Forbidden (Blood Ties #7)

He’s a monster.

Vivienne’s words rose.

Hewasa monster.

A sick, disgusting monster.

Why did you kill him?My scream rushed back…

I shook my head, desperate to rid myself of the memory of his answer. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t…and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop it. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the cupboard.

Because…because he looked at you.

Because he’d looked at me.

It wasn’t just his words, though, was it?

No. It was that possessive gleam in his eyes, the one that matched the curl of his lips as he bared his teeth.

Because he looked at you.

He’d fucked all this up over some guy staring at me naked, my legs spread, my pussy exposed for him?

The Principal didn’t act like that…not one bit.

Not the one I knew, at least.

I shook my head.No, don’t start this. Don’t let him get under your skin.

But he was already…under my skin and inside my head. I needed to get him out, or at least in the box where I could control him, use him even. I narrowed my gaze on the wall, picturing him still lying on the floor. If I ran now, I’d lose him and the only way to find Hale.

I shoved against the floor, grabbing onto the sink to help me up. My knees still trembled, but I held on and drained the glass, then washed it under the water, wiping my prints from the glass with a staged kitchen towel and carefully returning it to the shelf.

My steps were slow returning to that bedroom, fighting every instinct I had to run. I was giving up everything. My sanity. My freedom, even my life. All for my blood. They’d never know about this. They’d never know what I did to keep them safe.

Maybe this was how it was meant to be? Maybe this was…the balance? A kind of sick justice. They suffered then and this was me suffering now…like a deep, fresh cut. Maybe then that gaping, festering wound inside me might finally heal.

A moan tore from him, croaking and rough, but loud enough to send a shiver down my back.

Now or never.

Make the call.

Now…or never.

Standing at his back, I watched his eyelids flutter open.

Beep.

The screen of his cell lit up inside his pocket, making him snap his eyes open. I backed away quietly. My bare feet made no sound as I headed for the doorway. My pulse was booming as he slowly shoved upwards and looked around, leaving the last moment for me to turn.

I was headed for the living room when he unleashed a grunt and pushed to stand. That water sloshed in my belly as I frantically searched for something to occupy my focus…just long enough for him to find me.

It was like waiting for my death.

Seconds…seconds while I opened the cupboards in the living room, searching the empty cupboards while I tracked the heavy thud of his steps. I made my legs wobble a little as I clutched the edge of the cupboard. Making myself…weak.

“There you are,” he growled as his hand descended, covering my mouth.