Madman’s Cure: Madman Duet Book Two

by Mason, V. F.

  I raise my finger, nodding my head. “I love this song.” The beat of the music just begs for me to dance my heart out to it.

  Several people are already in the middle of the street enjoying it, so I move back, motioning for the girls to join me, and sway my hips in time with the beat. “Come on, guys.” I expect resistance, but they follow me quickly, dancing along with me while eating their ice cream.

  Moving my hands with the rhythm, I remember my salsa classes back in college and fist the hem of my dress, dancing and twirling, a careless laugh slipping past my lips.

  Dancing would have never been my first choice as a career; my undying love forever belongs to ice skating, but during the dark times in the last ten years, it’s given me a reprieve from my thoughts and brought relief to my aching body that begged for me to go on the ice.

  Performing on stage has soothed some edges from losing my dream, so while I’ll never be in love with it, dance has been my companion in the loneliness, and I can never give up on it.

  When before the studio has been just a means to an end, now I can see myself building a life here teaching kids and showing them that dance could heal too.

  Throwing my head back, I lift my hair with one hand and with the other fan my face. My throat is getting dry from all this activity and I exhale, momentarily stopping while everyone continues to dance, swaying from side to side.

  I inhale the evening air while the wind whooshes over me, blowing up my dress and cooling my skin. I’m so thirsty I decide to go to one of the coolers next to the buffet to have a cup of water.

  That’s when my eyes clash with the intense green ones that gaze at me from the other side of the street.

  I know it’s him. He is standing next to his bike wearing jeans, boots, and a gray shirt along with his jacket thrown over his shoulder, hooked on his finger.

  No sign of clerical clothing or sainthood around him; no, this is the devil who came to collect what he considers his.

  Several women glance at him, scanning him as they appreciate the dominant male handsomeness he presents. I take a deep breath when he strolls toward me. People move out of his way, although I notice how everyone stares at us, dancing long forgotten.

  It seems we will always draw the attention of the crowd due to the intensity of our encounters.

  “Not soon, my ass,” I hear Meghan murmur, while Sam shushes her, clearly not wanting to miss anything he has to say when he steps in front of me.

  The tips of his boots graze my sandals, and goose bumps break on my skin, everything female inside me awakening at his presence, but I squash it away.

  “Hey!” I greet him, and he cups my cheek, lightly rubbing his thumb over my skin, and for a second, I lean into his touch, enjoying the sense of protectiveness he brings with him whenever he is in close proximity to me. But I freeze at the command his husky voice dishes out.

  “Come with me.” I notice something different about him, like he is unsettled even though he still has a strong grip on his emotions, since his face gives nothing away.

  Did something happen with Eunan?

  But I shake off the desire to listen to him just because I want to soothe the demons inside him. Not after how he left things between us last night and then showed me that video to test me. “Why should I?” I ask him, not stepping away from his hold but not giving him what he wants either.

  His jaw tics now, and he takes a deep breath before asking again, this time more gently. “Please, come with me. We need to talk.”

  I crook my head to the side, tapping my chin with my finger. “Do we? Because you want it? Or is it another test?”

  He regards me for a long time, so long I almost get lost in his drilling stare.

  He drags me toward him, wrapping his hands around my waist, and brings me flush with his chest, his fingers threading in my hair and arching my head a little so our lips are close. “You saw the video.” It’s not a question but a statement, so I stay silent, placing my hands on his chest where his heart beats evenly under them. “You saw the monster. Do you still think you love me?” Even though he acts confident, there is uncertainty dancing on the edges of his tone.

  I take a moment before I reply, my palms gliding up his chest to his nape where my arm circles his neck.

  Holding his gaze, I reply, “I do. Because I don’t believe that you do it without a reason or to innocent people.” He opens his mouth to say something, but I put my fingers on his lips. “I know it’s not right. Doesn’t excuse it regardless, and normal people shouldn’t do it. But people like you”— I emphasize the last part, needing for him to understand without voicing it that I’m talking about Lachlan and the rest of the guys—“are the only family I have. The only ones who helped me in my nightmare. The only ones who are there for me no matter what.” I raise on my tiptoes, giving him a light peck on the chin before freeing myself from his hold. “It doesn’t make sense to love all of you, but I do.” But then I add harshly, “If you continue to test me though and disappear in the middle of the night, leaving gifts behind”—his face darkens, not that it stops me—“you’ll succeed in pushing me away for good.”

  I expect a lot of things after my speech, but a grin to curve his mouth is not one of them. “Fearless phoenix,” he whispers, and I smile, snapping my fingers.

  “Don’t you ever forget that.”

  He leans closer, and I know he wants to kiss me, but Marta’s voice interrupts us, breaking the spell around us.

  “Campbell boy.” He looks at her, and she points with her spatula at her pancakes and ice cream. “Want to treat your girl to my food?”

  I laugh, because she always loved to put Eudard in uncomfortable situations, but he respected her so much he never said a word back.

  “Sure.” He takes a step toward her and then extends his hand to me. “Ready to come with me?”

