In Death 24 - Innocent in Death

ever happen in a bed like that.
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    No one would come in, in the dark, lie on top of her, hurt her, hurt her. Not in that beautiful, beautiful bed.
    She walked to it, but was afraid to touch. She reached out, then jerked her hand back.
    He’d probably beat her if she touched it. Probably pound his fists on her if she touched something so beautiful.
    “Go ahead. You can touch it. You can even lie down on it.”
    She whirled around. It wasn’t him. It was a little girl, like her. But not like her. Her hair was shiny, her face was pretty and soft-looking. There were no bruises on it. She smiled.
    “This is my room.”
    “You’re the princess,” Eve murmured.
    The little girl’s smile widened. “That’s right. I’m the princess. Everything here is mine. If I say you can touch something, you can. If I don’t, and you do, I can have you thrown in the dungeon. Where it’s dark all the time.”
    Eve whipped her hands behind her back. “I didn’t touch anything.”
    “You have to ask first, then I’ll give my permission. Or I won’t.” The pretty little girl walked over to a table where a pink and white tea set was laid out. “I think we should have some hot chocolate. I have my servants make it whenever I want it. Do you like hot chocolate?”
    “I don’t know. I’ve never had any. Is it good?”
    Rayleen poured it from pot to cup. “It’s a killer.” Then she laughed, and laughed. “You have to drink it if I say you do. You’re in my room, and I’m the princess. I say it’s time for you to drink your hot chocolate.”
    Obediently-she’d learned to be obedient-Eve stepped over and picked up one of the pink cups. She sipped. “It’s…it’s so good. I never had anything like it.” She drank it fast, greedily, then held out the cup. “Could I have more?”
    “All right.” Rayleen’s smile was sharp now, like her eyes. In the look Eve saw something that made her stomach fist. And when Rayleen poured from pot to cup, what streamed out was red, red blood.
    Biting back a scream, Eve dropped the cup. The red spread and pooled on the white carpet.
     
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    “Now look what you’ve done! You’ll have to pay for that.” Setting down the pot, Rayleen clapped her hands twice.
    And he came in, smiling that sharp smile, looking with those sharp eyes.
    “No. Please. I didn’t mean it. I’ll clean it up. Please, don’t. Please.”
    “I’ve been looking for you, little girl,” her father said.
    He struck her first, one quick, hard blow that sent her sprawling to the floor. Then he fell on her.
    She fought, she begged, she screamed when the bone in her arm snapped like a pencil.
    While Rayleen stood, idly sipping from her cup.
    “Only one way to stop it,” Rayleen said as he began to push and shove himself inside Eve, to tear her. “Killing takes care of everything. So kill him. Kill him. Kill him.”
    Rayleen chanted it, her voice rising with excitement.
    “Kill him!”
    Finding the knife in her hand, Eve did.
    Ssh, ssh. Stop now, Eve. Just a dream. Nothing but a dream. You need to wake up for me.
    Come back to me now. I have you.”
    “It was blood. Pink and white and red. All the blood.”
    “It’s done now. You’re awake now, with me now.” They tore at him, these nightmares, even as they tore at her. He held her, and rocked her, pressing his lips to her hair, her temples, even when she’d stopped shaking.
    When she turned her face against his throat, he felt the tears.
    “I’m sorry.”
    “No, baby. Don’t.”
    “Am I projecting, Roarke? Is that all it is? Do I look at that kid and see all I never had, never felt, never knew? Is it some sort of jealousy? Is it all just some sort of twisted envy? With Magdelana, too?”
    Now he drew her back, ordered the lights on at ten percent so she could see his face, see his eyes. “It’s not, no. It could never be. You don’t have it in you for that. If I planted that 256
    there with Magdelana, the flaw was mine. You look straight, darling Eve. You see what is, even when you’d rather not. And you look at things others turn from.”
    “They’d have locked me away for what I did to him.”
    “You’re wrong. And if they had, even for an hour, for the smallest part of an hour, even God would have had no pity on them for it.” He stroked the tears away with his thumbs.
    “The cop in you knows that perfectly well.”
    “Maybe. Yes. Most of the time.” Sighing, she let her head rest on his shoulder. “Thanks.”
    “Part