Page 36 of Dust to Dust

Ghost held up her hands; We'rein trouble.

I know,I agreed. I didn't accept Mila’s soul as payment, but I did give her advice.

Dash will blame you, no matter what.Ghost goaded.

Hey, you can't stop a bee from pollinating.I quipped. Did that make me guilty by association?

Your guilt can fill a textbook.Ghost said.

She had a point. I eyed Mila as we all walked down the line of waiting for armored SUVs. There was a guilty look in her eyes. Dash read that emotion as her submission to him. Her fight was finally over. At least, he thought it was.

Dash couldn't see that Mila's guilt wasn't due to a past event but the future creeping closer. His love blinded him. As Dash helped her into the car, I knew it was a matter of days before his little artistic songbird flew the coupe. If the angel on my shoulder had a say, I would warn Dash or confess to Titan.

There's never been an angel on your shoulder.Ghost said.

I know.

I climbed into the car, sliding into the third-row seat. My eyes stayed on Dash as he held onto Mila's hand. When you looked close, it seemed like an honest gesture from two people in love. Yet, when you looked closer at the details, you could see that Mila wasn't holding onto him. Dash's hold was too strong to have picked up on that.

Titan slid next to me, and I curled into him, seeking his armor. The fallout was coming, and I'd need him for shelter. I wasn't about to drop any bread crumbs or hints. I had enough battles to fight. Mila needed to find the badass bitch inside her and wage her war. And I hoped Mila would be strong enough to make Dash surrender and fall on his knees.

* * *

Once you stop fighting and surrender, no matter how short the slumber will be, it's much harder to climb back up on the horse and ride into battle again. I had stopped my plan of vengeance against Titan. Heck, I accepted him as mine. Now, I had no bone of contentment with Lucas. That bone was stolen from me. I had to rest and regroup. But as I curled into Titan, I found myself growing tired and…content.

Even if I didn't get the kill, I just wanted some relief—no more lies and darkness. I wanted to escape, slip away to the treehouse, and just be with Titan. As badly as he longed to know my story, I wanted to know his. Where did he get his scars? What made him so strong that he formed a club and was willing to kill his father?

I almost drifted off to sleep on the car ride back to the mansion on campus. My mind didn't let my body fade completely into slumber because, then again, I didn't sleep deeply or for long. Would I ever be rid of these demons? I hung like a dead body swaying in the wind, caught in the fog of awareness and sleep. Sleep deprivation was another form of torture I became all too familiar with when I was in prison.

"What's the matter?" Titan whispered as he hugged me tighter into his side.

"Nothing." Just the memories of being tied to a chair. Every time I closed my eyes, loud music blasted. Water was thrown onto me to ensure I could not sleep. The chills in my body kept me awake as I shivered against the metal chair.

Titan bent down, "That's a lie, but I'll let it go this time. Sleep, babygirl. We'll discuss this later and your punishment for lying to me."

I licked my lips, wondering what sort of punishment Titan would dream up. As long as it involved his bed, I'd go willingly. Titan couldn't take away my demons, but he gave them chase. I kept my eyes closed, but sleep never came. The cars rolled to a stop, but no one exited. I could feel Titan's body grow rigid.His muscles flexed like a warrior grabbing his shield, ready to run into battle.

Something was wrong.

Titan spoke to me but didn't look my way. His eyes focused on his house. "I want you to stay in the car with Mila."

Yeah, like that was going to happen.

I narrowed my eyes and then looked in the direction that held him captive. Sitting on the third step of the campus mansion was no other than Anton. He was dressed casually, which was peculiar. Anton preferred his suits. He leaned back against one of the columns that gave the estate a government-like effect. A house of power, which it was. A cigarette hung between his lips; a gun sat on his knee, clad in dark-washed jeans. A tight navy shirt wrapped around his hard body.

"If you want this," I touched the tattoo on my ring finger, "to be lasting and real, then all the secrets stop now."

Ghost didn’t like that I threaten our war prize. She slipped out and took control.Nova, I'm done. I am fucking tired. I want to see peace on the horizon. We get Titan, and we figure out who took Lucas from you.Ghost ordered.

Look at Ghost wearing her big girl panties. I beamed,I can agree with that. I want the same thing, Ghost. I want Titan King as much as I try to convince my mind to think the opposite.Thinking and believing were two very different things. You believe in something you can't see or grasp but feel in your heart and mind. Thinking is just an assumption on the winds in your mind; Shifting and changing. When put to the test, belief always outlasts thoughts.

I believed Titan loved me, and he would burn down the world for me, and most of all, I believed nothing would come between my love for him. Hate took a lot of love to continue to grow. I hated Titan King as much as I loved him.

Titan interlaced our fingers, then lowered his lips to mine as he kissed me. It was different from other kisses. It was a kiss that bonded us fully, intertwined our lost souls, and damn us both to the hell fire's that our love and hate for one another fueled.

"Stay by my side," Titan ordered.

Dash waited with Mila in the car as he slipped out his phone to call Damian. Titan and I exited, but Titan shielded me from Anton who stood from his seat on the steps. I walked side by side with Titan. He would have to learn the hard way that, as my hubby, he could not control me nor solely be the protector. If we were going to work, we had to be equal.

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