by Vivian Cove
He scowls.
Alright. Maybe it’s customary to explain things after you make a claim like that. “This was the most precious thing he owned, and he gave it to me. Because he knew I was lost, and that I needed it more than he did.”
He pulls the chain, yanking me forward. “Or maybe he just wanted to get rid of it.”
“Then he woulda just chucked it in the time capsule at Camp Tambourine. I mean, fuck, that’s where I dumped some broccoli wrapped in a napkin and this beaded necklace this cool Native American woman taught me how to make. I had to kill it. She was too nice to say anything, but it was so ugly that it was an insult to her ancestors and mine.”
Vice’s face twists like I just stabbed him in the gut. “You’re name’s not Annie, is it?”
“Of course my name’s Annie.”
“No, I mean, Annie’s short for something, right?”
“Oh yeah. Annabel.”
I’m against the building and he’s against me. His hands gripping my hips, holding me up. My legs kick out and he slides between them. The long, hard bulge in his pants pushes up against my cunt. I dig my fingers into his shoulders, trying to steady myself as I moan and shiver against the length of him. His tongue invades my open mouth, lush and desperate. There’s a determination in him, like I’ve been sleeping for a thousand years and he’s going to bring me back to life with this one kiss.
And he does.
Every cell in my body is ignited. Confusion and fear burn away. All that exists are his hands, his mouth…and the dangerous, dark, uncontrollable feeling building inside me. This is the kind of pleasure that you’d give anything to experience again—even those irreplaceable parts of yourself.
This should horrify me.
It doesn’t.
I cry out as he pulls away.
“Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited for this?”
I gasp. Yeah. About 48 hours. And, holy shit, I totally understand how you feel because 48 seconds has never felt so long.
His hand slips behind my head. He leans forward so our foreheads touch. “I’m never letting you go.”
“Ughuhhhuh…” I moan awkwardly. Why the fuck aren’t you kissing me?
“Never,” he says again. It sounds like a vow.
I clear my throat. “Never?” I ask, huskily.
“Never.”
He grabs the back of my hair in his fist and, for a second, it seems like he actually has no intention of letting me go.
Wait. Hold up. “What do you mean by never? Like, never ever or like…another kind of never that isn’t quite so ever?”
Did that make sense to him? I hope so, because it sure as shit didn’t make sense to me! I mean, I know what I was trying to say but I’m not so sure I actually said it.
I look into his eyes to see if I’m getting through.
What I see in them freaks me out.
Oh shit! He’s sizing me up again like Hannibal! I don’t want to be cAnniebalized! All of a sudden, I get the creepily distinct sensation that my skull is an egg he’s about to crack. There’s nothing sexy about cracked eggs or cracked Annies! I push against him and his grip on the back of my head tightens.
“What the fuck, man?!?” I kick at him.
He seems to have anticipated such an attack and brings up his thigh, shielding his mighty man bits. His other hand secures my flailing arms above my head.
Oh shit! He’s gonna crack me! “Vice, what the hell are you doing?”
He kisses my cheek. “Don’t fight me. Please.”
There’s nothing that makes me want to fight more than someone saying, Don’t fight me.
“You want me to stop, then you stop your crazy right now, Vice.”
“You really gonna tell me you don’t want it?” He pulls back, but his mouth is still too close to mine.
My tongue flicks between my lips. Alright, maybe I can’t say that exactly, but…
“I know you want it. With every movement you make, I can feel just how much,” he whispers. “I could take you like this, and you’d love it. I could make you love it every time I made you mine.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m leaving in a few minutes.”
A few minutes? So much for never letting me go!
His eyes grow hard. “And you’re coming with me.”
“Going with you,” I repeat.
He nods.
He can’t possibly mean…I mean, it just isn’t possible that… “You talking about the amusement park?”
He smiles. “I’m talking about anywhere you want to be…as long as it’s with me.”
“Well, I want to stay right here.”
“Except here.”
A lot of things were starting to compile in my mind but none of them added up. How had all this shit started? Oh, right. He’d asked if I needed help moving a body. Then, freaked out when he saw my necklace. Then, kissed me. And now? He wanted me to go somewhere with him? FOREVER?!?!?
“Thanks, but I like it right here.”
“Annie, don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
Make what harder? Was he really planning on throwing me over his shoulder and carrying me out caveman style? This was my dad’s compound, why did he think that would even work? “You sound serious.”
“I am serious.”
“I am serious.”
The grip on the back of my head gets a little harder. Like, crows flocking over the moon while an old witch laughs inside a gnarly tree ominous.
His hooded eyes drink me in. He looks like he’s about to kiss me. Or sink his fangs into my neck. Or eat my face. Or do all three at once.
“You’re not this kind of man.” Please don’t be this kind of man!
He smiles grimly. “Didn’t I tell you already? I’m not a nice guy. I take what I want, and I want you.”
For some reason, this horrifying statement makes my pussy clench. God damnit, what the fuck is wrong with my anatomy?
My necklace suddenly feels very heavy.
Right. My necklace.
I stare him straight in the eyes, radiating strength. “I know you think you have the power here Vice, but you don’t. Because I have something that changes everything.”
