Her mom stepped closer. “Those stupid rules are the reason you’re still alive. You should thank me, you ungrateful little brat. I could’ve aborted you or given you away, but I didn’t because it wasn’t your fault you were created from that monster who raped me!”
“R-raped you?” Her heart stuttered. Here she’d thought she was an oops from one of her mom’s numerous affairs.
“Yeah, and it’s about time you learned the truth. You’re not hu—”
Breaking glass drowned out her mom’s words. A hulking man stepped over the shards of the sliding door. Harley swept her gaze over him, from his motorcycle boots to his black baseball cap. Something about him drew her, both intriguing and repulsing her at the same time. She locked her knees to stop from going to him.
The guy faced her. Black pupils swimming in red locked on to her. He grinned, showing off a mouthful of pointy teeth.
She screamed and backed up.
Her mom yanked on her hand. “Run, Harley, run!”
She couldn’t. Her body wouldn’t obey her mind. Fear locked her in place.
The man shifted his gaze to her mom. “Hello, little maiden. Long time no see.”
Her mom shook her head. “No. I’m not—”
“Don’t bother. I know who you are. What you are.”
Her mom sucked in a sharp breath. “I—”
“Stop. I don’t want to hear your denial.” He curled his hands into fists. Blood dripped from where his nails pierced his palm. “It’s time we end this, don’t you think? Finally free each other?”
Harley glanced between them. What were they talking about? End what? She didn’t get the chance to figure it out. Her mom stepped in front of her and faced the intruder.
“You don’t understand. I had no choice. I made a deal. I—”
“Sorry, maiden. I made a deal too, and now it’s time for you to say good-bye. You lost.”
He leapt at her with outstretched, clawed hands. Her mom whipped her head to stare at Harley, fear in her eyes.
“Please, baby, r—” Her mom’s command turned into a shriek.
Harley pivoted on her heel and ran.
More screams resounded—her little brothers’, the butler’s, her dad’s. She pressed her palms to her ears and kept running. In the front yard, monstrous men prowled—misshapen, hunched, and frightening. They all turned at once. Garbled roars added to the pitiful cries spilling out from behind her.
Harley turned her back on them and fled across the grass to where she’d left her car parked farther down the driveway. Her lungs squeezed and muscles burned. Still she ran. Her mother’s last plea to her urged her forward.
At the edge of the front lawn, a charley horse contorted her calf. Her pace faltered. The grunts and groans from behind her grew louder. Fear choked her. She bit her lip to muffle her cry, and the bitter, sour taste of her blood filled her mouth. She swallowed it down and pushed forward, but a sharp pain radiated up her leg. She stumbled.
No, no, can’t die. Not now.
But she would die. The monsters were gaining on her. She bent and rubbed furiously at the hard lump in her calf. A gust of wind swept over her back, tousling her curls over her face. The breeze calmed the burn tightening her muscles and filled her with strength.
Impossible, but she wouldn’t question it. She shoved the platinum locks of her hair out of her face, grabbed hold of the power, and ran, faster than she ever had. The trees around her blurred. At the butterfly garden, she turned right, caught her toe on a tree root and fell face-first toward the ground. She never hit it. Hands at her waist stopped her. She spun, ready to do battle, and came face to face with a pair of pale blue eyes, floating without a body.
She screamed and scrambled backward, using her hands and feet to put distance between them. More warm air washed over her, and her breaths slowed. The vise squeezing her chest eased, along with the trembling in her body. She frowned at her reaction and the sudden quiet of the world around her.
The screams and grunts of monsters had faded. She tore her gaze from the ghostly eyes to the woods. A shimmery veil covered everything. She waited for her fear to return. It didn’t. More peace settled over her.
“That’s it. Be calm. I won’t hurt you.”
The man’s deep voice caressed her as if it had a living touch. Her skin tingled. She glanced into his eyes. So pale she might’ve considered them cold if it weren’t for the intensity burning in them.
His focused gaze made her lower belly quiver. She ignored the feeling, unsure what it meant, and studied his mesmerizing eyes. The longer she stared, the more dimension they gained. The oval surrounding them widened too, allowing her to see his darkly tanned forehead and the top bridge of his nose. Long and straight, she’d guess. Gorgeous. She had no doubt in her mind. He’d be ruggedly handsome in person. Hard where she was soft. Her perfect complement.
She shook her head to clear it of the crazy thoughts.
“Wh-who are y-you? What…” Harley focused on where his chest should be. The outline of the trees behind him showed through the fuzzy screen surrounding them, not the strong body she envisioned he would have. “What are you? A g-ghost?”
“Not a ghost. I’m alive. I’m just not here.”
Something brushed her arm. She looked down, expecting to see his hand on her body. Nothing. The sensation of his roughened fingertips on her skin didn’t diminish, however. He slipped his invisible hand around her waist, then down to her ass and drew her closer. She gasped at the press of his body to hers and pushed against his invisible shoulders. The hard muscles under her palms flexed, but he didn’t budge.
“You need to run.” He focused on her. “You cannot allow them to steal the goodness you’ve managed to retain.”
“Yes. Run. I need to run.” Harley shoved at him, desperation fueling her. His hold on her never wavered.
