I can't stop myself as I approach her door as soon as the Beta leaves. I know I shouldn’t, that I need to keep my distance, but I’m desperate to see her and make sure that she's ok myself.
Devlin gasps as I open the door, her eyes as dark as my soul and on mine immediately.
So attentive, even in chaos… just like the way she sought me out first, even when she knew the risks.
Oh, Pet.
You would let me destroy you willingly, wouldn’t you?
The lollipop in my mouth isn’t helping the way it used to. It isn’t sating the need to chase her down and sink my teeth into her sweetness.
The urge to shift is pounding wildly against every p
*** Pitch black. Nothingness. There are whispers on the wind that are light and making me spin as they berate me from one direction and the next. I can’t make out what they’re saying, but tiny bumps are raising all along my arm, and there’s a ripple of electricity that makes its way up, pulsing against my neck. The darkness opens up, dropping me from where I was and into more of it until something catches my ankle and that deep, raspy chuckle is back. It’s slow, echoing around me as the sound of waves seems to crash into me. No. My heart thumps so loudly that I can hear it before I’m submerged in the water, and I go back to flailing my limbs to get out. I’m ripped from the water, dangling upside down over it as the tightness in my skull returns, spreading up and over until it meets in the center and it becomes so uncomfortable that there’s no other option for me when I scream. “STOP!” My voice fills the silence, echoing back in a thunderous tone I don’t recognize as
There's an ache… everywhere. The feeling of tiny cuts hasn't gone away, only intensified, as the pain of ice slicing across my skin continues. Such a stark contrast to how I spent my afternoon. Even with the lingering fear of Trent returning, the time after my bath was the most peaceful I've felt in a long time. Brixton's frosty hues tracked my every movement through the day… but I liked it. It felt safe and comforting, but the sweet scent of grapes I’m longing for isn’t here. It didn’t… couldn't… linger on my skin for long after Brixton’s mouth gave me everything I didn’t realize I was missing. Trent’s dirty blond hair is hanging in front of his face as he leans over where he’s sat me, staring at
Corbyn pushes against the middle of my back, hurrying me along, as he guides me back down to my room. He’s pushing me so fast that I’m practically running to keep up with his pace, and no matter how hard I try, my feet start to trip over themselves. “Corbyn,” I huff as I stumble for the eighth time, but he effortlessly collects me mid-stride and carries on. “All that running…” he says, looking down at me as he keeps the same pace, “… I thought you’d be speedier. Especially since you were in such a hurry that you couldn’t even manage to sit on the roof.” “If I’m such a disappointment, why even bother?” I trip again, and while Corbyn could catch me, he doesn’t bother this time. He watches as I land on my hands and knees, slowly walking around me until he’s facing me, before grabbing my hair. Corbyn pulls my head up just far enough for me to sit on my knees before him, fully extended, but not far enough that the pressure where he’s holding my head with his fingers entwined with m
The grape that follows Brixton is a constant now, something I don’t notice anymore unless it’s gone or changed, but I find myself seeking it out.Every purposeful breath of it feels like it floats through me, creating a barrier between me and whatever I’m dealing with. Trusting him even this much could end in disaster, but now that I’ve let my guard down around him, it happens without me even realizing it.Corbyn zeros in on me as soon as he walks through the door, striding over in fancier clothing than normal. I’m squinting as I pretend he’s woken me from a deep sleep, but somewhere in the mix of his clothing, he’s wearing a fitted sweater. Now I wish I really wasn’t awake enough to see that. It suits him somehow, making him look like someone you just plucked from a magazine, but it's deceiving. He looks like the guy who shows up to all of his kids' events, and yet, he's more like the one who slits your throat in your sleep with no remorse for how your kids will find you the next
"I don't think we've met." I hold my hand out to the slender man when Trent doesn't move to follow Gavin. "No, I would remember such a meet," he says flirtatiously, "David Darling." He’s handsome enough with his brown hair swept back and deep brown eyes, but there’s something about him making my stomach uncomfortable as I try to figure out what he is. I get the feeling he’s not the predator here. “My sister,” he motions back to where the girl from the masquerade is standing, “Darcia and I are pleased to finally meet you.” Darcia. She’s watching me with a fake smile plastered on her face. So petite compared to me, so gorgeous, that it twists something sharp in my chest. I shouldn’t care. I should be counting my blessings, and yet, it’s the point of it all. From her perspective, Trent is mine and I am his, and yet here she stands… in my home… trying to steal him from under me. Bringing one of Trent’s hands holding me in place to my lips, I lightly kiss the tough skin of his knuc
The absolute silence around me makes me wish I had an ability… any ability. Enough strength to burst through this wall to freedom, the speed to run and never look back, even rebirth. Oh, to be a Phoenix. Instead, I'm here, making my way through the house in search of Trent. "Not a great plan," Brixton catches me off guard with both his presence and his tone. I turn in the hallway to face him, but he's looking at me the same way he does when someone else is around. His gaze looks through me, his stance stiff with his hands resting on his pockets, and even though he has yet another lollipop in his mouth, the scent is soured. "What plan is that?" His nose flares and my arm breaks out in tiny bumps that freeze my skin, sending a shiver up my spine. I'm not even sure what I've done this time, but he's giving me the third warning. "I need to find him." "You have training." "I don't expect you to understand." Mainly because I can't tell him about my conversation with Gavin. "
“Shoes?” I ask Corbyn as he guides me into the store. “You would think you could walk down the aisle in bare feet.” As soon as we enter, there’s a lineup of three women greeting us and, with a wave of one’s hand, the doors lock behind us. I look up at Corbyn, who looks his regular-unimpressed-self. “You would close an entire store.” “They’ve lined up several pre-approved options. Go try them on.” Right. I walk over to where one of the women, who is a bit older, is waiting for me. The other two are hovering around Corbyn, adjusting their hair and batting their eyelashes like he’ll suddenly fall in love with them. I’m not even sure he’s capable of such a thing. Good luck to his mate. “Take a seat, dear, and we can get started. Is there a pair that’s jumping out at you?” She unstraps my shoes as I look at the lineup. Every single pair is white, with a high heel to it and some kind of detail that seems unnecessary. “One that looks like it would match with your dress?” She a
“I can’t take you anywhere,” Corbyn half tosses me into the center of the room. “I didn’t do anything.” “You let her draw energy from you,” he said pointedly as he started looking through the racks of lingerie. “You did," I whisper timidly, but angrily. His entire body grows stiff, the muscles in his back tensing, and the hanger in his hand bends. “I don’t know how any of this stuff works. You never take me out of the house, then when you do-" "Put this on," he turns on a dime, thrusting some white fabric into my arms, "or maybe we should leave and head to a children's store." Corbyn dead pans me and the tears are right there… but so is my anger. That tiny little bubbly feeling that makes me wish I had the ability to MAKE him kneel to me. To make him beg for my forgiveness. But fine, he wants obedient, obedient is what he’ll get. An Iota isn’t the only one who can get a man to do her bidding. I drop my dress to the floor, ignoring the roll of nausea, and turning to hang th