Page 68 of My Forever Sin

I snicker, taking another drag of my calming agent, the bean bag beneath me feeling like a cloud.

“Leave me alone!” That one makes me pause, setting my body on alert. “Don’t touch me!”

I’m out of my room in a flash, joint discarded into an overflowing ashtray I haven’t been bothered to empty.

I rap my fist on her door before I open it anyway. “Jordie?”

There’s no one in her room, but she’s thrashing on the bed, aggressively gripping and throwing the sheets. I close the distance between me and her in a few steps.

“Please, no!” she screams.

“Jordie,” I say as I climb onto the bed and pin her arms to her sides to prevent her from hurting. Concern floods my chest as she whimpers and swings her head this way and that.

“Jordie,” I attempt again but to no avail because she doesn’t stop.

I climb on top of her, pinning her arms with my legs and grabbing her wet face in my hands. “Jordie,” I coo. Her chest is working up and down in a fast rhythm.

“No,” she forces out with a final, aggressive flail before her body slumps. My thumbs rub back and forth on her cheeks as I shush her, a tightness embracing my chest. Sad. That’s the only way to describe her face.

I feel a heavy presence behind me and snap my attention to it. I squint because I must have smoked enough weed tonight that I’m hallucinating the cloaked staff from Lacey’s Halloween party are in my house.

Jordie whimpers and I focus my attention back to her, my body relaxes just a fraction as I watch her chest slow. I look behind me again and the cloaked figure is still there, standing in the door like a guardian of the gates of Hell.

I have to be hallucinating. Lacey definitely laced my weed with something.

Jordie shoots up with a horrifying gasp.

“Jordie,” I whisper, my hands still firm on her face as her frantic eyes look around the room. “You’re okay.”

Her terrified blue eyes land on me. “Get off me.”

I don’t want to. I can’t. I want to calm her down, I want to bring her into my arms and tell her she’s okay, everything will be okay.

Then, her attention darts to the doorway. “What the fuck?” comes her disoriented reply.

Confirmed. Not hallucinating.

She wriggles out from underneath me and my empty hands drop to the mattress. “Are you playing a fucking joke on me, viper?”

A heavy knot settles in my stomach as I watch her slowly backing away from me, her hand wildly searching for something to grab before she settles on my hand. She doesn’t turn. Doesn’t pull away from me, doesn’t insult me with her harsh words. Instead, she grips me tighter.

“Kain…” Jordie’s voice wobbles, her rapid breaths rising louder. “Please, don’t—don’t let them take me,” she rushes out, her nails digging painfully into my hand.

“Jordie.” My voice is as calm as it can be, but a demand all the same. I need her to look at me right now. When she doesn’t, I repeat, “Jordie.”

“Kain!” she screams before everything goes black.

A low hum grows louder along with the beat of my pulse pounding in my ears, while a suffocating, smoky smell fills my throat. Groaning, I peel my eyes open but all I can see is a blur of red light and blacks and pinks blending together.

Jordie.

I snap them fully open, blinking away the haze and Jordie’s tear streaked face becomes clear. Her gaping eyes are focused on me as tears spill down her face, hair sticking to her forehead like lightning strikes. “Kain,” she whimpers.

Her face is being held to a carpeted floor, her arms tied behind her back with red rope.

“Jordie?” I try to lift my head, but it’s immediately pressed to the floor again and I become aware of my own wrists rubbing against rough material.

“Let the ritual begin.” Heath’s voice bounces off the walls, and I look around the room.