The Puppetmaster's Handbook

Chapter 0

Chapter 0"What are you doing in my house?"

I had been so focused on the view out the window I had failed to notice someone had walked up behind me.

I try to turn around but a hand grabs my shoulder and pushes me back to face the window. "Who the hell-"

My voice is cut off by a sharp intake of breath when I feel a male body press against my back and two hands cover mine on the panes, cutting off my escape route.

My body stiffens as a warm adam's apple slides against my head.

"Re-laaax," a deep voice purrs straight into my ear, "You came in my room. You must want to be here."

I recognize the voice. "Anders!"

I feel a smile slide against the side of my face.

"You have me at a disadvantage, little bird. I don't like that. You've come into my room, you know my name, you obviously know something about me, but I don't know you at all."

My heart is beating so hard I'm surprised it isn't shaking the glass. I try to pull my hands free and slide under his arms but he grips me tighter.

"Not quite yet. I need to know the name of my little intruder."

Intruder? Shit. I wasn't invited to this party, but neither were half the people here. Wasn't that the point of a party?

"Uh... It's Sasha. We have first period together?"

I wait a beat, trying to calm down. He wouldn't actually hurt me, would he? Not in front of the window where everyone could see. In fact, all I'd have to do is scream-

"Ahh, that's right." The sound from his throat feels enormous against my ear. "You're the one who told off Jacobs."

"I, um, didn't really tell him off-"

His hips press into me so hard for a second I'm afraid we'll both fall through the window.

"Don't argue. It was beautiful. So tell me, as much as I'm enjoying my caged little bird, why the fuck are you in my room? Would you like to have my attention? You have it."

How do I explain? I try to throw together a story that makes sense in my brain instead of a bunch of panicky sentences that aren't in order.

"I was... ah, looking for the bathroom and I saw," I gesture with my chin, which bumps into the glass as my face twists sideways, leaving a grease spot. I'm about to apologize for that when I feel his head move.

I feel his throat vibrate with laughter. I close my eyes against the strong surges of emotion that are rising inside of me. If I struggle too much we really might break this window.

"You're not here for me at all. You're here for the view."

Yes! He understands. He'll let me go, right? ...He's not letting me go.

"All right my little bird, let's take a look."

I feel a hand grab my face roughly and turn my head until it's facing outside.

"What do you see?"

"Um... what?"

"What... do... you... see?" It's practically a growl. What the hell is he asking me? I open my eyes."Cars! Trees! Your... um... friends?"

"Sheep."

Huh?

"They're not sheep, they're people," I say automatically, only realizing too late what he means. I squeeze my eyes shut. I'm not getting out of this unless I start to think more clearly. Come on, think.

"Don't argue. They're sheep. Look." He drags our right hands and releases one finger to point. I follow with my eyes. Three guys I've seen before but can't name are standing next to an SUV in the driveway. The tall guy takes a swig from a glass bottle and passes it to the shortest one. He takes it with a grin and takes a big swallow, and coughs half of it on the ground. He passes to the third, barely registering his presence. He seems like he mostly wants to get the bottle away from him. The third guy, the one with longish hair, manages to grab it before it falls. I can't hear what they're saying, but the tall guy laughs. The short one manages to straighten up and smiles too, looking up at his friend through moist bangs. They both start walking toward the long-haired guy, gesturing, laughing. The third guy doesn't look sure about this at all, but brings the bottle up to his lips. The other two cheer.

I snort, causing two streaks of condensation on the pane. "I see what you mean."

He makes a sound of pleasure against my ear that vibrates my whole body. I close my eyes again. Come on, Sasha, keep it together. You're doing well.

"So, forgive my confusion, but you, who most definitely are not a sheep, trespass on my property, come into my room, put your hands on my window," he squeezes my hands tighter, "Just to look at my sheep? You're not thinking of poaching one, are you?" He asks all of this calmly, almost conversationally, if it weren't so coldly put. I clench my teeth to stop from hyperventilating. If he wanted to hurt me, he would have done it already. He wants something else. I just have to figure out what that is.

He settles his body more firmly against me. I realize while it feels like he has a death grip on me, he's quite comfortable. This is nothing for him. He tucks my feet between his and pushes them together. He's now surrounded me completely. I feel smaller than I ever have.

"Now tell me, dear little bird," he leans his mouth down so I can feel his teeth against my ear. "Which one is it?" he says with so much malice my knees almost buckle. There is definitely a right and a wrong answer to this question, and I have no idea what they are.

