Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 58532 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 293(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58532 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 293(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
She smiles and giggles as she gives them access to her skin. But they don’t push the line; that’s not how these bastards handle shit. They keep the violence and the cruelty for afterward—behind closed doors where no one but them can see.
She is prey, and she has no idea she is currently flitting around the goddamn lion’s den. Hell, even fucking lions have dignity. Even lions let their prey know the score. But not these men. They don’t want her to know the score. They want her to stay lost in her childlike intentions of fucking fairy tales and a fanged-up prince charming.
That’s not how they handle all the women, but it’s how they handle women like her. The ones who know. The ones who were raised to believe the lie.
She laughs again, smiling at the vampire with dark eyes and an even darker smile, and my jaw locks so hard my molars grind.
“Relax.” Calloway is right beside me right now, but he’s pretending to be incredibly interested in a glass of bourbon I know he won’t drink while we’re here. His voice is a harsh whisper. “Fucking relax.”
“I’m fine.”
He shakes his head at me. No, you’re not fucking fine, he’s silently saying.
I don’t answer, but when I try to drag my eyes away from her, I fucking can’t.
The vampire demon’s fingers hover over her neck now. He’s showing the other two men that he’s planning to claim her. He’s casual in his action and rule-bound in his distance, but his body language showcases possession. He’s also testing her—trying to figure out how fucking pliant she is.
She doesn’t balk.
He fucking loves that.
He wants her naïve. I can feel it. I can see it. I can fucking smell it.
And she smiles like she’s being admired and complimented and showered with some kind of desired affection. She thinks this is about courtship.
A violent jolt hits every nerve ending inside my body. And the pull, the invisible string that’s embedded itself in my chest, tugs tighter. I feel like someone dropped a hook in my spine and has started reeling me across the room—directly to her.
I take one step closer without realizing I’ve done it, and Cal’s hand grasps my shoulder just enough to discreetly yank me back.
“Easy, bro,” he whispers. “Fucking rein it in.”
“I’m good,” I lie.
Black Eyes studies her closely.
Her pulse thrums wildly at her neck, but she’s not afraid—I can smell anticipation and excitement.
I flex my fists. My jaw ticks.
“Enough.” Calloway’s voice drops. “E-fucking-nough.”
My brother can tell I’m moments away from losing it. Though he doesn’t know why. His intentions are showcasing a need to remove me from the room because of what is happening here—the scene, the system, what this all stands for—but he hasn’t noticed her.
He doesn’t even know she exists.
But I do.
To me, she’s all that exists.
I don’t look at Cal. I fear if I do, he’ll know something has shifted in me. I’m too fucking raw right now, too overcome by the pull, too far gone by her grip on my instincts.
The man’s hand skims above her waist, and she doesn’t pull away, letting the pulse of an almost touch move through her. If anything, she leans in, willing contact to happen.
And the urge to kill overwhelms me.
Mine.
The word isn’t rational, but it’s the only word inside my head.
Mine. Mine. Mine.
She shifts slightly, scanning the room for a second. Her eyes pass over the crowd—and land on me. The man leans down to say something low into her ear, and I just start…walking.
Toward them. Toward her.
But I only get a few steps ahead before I feel a strong grip on my arm, pulling me back.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Cal whispers harshly into my ear. He’s concerned. He thinks I’m unraveling.
He’s probably right.
My eyes are still on her and the other vampire, and when his focus goes back to her throat for another sniff, the urge to murder blurs my vision red.
Cal’s definitely right.
Wedding bells and a handsome groom and vampire babies and a big mansion with a happy family are her entire world right now. And all that guy sees is power.
She is so fucking naïve it’s killing me.
I want to cross the room, but I know I won’t stop at broken bones. I won’t stop at anything. I won’t stop until heads are literally rolling.
“Leave.” Calloway tightens his grip. “Now.”
My brother doesn’t ask questions, and he doesn’t give me any more chances. He steers me down an empty hallway in the mansion and toward an exit out a discreet side door.
And the whole time, behind us, the music swells and conversation chatters and her laugh floats over it all.
The pull doesn’t loosen. It only grows tighter.
And every step I take away from her feels like I’m fucking dying.
Blair
Saturday morning feels like champagne.
Not the literal kind—though last night’s bubbles are still fizzing somewhere in the back of my throat—but the sensation of it. I feel light and effervescent and like my whole body is freaking sparkling with something bigger than anything I’ve ever experienced.