Page 90 of Shadowface

I wrap my arms around myself and rub my shoulders. “How do you recognize me? I’m wearing a mask.”

The smaller of the two extends their hand and grasps a lock of my hair. “You’re the girl with white hair. We were told if you wanted in, to let you in.” I swiftly swat his hand away, spinning around in annoyance.

They step outside and shutter the door, leaving me in the dark entryway of the house. It’s warm, but goosebumps still pebble my flesh as I take a tentative step inside. The interior of the home is vast, with a grand entrance that appears both empty and immense. Two spiral staircases, each twisting upward and meeting at the top, leading to a mezzanine level above. Intricate fixtures hang off the wall, delicate lights flicker within them, casting a mesmerizing glow that reminds me of fire. It’s the kind of house that has lots of nooks and crannies.

Family photos speckle the hallways, large portraits of people I don’t recognize. An old painting of a man is centred on the wall over the arch of the staircase.

Matteo Vital, 1756.

His eyes are like fire, his face like stone. I’m assuming he’s some sort of patriarch. Perhaps he’s the one they all worship.

He’s in the air, the walls, the creaky floors. It’s as if I can hear the screams of the fallen and his whispers of death. This is where He originated, and I am certain this all has something to do with me.

My bloodline, my heritage, and my future.

My roots are in Kinsmen. This is where I belong and where it all began. My grandmother is here, too; I can sense her everywhere, feel her in my bones.

Whoever He is, He just met the daughter of his predecessor, and I’m developing a taste for blood.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SIX

SUMMER

Hushed laughter and voices echo from both directions in the dark house. I head left, sliding along the fancy wood floors, making little to no noise. I keep my mask on, as if it somehow will keep me invisible, even though my heart rate alone would betray my presence.

I pull my clutch off my shoulder and grab my phone, but I have no missed messages from anyone. I head down a dark hall and push open a large double door, hoping I can find a bathroom and regroup. Or better yet, find Lincoln and be done with these games. If this is where Lincoln lives, then where the fuck is he?

Instead, the door opens up to a large, impressive dark room with an elegant bar in the corner. The plush couches are filled with people, chatting and relaxing. Some people are wearing masks, some aren’t.

It’s the descendants of the town’s founders. These are the people Dani believes are part of a secret society that murders people. This is, of course, all according to Dani’s research over the past few weeks on the people that live in this town. On those that she thinks were involved with her father’s false conviction. If I didn’t bear a mark on my thigh, I would have thought she was insane.

There are enough people in here that no one notices me walk in, with my mask on and my hair tucked in tight so nobody can identify me.

Not that I mean anything to these people.

To me, it just looks like a party—normal college kids, doing normal college things. Everyone is mingling, drinking, or…making out on the couch.

A couple of scantily dressed girls are sitting on the laps of their men with their dresses pulled up over their thighs and, to my extreme relief, none of them are kissing Lincoln. Their masks lay lazily in their hands as if meaningless, and the music is much lower than it is outside.

Each girl is kissing her own partner, then they kiss each other, and then they make out with the guys again.

My face heats beneath my mask, but it’s dark so I can’t get a good look at them. I can tell by the way he chews on his lip and watches his girlfriend like he wants to destroy her, it’s Xander. That and his arms are flexing and his tattoos are a clear marker.

He is a complete juxtaposition from Dr. Garcia, who is so petite and, even in her old age, pretty. Minus the darkness, which they both have in spades.

I stare at Xander and his girlfriend, at what they are doing, as heat pools in my lower belly. I watch him grab his girlfriend and pull her in for a kiss.

The guy next to him notices me, and Xander stops kissing her as our eyes lock. His features seem darker in this house. He gives me that slick smile and his girlfriend turns to face me. Heat fills my cheeks as I capture all their attention.

“Fuck,” I whisper, and I turn to run.

“Hey,” Xander yells, pushing his girlfriend off. “We just want to talk to you. We know who you are.”

Nope. Nope. Nope.

I flee back toward the front door. If I can get outside, I will be invisible among the crowd and Xander won’t find me. I didn’t come here to talk with Xander, and since Lincoln is nowhere to be found, it’s time to find Dani.