Page 48 of His to Keep
Gripping onto the banister as I descend the stairs, my nerves kickstart when he takes me in the direction of the lounge. Penny waits by the door, appearing pleasantly different tonight. Wearing a black floor-length gown, she’s brushed her hair back from her face, and there’s a glow in her cheeks. Like this, I see Callum in her features. Though, the coldness I know she harbors for me is potent in the same blue eyes when she glares at me. The same way he does when he wants to hate me.
We walk into the room. The one I entered when I first came here, unbeknown of Father Aaron’s dreadful plans for me. Unlike that day, red candles light every surface. Father Aaron and John are by the fire, the flames dancing across their dark silhouettes. They’re both dressed to impress with glasses of red wine in hand. When they turn to me, I wish the ground would open and swallow me. John openly leers at me, and Father Aaron takes in my appearance with a wicked burn in his gaze. It immediately sickens me, and I know I’m in for a long night.
Music comes on. Slow, gloomy choir music that reminds me of what they constantly sang in church. It depresses me. Makes me the shivery kind of cold as I stand beside Callum.
Father Aaron murmurs something to John, who nods and leaves with a secretive smirk on his face. Father Aaron turns to me then, grabbing a bottle of red wine and a glass. “A drink, Ava?”
“I-I’m underage,” I squeak out, but he laughs, pouring me one anyway.
“Nonsense.” As I reluctantly take it from him, I note his good mood. He looks sharp like a cobra in his elegant, black suit. How can nobody else see it? The evilness? He has the entire town of Little Willow fooled.
Just then, a piercing scream cuts the silence like a knife. It’s not mine or Penny’s. She’s beside Callum with her lips firmly pursed. Callum has his head bowed now, eyes purposefully avoiding mine because I’m sure if he looked at me, I’d see something I don’t want to.
Like the girl John drags into the room and violently tosses onto the rug.
“No, no, no!” she screams, large brown eyes wide and terrified. I’m so in shock I can’t move. “What do you people want from me? What do you want!”
I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Every muscle in my body has seized as I take in the girl wearing a white dress. Another me.
She’s not familiar, certainly not from St Mary’s high school. You’d remember a face like hers. Even wet and red with tears, she’s stunningly beautiful—like a model you’d see in a magazine. Full lips, soft skin, and a slender nose. But she’s terrified, cowering and shaking brutally, the dress so thin on her slim frame.
She screams again when Father Aaron goes to her, and my heart drops to my stomach.That scream.Why do I recognize it? It was her. She was who I saw the night I was sick with a fever. Who I saw downstairs when I was looking for Callum. I wasn’t hallucinating.
“This is Maisie,” Father Aaron introduces her as if all of this is normal when it’s not. “I found her not long after I saved you, Ava. Like you, I knew she needed my help. Although, she is proving most…difficult.” Maisie sobs uncontrollably into the rug. As I stare wide-eyed down at her, I see myself, her fear the same as mine had been.
But seeing another one of Father Aaron’s victims isn’t the only thing troubling me. Callum’s still not looking at me, and I know why. My heart cracks. Because heliedto me. He knew about this. He knew Father Aaron had another girl in this house, and he kept it from me.
His betrayal cuts deep, and now everything makes sense. He was pushing me away because he knew about this. I’d never considered the possibility that there might be another entangled in this web. Is Maisie the only one? Are there more girls hidden in this house somewhere?
It’s like I’ve been kicked in the stomach. Everywhere hurts. All because he didn’t tell me.
“Seeing as Maisie is our newest family member, I think she must have time to adjust like you did, Ava. She can learn from you. I’ve already spoken with my son—she will be staying with you both in his room. Hopefully, she can learn obedience faster. Or I might have to try a different method.”
My body stiffens, Callum’s deceit now in the open, and it makes my blood boil. Howcouldhe? How many opportunities has he had to tell me and hasn’t?
Lifting the glass of wine to my lips, I gulp it down when I’ve never drunk before until it’s all gone and Father Aaron’s taking it from me to refill it.Thisis why he’s so happy. He’s done it again, taken another girl, and no doubt will get away with it. He’s sick!
I listen to Maisie’s sobs. She has to stay in the same room as us, and Callum has to make her listen and conform. Like how he made me. Or she’ll be hurt. Or killed.
Hurt stabs my chest, and I can’t breathe. I take another sip of wine and then another until that’s gone too. Before I know it, Callum’s in my face, ripping the glass out of my hand and putting it onto the mantel of the fireplace.
“No more,” he orders in a low tone. Glancing over his shoulder, Father Aaron’s busy dancing with Penny now, and John’s kneeling down by Maisie tormenting her.
Lifting my head, I finally meet his glare with one of my own. “Go tohell,” I spit at him.
I go to walk away, but as always, he grabs my arm and whirls me back around to him.
“What’s going on?” Father Aaron calls out from the other side of the room, and I stare at Callum with a mixture of disbelief and fear. What is he doing? Does he want to get beaten?
But his arm wraps around my waist instead, and he grabs my hand. “Ava wants to dance.”
“No, I do—” His fingers dig into my hip, stopping me from saying anything more.Go with it.Even though I could think of nothing worse right now.
“Fine, fine,” Father Aaron drunkenly brushes off, continuing to spin Penny around, who smiles up at him like he’s the most remarkable person to ever walk the earth. I would’ve thought it quite sad if I weren’t so distracted by their son driving a dagger into my heart.
Despite my fury toward him, my face burns as Callum moves me to the music. The first time we’ve ever danced, and I’m terrible at it. Somehow, he manages to lead me around the room without any mishaps in my shoes.
“Go to hell?” he questions once we’re out of earshot of anyone.