I open my eyes, and forget about Anders entirely.

Javi is there, in the driveway. Even though he's walking away, and his hair is tucked into the hood of his sweatshirt, he's unmistakable, being at least a head taller than everyone else. He makes it to the curb and says something to the guys next to the SUV. They raise their arms in victory and my heart sinks as I see a tan car pull up. I can't see the driver clearly, except for the long blond hair spilling over her shoulders. Javi leans over and grabs the handle of the passenger door. I suck in a breath.

"No..." I say quietly but audibly as he gets in the car. It sounds embarrassingly like a plea, but I don't care. As the car drives away, I don't care about anything.

"Javi."

It's said with cold finality. I don't deny it, as the reality of my situation comes back to me. I have no idea what's going to happen now, but I do know that it would be a terrible idea to lie.

"Well, my dear little bird," the lighter, conversational tone is back. "He is also not a sheep."He backs away and I want to collapse with relief.

For about half a second.

Then I feel a grip on my shirt as I'm yanked backward and land with my shoulder blades against the wall. Now he has me pinned from the front.

His face is in shadow and there's a glare from the streetlight through the window, but I can sort of see his shadowed eyes, crinkled up, laughing at me. All of a sudden, I've had it.

"Let me go!" I try to push him away, but he won't release my shoulders.

"No," he says flatly.

"What do you want from me?" I start to raise my voice, which earns me a hand over my mouth. Instead of being scared, I feel like biting it. Where the hell Javi left me to go, and who he left with is way more important now than whatever this guy's game is.

"I want to help you," he says slowly.

"Huh?" It comes out muffled through his hand, but I guess the confusion is clear on my face, because he moves his fingers down, dragging my lip and letting me taste a hint of salt. He rests his palm on my collarbones, fingers massaging my neck, just reminding me that his hand is still there.

"Why? Help me with what?"

"Because I want to know you better. I would like to know you very, very closely." His breath wafts across my face making me blink. He hasn't been drinking. "And since I want something from you, I'll have to give you something in return."

My first thought was to ask what he wants, but is immediately overwritten.

"Tell me what you want to help me with, or I'm leaving."

He grins, even in the shadow I can see the smile spread across his face. He's shorter than Javi, not as lean and his cheekbones are nowhere near as high, but in this light he looks like a grinning skull.

"You're not going anywhere. Not until I say." He sighs and allows some more weight to press against me. I suddenly become very aware of the zipper of his jeans. It's pressing into my belly.At least, I think it's just the zipper causing the pressure.

"First things first," he continues, "How old are you?"

"Eighteen," I blurt it out, not that it's any of his business.

His eyebrows raise, coming close to his wavy hair. "Really? Good. That makes things easier.""Makes what easier?" What did they say in that self-defense course? Kick the inside of the leg? No wonder he has thighs pressed against me.

"I'm going to help you get Javi."

I stop breathing.

Okay... Okay. So he's not going to do anything to me? He wouldn't, right, if he's going to help me hook up with another guy?

"And what do you want from me?" I ask warily. Maybe there's a way out of this after all.

He presses his hips into me and rests his forehead against mine. Maybe I thought too soon.

"First things first. You are an intruder. I should call the cops. I'm going to overlook it, but not for free. You'll have to do something for me first."

"You wouldn't call the cops on your own party!"

"Wouldn't I?" He asks, tone gone cold again. I feel a sinking sensation in my gut. I've only talked to the guy for five minutes and I'm really not sure he wouldn't. "And that would be bad for you, my little ADULT. That would be on your record, wouldn't it?" He moves his head to nuzzle my neck. His hand starts rubbing my throat again. "You might even become a little jailbird."

I close my eyes. I am so fucked. I give in. Whatever he wants, he's got me.

"What do you want?"

He smiles against my neck and presses his lips against my skin.

"Tonight? It's simple. I want a kiss."

That's it? He's kissing me now.

"Sure."

"Is that consent?"

"Um, for a kiss, yeah."

His hand on my throat tightens and the other hand grabs the back of my head. My eyes snap open. He presses his body against me and I was right, he wasn't using his full strength before.

He is now.

The only reason, the ONLY reason, he hasn't ripped off my clothes or done anything else is because he decided not to. Certainly not because I could have fought him off. He's surprisingly strong. He's not that much taller than me, but he has to outweigh me by at least half. I can barely breathe with his massive chest pressed against me.