He frowns.
“This,” I whisper, looking down.
His frown deepens. “You talkin’ ‘bout your tits?”
“No!” Damn, I wish my hands were free so I could slap him! “My necklace!”
His eyes grow dark. “You think that’s gonna change my mind, you are sorely mistaken.”
“Oh yeah?” I beam. “Nothing bad has ever happened to me while I wear this necklace. In fact, whenever I wear it, everything goes my way. Do you know why?”
Vice doesn’t move.
“This is where you’re supposed to ask why,” I tell him.
His frown comes back.
Alright. Guess he’s not gonna ask. Well, I’d tell him anyways. “Because it has magic powers.”
He stares at me. “Excuse me?”
“It’s magical,” I tell him as I straighten my shoulders.
“What?”
“It has the power of protection and strength. Viktor told me so.”
He. Just. Stares.
“The name of the boy who gave me the necklace is Viktor.”
“Did you honestly believe his shit?”
“Not did. I still do. Because it wasn’t shit.
He sighs. For a second, his eyes soften. “I think he meant that you have the power within yourself to be strong and, as long as you have that strength, you can protect yourself.”
Why the fuck was Vice mansplaining to me about something a little boy he never even met meant? “No, that power comes from the necklace.”
“No, that power was already inside you. The necklace was just…something he probably wanted to give you because of…dumb kid reasons.”
I shake my head. “No. This necklace is magic. He told me so.”
Vice groans and looks like he’s ex
periencing real physical pain. “I can’t believe I’m having this fucking conversation.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me because do you know what? You’re nothing like Viktor. He helped me out when I needed it most, not because he thought he was going to get something out of it, but because he was just the kind of person who did what was right.”
The ghost of his lips on mine. I feel their outline as he breathes, as we both stand so close, almost touching, completely aching.
“You’re right. I’m not like him.” He pulls away, glancing down. “And you’re right about another thing, too. The necklace does protect you.”
He grabs my arms in an unrelenting and unbreakable grip. So why does it feel like he’s about to let go?
“Wish I never met you.” His hands tilt my face up. “You happy here? You want this little quiet life, Annie? Then make fuckin’ sure I never see you again.”
I close my eyes and he lets go. I shiver, body suddenly cold, and look up.
And just like that, he’s gone.
Chapter 12
I don’t really feel like rolling down the hill after all that. I also don’t want to continue to stand in the ally. So I grab my necklace and make my way down the hall to my bedroom.
I guess it makes sense why the club is pretty much empty now, and why there’s so much commotion at the gate. Vice is leaving, and after whatever the fuck that was he tried to pull in the ally, I should be happy, right? I mean, the guy was obviously unstable.
So why did I feel like I just lost something irreplaceable?
I can hear Candy’s response in my head: Because everyone has their own brand of crazy that’s as unique as a snowflake. It’s no big loss. Actually, it’s not even a loss at all. Girl, it’s a damn good thing that boy’s outta your life.
God damnit, why did I like such weird ass snowflakes? I hold my necklace tighter. It always made me feel better. It even saved me from creepy Vice. So why wasn’t its magic working right now?
“Princess?”
I almost groan when I hear that annoyingly masculine voice in the doorway. I turn and glare instead of saying hello.
Damien’s standing in the doorway in jeans, his cut, and nothing else. Sunlight hits his muscled chest, casting sexy shadows that intertwine with his tattoos. I decide to show my appreciation for them by glaring harder.
“Hey,” Damien says, stepping forward into the room.
What the hell? “I’m giving you the death glare, D. That means get the fuck out, not come closer.”
“I deserve that.” For some reason, this makes him decide to take another step closer. And then, when he is in front of me, he just stands there.
Well, if he’s just going to stand there silently, I’m just going to continue to glare at him.
“Talk to me, Princess.”
No!
“Come on.”
Ugh. Fine. I wasn’t gonna stop glaring, though. “Why do you hate shirts?”
“I don’t hate shits. I just love the way you look at me when I’m not wearin’ one.”
Really? He was going to try to dirty talk the death glare? “You love my fiery hate?”
“I love your fire. Wish there wasn’t so much hate.” Then, he takes off his leather jacket, lays it on the bed next to me, and crouches. “I’m sorry about last night, Princess. If I could change things, I would.”
“Don’t crawl through my window if I lock my door, then.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t change that part. Just all the shit that happened after.”
I ground my teeth. “It’s fine.”
“No, it isn’t. I handled everything wrong. I wanted to say something but I didn’t want anyone to know about us, but I want everyone to know about us, and…fuck, this isn’t going right. Are you listening to me?”
I glance up and bite my lower lip.
“Fuck, Princess,” Damien whispers, putting his hand on my knee. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“It’s not you. For once, you’re not the one who’s pissing me off.”
“You don’t have to sound so upset when you say that. I’m not always the one who’s—”
“Don’t finish that sentence. The answer is yes, you are always the one who’s pissing me off. At least until now.” I sigh. “And I’m not pissed I’m just…confused.” And aching and horny, but there was no way in hell I was bringing that up.
“What happened?”
