Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 100493 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100493 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
From here? Rage.
“You used my real fucking name?” I say around clenched teeth and a fake smile.
His fingers twist into the back of my hair, holding me in place. “Why not?”
I try to step back—nope, this is too close—but his grip tightens, snapping my attention back to him.
“What’s the matter, Venom?” his brows dip in mock concern. “Don’t wanna play with me anymore?”
His words fracture any chance I had of blocking him out.
“You were never a game to me, Ash.” Grief chokes my words as they leave.
I drag a breath in, finally tearing my eyes off him to look past his shoulder. Luce stands near the front in a black dress, her hazel eyes fixed on me, mouth calm, hands locked so tight I see the strain from here. Jord wears that easy grin pinned on for show, his shoulders sitting too high. Leon doesn’t move at all, steady on the outside, one second from ripping this room apart.
“Do you?” The Celebrant’s voice pulls me back to the present.
Like I have a choice.
Asher’s eyes drop to the crushed flowers in my grip, petals and snapped stems scattered across the ground.
I’m missing something. This Asher isn’t the one I left a bullet in. I watched the bullet penetrate, watched him die, then let that regret kill me for a year.
His shadow devours me all at once.
I guess I’m going to have to play. “I do.”
Asher takes my hand, fingers closing around mine hard enough to pin me in place. The world narrows to the space between us, his jaw locked, and eyes cold. My stomach knots into itself. The man I knew is gone, replaced by a brutal stillness of hatred.
He slides the ring over my finger.
Gold catches the light, curving elegant around a ridiculously oversized diamond. Then I see what encases it, and the air leaves my lungs.
A bullet. I don’t have to guess where he got it.
Blue eyes sharpen on me, watching as my attention shifts between him and the ring.
His eyes drag over me a second longer, then he turns back to the celebrant. “Continue.”
I answer every vow, making promises I never intended to keep. Everything moves too fast before I’m signing the dotted line.
His hand locks around mine and my heart stutters when his fingers slide between mine. Because I’m stupid.
He drags me back down the aisle, tossing a dark smirk at Leon as we pass.
Luce widens her eyes at me. She steps forward, mouth open, but I shake my head. Not now. I’m fine. I won’t die.
A black car idles at the curb, and he reaches for the back door, gesturing for me to get inside.
Gathering the train of my dress, I slide into the dark enclosure, eyes never leaving Asher.
He slams the door in my face.
As soon as he’s beside me, the car pulls out onto the cobblestone road.
Every breath hurts more than the last.
What do you say to the man you thought you killed? Nothing. Nothing I say will ever be enough.
He ignores me, watching the town pass. From this angle, I see the new scar on his throat better. My fingers curl in my lap to stop myself from reaching over to touch it, from feeling the bump on my thigh.
Inch by inch, the handle of the blade slides into my hand, and I don’t wait.
I twist, elbow driving into his throat as my other hand flicks the blade open and I aim for his throat. Not to kill him, I won’t go through another year of regret, but to…
He catches my wrist mid-swing and the knife falls to the floor. With that grip, he pulls me in closer, licks his bottom lip, the corner twisting into a smirk. “You miss me that much, Venom?”
All smugness vanishes before he grabs a fistful of my hair, forces me down onto my back.
The weight of his body holds me in place, his knee slipping between my thighs and forcing them apart.
A knot twists behind my sternum, tugging in two directions at once. Having him on top of me doesn’t help. A year ago I traced that jaw with my tongue. Tonight, I just want to break it.
Before I do something real stupid like kiss him, I lift my chin. “Get off me.”
His head tilts, his lips grazing my cheek. “Wanna make me?”
I go to swing one last time, but he whacks me away. He’s fast, too fucking fast for a pretty rich boy that plays in the snow.
“Stop fucking around.” He bares his teeth, and it’s more feral animal than pretty boy with fame. “You killed me once. Twice isn’t necessary.”
Air floods my lungs as he lifts off me, grabs my waist, and shoves me against my chair. My head cracks the window, and his eyes snap to the spot. For a moment, all the anger drains from his face, but it’s gone as fast as it came.