Page 70 of The Secrets of a Sin

My eyes snap open, and I see the vulnerability in his eyes. “I’m fucking powerless to you.” He confesses again, and I completely melt into him. My mouth immediately drops down onto his, and he willingly lets me take charge.

I’ve finally tamed all of Arsen.

* * *

After leaving Arsen’s car, I trek back to my room and pull out my room key.

“Where have you been?” An irritated voice manifests from behind me as I fumble with the key and drop it onto the floor. Quickly peering over my shoulder with a racing pulse, I meet Annalise’s eyes which take me in meticulously. This is the first time I’ve seen her out of the customary uniform. Dressed in a navy-blue zip-up jacket and some mesh, black shorts, she appears disheveled as if she just got out of bed. Her hair is thrown into a messy bun, and her face is void of makeup. “I came to your room last night, and you weren’t here.” She crosses her arms across her chest and continues to scowl in my direction.

Nothing good comes from those girls.

Mr. Ben’s words from yesterday replay in my head as I stare back at Annalise with hidden fear. She looks so fucking innocent and perfect that it seems almost impossible to believe she would ever cause anyone harm. How could someone so angelic-looking be so evil? It sounded beyond imagination, but they always say it’s the least expected who create the most chaos.

“I was out.” I confess, slightly annoyed by her interrogation.

“Out where?” She scoffs. “You never leave.”

Spinning fully around until I’m facing her, I stand up a little straighter and tilt my chin. “I was with a friend. Does it really matter or concern you where I was?” I question, causing her eyes to inflame.

“Friends?” She chuckles with a sinister smile on her lips. “The only friends you have are us, little mouse. We're the only ones who truly care about your wellbeing and will tell you straight up when you’re acting like a desperate whore.”

I rear back almost immediately. “What the hell are you talking about?”

She laughs darkly as her feet close the space between us, and our eyes clash. “I’m not an idiot, Charlotte. I see the way you look at Phoebe’s brother. Just like Verity and Principal Welch, you watch him as if you want to be further corrupted by darkness.” She scans me head-to-toe, lingering on the faint markings on my neck that cause her to grimace. “He’ll only hurt you.”

My chest rises and falls at her closeness, and my gaze drops to the pulse on the nape of her neck that flickers wildly. What was it about her that made me so meek? Was it her authoritative presence, or could it possibly be her beauty that sucked me in? Whatever it was, I wish it would fucking stop.

“It’s okay to be inquisitive, you know.” She announces while taking the tops of her teeth and gnawing at her bottom lip in a slow drag. I was becoming distracted by her movements, her sultry tone, and the way her gaze ate me alive. I knew she was trouble, but her strong energy was impossible to ignore. “Curiosity is a normal reaction. You want to experience what it feels like, how different it is from being with a man, and perhaps if it’s better.” She reaches for a strand of my hair and tilts her head appreciatively at me.

Fuck, why was she bringing this up again?

“I’m seeing someone, Annalise.” I growl.

Her once lust-filled expression turns sour. “Someone who doesn’t deserve you.”

“You don’t even know him.”

“I don’t have to know him, little mouse.” Taking the same strand of hair, she tucks it softly behind my ear before leaning in. “What do you say? We can settle that desire to know what it’s like once and for all?” She ghosts her cherry-scented lips over mine, which has my eyes fluttering. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

She was going to kiss me. Her lips danced gently over mine, but I couldn’t seem to move at all. I was frozen, too stunned that my brain's receptors completely malfunctioned and shut off.

“Is there any room for one more?” The sound of Priscilla’s voice immediately causes me to spur into action and repel away from Annalise on a gasp.

What the hell was I doing?

“Don’t stop on my account.” She grins, watching the two of us closely as Annalise glares hard into Priscilla. Completely mortified that I let myself fall under her spell, I quickly pick up the key from off the floor and start messing with the lock. “Aw, don’t be so shy, little mouse.” She teases, but I try to ignore her completely. “I happen to like the whole bashful thing you have going on. Makes me think of all the ways I can make your skin blush.”

A strong shiver shoots down my body towards my center, and I can’t help but glance over at them once again.

“Leave her alone.” Annalise angrily snarls as Priscilla wraps her arm around her shoulder and tugs her in close to her side. “I don’t think she likes us anymore.” She frowns as she snuggles further into Priscilla’s hold while resting her head on her chest.

“No?” Priscilla grins wickedly, peering down into Annalise’s eyes before turning her attention back to me. “And why’s that?”

“That's not true.” I shake my head at their theory, but honestly, I was skeptical of them all at the moment. With Priscilla watching me like she did yesterday after attacking Mr. Ben, my skin begins to quake and break out into a cluster of goosebumps that cover my legs and arms. Both girls had strong energies, but there was something about Priscilla that made my blood run cold.

“We showed you our spot, Charlotte.” Annalise speaks loudly in a tone that demands my attention. “We told you our deepest secrets. You confided in us, and we confided in you. You’re one of us whether you want to be or not. Rare blood flows through your veins, little mouse. Like us, you don’t bleed like normal humans do. You harbor depravity in your soul, and just like us, you want to embrace it fully.”

My eyes scour for any indication she may be trying to scare me or tease me, but all I see is the fire in both their eyes as she continues.

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