I shake my head. “Nothing. I just…I saw Vice and—”
Damien’s hand on my knee gets really tight. “What did that fucker do to you?”
Fuck! “Nothing, he said he was leaving.”
Damien’s face gets super scary dark. “And that upset you?”
I squeeze the necklace so hard that it’s going to permanently imprint my hand. Come on, we need a miracle!
Damien rips his gaze away, glaring at a pile of laundry on the floor like he was about to tear it apart. “I’m gonna fuckin’ kill him.”
Oh my God! So not the miracle we needed! “No! Don’t!”
“Shoulda fuckin’ done it when I found you two together.”
“Look, he didn’t do anything bad.” He just touched me in ways that really made me want him to fuck me and threatened to kidnap me and…okay, maybe it was a little bit bad…but I also sort of liked some of it…which actually makes it worse and oh shit this is going well.
“Nothin’ bad, huh?” Damien whispers, leaning forward. “Did he touch you, Princess?”
I feel my eyes bugging out, because all I can think about is Vice’s lips on my throat and Vice’s possessive grip on my hips and Vice’s gigantic man part pushing into my aching core. And as I’m playing that horrible/wonderful scene in my head on repeat, I’m noticing that Damien’s countenance is getting a little cloudy. Like Hurricane Damien cloudy. And I’m in the eye of the storm!
Okay, I’ve taken way too long to explain. There is no way he’s going to think we didn’t touch.
I shrug. “We might’ve held hands.”
“You got so upset ‘cause he held your hand?”
Alright. That didn’t make much sense. “No, that’s not why I’m upset. It’s just…the way he held my hand made me start thinking about the meaning of life and the universe and…” OMFG what the fuck am I saying?!?!? “And how we’re all on this blue dot. Or a green dot? Actually I think, it’s blue. Yeah, blue. Anyways, we’re all just on a dot in space.” OMFG I am making this so much worse! Sweet lord make it stop! “Dots also come at the end of sentences. Sentences like this one. Like, if you imagine this sentence in your head, at the end there will be a dot, and that’s like the world.”
Now Damien looks more concerned than angry. He grabs my hand and sticks his thumb on the underside of my wrist like he’s taking my pulse. “Did he give you something to drink, Princess?”
“No.”
“Your heart’s beating really fast. Your skin’s flushed.”
Yeah, before you burst in here I was all aching and horny and I AM SO NOT GOING TO TELL YOU THAT.
I rip my hand from his. “Look, he didn’t give me drugs and I’m not on drugs! It’s just that a lot of stuff has happened lately and I don’t know how to make sense of it all. I mean, I was a virgin yesterday. Now all my friends and family have heard me having sex and my own father wants to put a muzzle on me. It’s nasty!”
He shuts his eyes. “I know, and I’m so sorry.”
“Well you should be sorr—wait, what did you say?” Damien never apologized to me. Ever.
“Princess, it doesn’t matter what you did with him. And really, whatever it was…don’t tell me. It’s not like I’ve been a saint either. And with all this sneakin’ around shit, I’ve just fucked things up even more.” Damien takes my hands in his. “But from now on, you only fuckin’ hold hands with me.”
I look up into his piercing gaze. “What?”
“I know he hurt you. I don’t know if it was your feelings or something else…but I want you to know somethin’, Princess. It’s n
ot okay and he’s not going to get away with it.”
“WHAT?”
“Don’t worry. You’ll never have to deal with his bullshit again.”
“I don’t think that’s a promise you can keep, D. I don’t know the exact terms of the truce, but it sounds at least to me like they might be seeing a lot more of them for a while.”
Damien grits his jaw. “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you don’t have to fuckin’ worry ‘bout it.”
My stomach drops. It’s never good when a man says that. “Damien, what did you do?”
“It’s nothin’.”
Oh really? If it was actually nothing, then you wouldn’t be avoiding my gaze. “Damien, don’t lie to me.”
“Don’t lie? All we got are lies between us, and I’m fuckin’ sick of it. I’m not taking it anymore.”
He grabs my ass and hoists me up. He rushes forward until my ass slides over my desk and my back hits the wall. Then, he slips between my legs.
“Damien, what are you doing?”
“I’m tired of runnin’ around behind everyone’s back, tired of tryin’ to be somethin’ I’m not. I wanna put my cut on you. Wanna claim you. When you step into a room, I want everyone to know you’re mine.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I love you, Princess. I always have. And maybe I show it in all the stupid ways, or I don’t’ show it at all, but fuck, I’m not comfortable feeling this way or spellin’ this shit out.”
Well, he was a Demon Spawn. Of course he wasn’t comfortable showing his feelings. And I’d glanced at a few of his High School essays and yeah, it was obvious the guy had a deep and all-encompassing hatred of English grammar. Considering all this, he would be a complete jackass when he tried to show his love…
Wait, love?
DID HE JUST SAY LOVE?!?!?!
My glare is back, only with a little less death and a whole lot more WTF. “What the hell did you just say to me?”
He grins. “You know, I actually figured you’d react this way when I told you.”
“When you told me what?!?”
“Oh, so now you want me to say it again, you greedy bitch?”
I swat his chest. “I can’t believe you just called me a greedy bitch!”
