesn’t tell my why he suspected that, and I have a feeling he is leaving out a conversation they had in school. That would explain why she searched for him.
“And then out of the blue, Pat drops on my lap and kisses me. I had a split second to see Arianna watching us. The minute she ran off, I pushed Pat away and told her never to do that again. She wasn’t happy, since everyone laughed their ass off. And the rest, you know. I just played our usual routine with you guys, and thankfully Arianna was pissed enough with me to follow you,” he finishes, proud as fuck with himself if his wink is anything to go by.
I decide to keep an eye on Patricia after this information. She seeks power and attention, so to be anyone’s amusement is her greatest fear.
No one knows how she will strike back after that, and the source of her anger will be Arianna. She can’t do shit to Eachann. “Gotta say, I’m relieved. That girl has been hunting Ralph for years to build a dynasty. Catching you would have been like a dream come true.”
He groans in disgust at this, shaking his head. “No thanks. And generally I’m not interested in girls. Or boys,” he adds, and I nod.
>
“So the talk about being a priest is legit?” I taunted Arianna with it, but I wasn’t sure myself.
He leans on his car, crossing his arms like he wants to defend himself from me. Does he think I’m Dad who almost lost his shit when he shared it with him? He kept on screaming he had no heirs left to pass his family legacy to. When I told him he still had Laura and she could be his heiress, I thought he’d have a heart attack.
“Church brings me peace,” he finally says, gazing in the distance. “Whenever I watch Pastor Joseph… I just want to live that life.”
“But you said priest. You don’t want the option to be with someone?” He pales so much, and for a second such fear crosses his face that I pause, trying to understand the source of it.
Disturbing thoughts slam into me and I step back, wondering about all the years at Uncle’s house. There wouldn’t be a chance that someone touched him, right?
Right?
“No. I want to dedicate myself to being a priest. Trying to help all those kids in church. Pilgrimages. And stuff like that. It’s my choice, Eudard.” He emphasizes the word choice, his voice laced with steel. “Religion gives me purpose.” I’m not really sure what to say to that. Even though the entire town goes to church on Sundays, I wouldn’t say we’re particularly religious.
But if that’s what he wants, he should have the freedom to do that without me giving him a hard time for it. “Cool. I’ll support you in that.”
He exhales in relief. Was he preparing for a major fight? What happened to us that my twin no longer expects my support?
He gives me a small grin. “Good to know.” Then he shivers a little. “Let’s get inside, because it's cold as hell.”
“I’m not sure a future priest should say words like hell,” I tell him, nudging him with my shoulder.
He replies, “Bite my ass.”
“I’m not sure you are supposed to say that either.” I duck my head when he moves to smack me and then chuckle. “Missed me.”