  I press my hand to my chest, gasping while barely keeping the laughter at bay. “Are you asking me on our first date?”

  Possessiveness coats his tone when he says, “On our first date ever.”

  I slap his chest and dash toward Marta, lacing my fingers with his even though he tenses at this. “I want a ride on a carousel too. And maybe you can win me a teddy bear.” I point at the game going on a few feet away from us where people have to play darts in order to score a toy.

  “Whatever you want,” he says, but then the amusement is gone when I remember something.

  Halting my movements and pulling him back so he can meet my gaze, I ask, “We will talk after, right?” He has to realize he can’t keep me in the dark anymore, give me half truths without explanation.

  He brings my palm to his mouth, pressing his lips on it, and then nods. “Yes, we will.” And with that, we go to experience our first date ever.

  And I’m as excited as my seventeen-year-old self would have been.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Death took you from me.

  Forever shattering me.

  There is no reprieve from the madness that consumes me.

  Because every time I look at the mirror, it’s your face reflecting back at me.”

  Eudard

  Eudard, 17 years old

  Fall, Senior Year of High School

  Pacing back and forth in my forest shack, I light up another cigarette, puffing the smoke around us while the dead voice from the couch tells me, “You are getting on my fucking nerves.” I glance at Callum who casually flicks the knife between his fingers, watching the metal glisten in the candlelight. “And I’m starting to get bored.”

  “I’m sorry it’s not entertaining enough for you,” I say sarcastically, but he pays no attention to my jab, not that I thought he would. The day he displays any kind of emotion toward anyone will be the day this world ends.

  That’s how much of a closed-off person he is, not that I blame him or care much.

  I never expected to see him of all people at Lachlan’s house, where he visited with Sociopath, and needless to say, both of us acte
d like we didn’t know each other.

  Sure as fuck, no one wanted to rehash an old story.

  All that matters is that he is here to help me out, even though I’ll owe him big time in the future, something I tried to avoid. He resides in Houston and does such dark deeds there it’s a wonder no one has caught him yet.

  But then he is so skilled I shouldn’t be surprised.

  “Let’s hope the fucker buys it,” he says, flicking through my various journals that hold my thoughts on paper, but they probably make zero sense to Callum, since they are written in Latin. “Where did you get it from anyway?” He picks one out, waving it at me.

  “One of my friends gifted it to me.” Remi had a thing for creating journals like that for the dark horsemen and claimed that, even though I’m not one them, they considered me one of theirs in spirit, and since he saw my love for poems, he supplied them to me.

  The only reason I took them was because of the lock and how mysterious they seemed, although probably from the outside it gave the impression I belonged to some kind of brotherhood.

  Funny.

  I’d never be part of any unit again, because fuck this shit.

  I reply to his earlier words. “We’ve spent a week interacting with each other, and I’ve showed you around town. You are like the best friend that he never became.” Callum gives me a sideways glance, and I read the warning there, raising my hands. “Trust me, I’m not going to run around screaming bestie whenever I see you.”

  “I don’t trust anyone” is all he says before perching on the table, facing me. “But do you think he will come here while you are with me?”

  I shrug. “Leaving you here alone would have been too suspicious.” Liam might be a lot of things, but an idiot is not one of them.

  This is why we had to create an entire show for him to watch or we’d risk getting even more victims.

  I almost lost my shit when Matilda revealed who really harmed Arianna; only Santiago’s arms wrapping around me stopped me from storming to the founding five and killing them all. But as my friend pointed out, me going insane and to prison was exactly what Liam wanted.

  It took them two days of holding me in the basement of our house to calm me down enough to listen to them, because the fury didn’t go away no matter how much I tried to rein it in.

  Finally on day three, another plan formed in my head. Instead of acting like Liam wanted, I gathered our parents and informed them about him.

  Telling them the details cost me a lot, especially with Matilda crying over all her kids, as she called us, living through hell, while Ted and Dad stayed silent, occasionally drinking scotch to numb the pain I guess.

  They listened to my plan, and even though they didn’t like it, they’ve agreed to follow it. From that day, they didn’t show up at our house, and I asked Dad to play along, threatening them to drop the lawsuit that shook our town even though the other founding five families tried to squash the rumors.

  Liam is a sadistic bastard, so I needed to make sure he’d think I hated Arianna’s parents for blaming us and then my dad for treating Arianna like that.

  Keeping my distance from them and the pretense of hatred toward the people who raised me was the only assurance of their survival.

  “I’m not sure—” Whatever Callum wants to say gets interrupted by my phone ringing in my pocket. I frown at the unknown number flashing on the display but pick it up quickly, thinking it’s one of the horsemen. They decided to stay in town for a bit longer, even though oddly Santiago made sure not to cross paths with Callum.

  My body goes numb when Liam’s laughter echoes in my ear, sending chills down my spine, because it’s full of satisfaction. “You became such a fool, Eudard.” He sighs heavily, while I stay silent, dread filling me at the prospect of these words. “I start to wonder why I wanted you by my side in the first place.” I hear the weird sound of glass crushing while someone groans in the distance. “How much do you love Arianna?” he asks, and Callum walks closer, trying to listen to the conversation.