He doesn't bring his mouth to mine, not yet. He just holds me there and looks. This fucker is enjoying how scared this is making me feel. He's smirking.

Then his mouth comes down and I'm drowning. He's so rough with his body and his lips are so gentle. He presses me into the wall and it's definitely not just his zipper this time. He opens his mouth and I open mine automatically. I've only made out with a guy a few times before and it was nothing like this. I give in. I let him in. I can't stop him anyway and I want it. God help me I want it.

My hands go to his waist and his back, feeling the muscles that could crush me if they wanted. He makes a sound in his throat that feels like pure pleasure and I respond with a whimper of my own. My hands drift back down to his hips and press him into me harder, if that's even possible. In response his mouth becomes firmer and forces mine open wider. His hand wraps in my hair and pulls. There is absolutely nothing about him that is gentle anymore and I love it. Whatever he wants I'll do. I am his creature to command.

He pulls back, separating our bodies. I pant, the only connection between us is my hand resting on the front of his shirt.

"Very good, little bird." He reaches over to the desk next to him and rummages in the drawer without breaking eye contact. "So good, in fact. I owe you a little more."

The blood slowly returns to my brain. Oh my god, what did I just almost do? I pull my hand back. I'm still fuzzy-headed, but I'm together enough to be horrified. I came all this way for Javi, and I end up making out with some other guy? No scratch that, not any other guy, but THIS guy. What the hell was I thinking? I don't even have the excuse of being drunk. I rub my face with my hands. I've got to get out of here, but how? Javi's gone and I have no ride.

"Open up."

Huh? I open my eyes just in time to see Anders shove a bottle in my mouth.

The alcohol hits me like fire in my throat. I instantly gag and start coughing, hoping none of the noxious fluid actually makes it into my belly. How do people drink this stuff?

He laughs, lightly, as if we have some private joke.

"What the... hell?" I manage through gasps for air.

"You make Kevin look like a pro."

My mind somehow makes that connection. The short guy in the driveway, that's his name.His face drops the smile as he walks across the room and pounds on the open door.

"James!" He stentors down the hallway. Even in my distraction, that was loud enough to make me wince. He turns back to me. "Sunday, 3 p.m., be here."

My first thought, stupidly, is I don't have the car that day. My second more intelligent, if inelegant, thought is, fuck off.

I am just about to say so, when his tone darkens. "No excuses."

"What?" James sounds annoyed, but more alert than the other guys downstairs.

"Take this drunk bitch home."

"Bro, I just got here-"

"That's why you're going to do it," Anders cuts him off. James is big and broad-shouldered, but there's no question who's the boss in this relationship. "I don't know who she is, but she's been drinking, and I want her out of here before there's any trouble. You're sober. Take her."

"Hey!" I bark through my burning throat. Drunk bitch! I don't know who she is! What is he talking about?

"Why can't you take her?" James whines, as he looks down at Anders, which is kind of funny. I snort unintentionally.

Anders glares at me.

Meep!

I've gotten a few good glares in my life. My mom can throw out a good one. And no matter how much time I've spent living overseas, I still manage to break cultural rules that earn me death looks from strangers. But when Anders does it, it's on another level.

Anders turns his frightening eyes back to James and I exhale in relief, my own breath making my eyes water.

James gets a panicked look on his face.

"Okay, okay!" He raises his hands and turns to me. "Let's go."

I've got a ride now? ...I've got a ride, an excuse for being in a strange guy's bedroom, and nobody knows I made out with Anders. It's perfect, completely bleeding perfect. I take a step forward. The emotions of the past few minutes, or hours, or centuries, catch up with me and my legs shake. I stumble and James has to catch me before I fall into him.

"Damn, you really are drunk." He keeps his hand on my arm to steady me as we move toward the hallway.

I look back at Anders. He doesn't move to make space for us. His angry expression doesn't change. He's a fantastic actor. If I hadn't been present 60 seconds ago, I'd believe he was furious. I think I'm starting to get it, the game he wants to play. Okay, buddy, I can play too.

"Great party!" I throw my arms up and woot loudly, which throws James off balance and he grabs me with both hands. There's a responding woot from downstairs followed by laughter.

"Okay, let's get you out of here," James says leading me out of the room.

I laugh and cast a glance over my shoulder. Anders narrows his eyes at me.

Oh, shit.

I am definitely going to pay for that.