  I shout, “Don’t touch her.”

  “Gotta say I loved the act, but all the surveillance cameras I have on you seriously ruined it. You should have told poor Ted and Matilda not to talk about the plan within the walls of their home.” He clacks his tongue. “Now all of this was for nothing.”

  “Don’t touch them, Liam. You want me? Come and get me.” I scream the last part, but he only chuckles while shattering something.

  “What would be the fun in that? I always win. You should remember that.” The sound of a lighter flicking echoes in my ear before he says, “Hurry up, Eudard. Your girl might not make it.”

  With fear penetrating every bone, I rush out, throwing over my shoulder to Callum, “Call Lachlan.” God knows what kind of distraction Liam has come up with now. Maybe Arson can track him down via the last call.

  I hop on the bike and dial Santiago so he can get his ass to Arianna’s house while I do something I haven’t done for a long while.

  Pray to God for her to stay alive so I can save her from this new nightmare.

  * * *

  The Four Dark Horsemen arrive at the same time I do, throwing the bike to the side and running toward the flames inside the house.

  Looking through the terrace door, horror fills me at seeing fire surrounding Arianna while she barely moves, whispering something.

  Taking out the gun from the back of my pants, I hit the glass with it two times before Florian joins me in doing the same, and finally the glass shatters, allowing me to kick the door open and burst inside.

  There is destruction everywhere we look, fire rapidly spreading all over the first floor, and I notice bodies in the distance.

  No.

  No. No.

  He killed them. The fucker killed them no matter how much I tried to stop him from doing this.

  I focus back on Arianna and the situation at hand, quickly scanning the place, and bark, “Santiago, get the fire down, the hose is outside.” He dashes to the garden while the rest of the horsemen hash out their responsibilities with chaos erupting all around us.

  My Arianna is bleeding from the wire wrapped around her neck, digging into her skin so much that the scars might not go away. Even though her eyes are open, her expression is blank, so I don’t think she comprehends what’s going on around her now.

  Hurt once again because of me.

  Once again fucking late.

  “Octavius, everyone is dead.” I exhale heavily when it’s confirmed they are indeed dead.

  I’m so sorry.

  “Remi, help me with the bodies.”

  “Florian, use the fucking fire extinguisher in the living room or we will lose the house.”

  Even though moving her is dangerous, because I don’t know what kind of damage was done to her spine, we won’t be able to stop the fire, so I slip my arms under her back, lifting her up and pressing her to my chest. “Too late. I came too late. But I’m here now.”

  Unfortunately for her, I became this family’s downfall, and she’ll probably run in a different direction once she knows the truth.

  Holding her in my arms, I emerge from the house while Remi and Florian manage to subdue the fire. Santiago says, “I’m going to call an ambulance.”

  “No,” I stop him harshly and his brow rises. “Liam can’t know she’s alive. He will come to the hospital to finish her.” And I’m no longer confident I can stop him from doing so.

  I don’t know who stands behind him, but so far he’s shown unlimited resources, and I can’t risk Arianna’s life.

  She suffered enough because of me.

  “We need to take her to the island town hospital.” They all nod, and as I walk to their car, my pocket vibrates with a phone call.

  Everyone freezes, and I swallow back words, silently asking Santiago to take Arianna from me. “Take her to the hospital.” Octavius nods, while I exhale before picking up the phone, wondering what else he has planned.

  Is he calling
to gloat and enjoy my misery? “What do you want?” I ask without waiting for him to laugh in my ear. “To tell me that you won?”

  There’s a long pause and then his fucking laughter fills my ear once again. “That too. But mainly to ask… how did you like my decoy?” I stop breathing, thousands of words swirling while he continues to talk. “It was shiny and interesting wasn’t it? I try for you, Eudard. Want to see what the real surprise is?”

  Eachann.

  My twin who refused to leave this town or country no matter how much I begged him so he’d be safe from the monster.

  I’m darting toward my bike while Liam laughs. “Even the devil himself won’t help him, Eudard.” Getting on the bike, I hang up on Liam while checking the tracker on Eachann’s phone that shows me he’s at home.

  Roaring the bike to life, I ride it as fast as possible with the winds slamming into me so swiftly that everything in front of me becomes a blur, while my heart beats so wildly in my chest I feel the pulse in my neck and taste my fear on my tongue.

  Please, please.

  That’s the only word I’m able to whisper to myself.

  Flying through the gates, I push on the brakes. I see the garden burning and run to it, my boots thumping on the concrete, and only then notice that it’s burning in a circle. Liam must have spread gunpowder around.

  Jumping over it, I don’t care if the fire burns my skin or causes any physical pain, because my attention zeroes on Eachann who is lying in the middle with a sword stabbed through his torso, keeping him pinned to the ground.

  “No!” I shout, darting toward him and dropping on my knees next to him while his blood soaks the grass all around him. But he is still breathing, coughing on blood, and smiling at me.

  “Eudard.”

  I block it away, not comprehending what I’m seeing, and fish for the phone, muttering, “We need to call an ambulance to save… we need to—”