Page 12 of Dare To Fall

“Fuck’s sake.” I glare at my friend, who smirks.

“You didn’t know that? Eli is short for Elliot. It’s the family name.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

He laughs and turns his attention back to Arabella. “You didn’t answer my question. What else does it say, Bella?” His voice is soft. “Shall I give you a clue? Look at the colors. Shall we do it together?” He crosses the room and stops beside me. “Which letters did he turn red?”

He taps the word Nasty. “Look, the S is red there.” His finger slides to Little. “The I is red. And …” He flicks the word Monster with a fingernail. “Oh look, the N is red there. Say it with me, pretty girl. What does it spell out?”

Chapter 6

Arabella

I stare at the red letters.

S.I.N.

Eli is watching my expression, and from the way his eyes flicker, I’m sure he recognizes the moment of my acceptance.

It’s true. Eli is my lover in the dark. Why else would he have the name written over his body and hidden inside other words? The last thread of doubt drains away, leaving me shaken.

Did he do it to taunt me? Is that why he got it done while I was watching?

I’d been so wrapped up in my problems and anger that the different colors on the tattoo hadn’t clicked in my head. Not that I’d seen a lot of it, as Eli had his t-shirt on when we had sex. I’d wanted Sin to fuck me, and he had … as Eli.

I rub my arms up and down, trying to warm the chill inside me. For months he’s been lying to me. He’d pretended to be someone else. I confided in him. He became my obsession.

I close my eyes for a moment, emotions struggling to break through the numbness.

“I know this is a lot to process.” Kellan’s voice is quiet. “You’re struggling with it. It’s going to take time. We understand that.”

My eyes snap open, and I pin him with a glare. “You fucked with my head for months.”

“You enjoyed what we were doing.” Eli takes a step toward me. “Don’t try and deny it.”

He’s right; I did, but if his comment is supposed to make me feel better, it fails miserably.

My attention moves to the ink on the other side. Feed Me. Fuck Me. Fight Me. is tattooed in bold black letters.

“Why?” I gesture at it.

Eli shrugs, dropping the hem of his t-shirt. “You told me to do it.”

“And if I told you to jump off a bridge, would you do that, too?”

“I don’t know. Maybe? Do you want me dead, Ari? Do you hate me that much?”

“No.” I avert my face from his searching gaze, and move to the chair. Taking the sweat pants, I pull them on to cover my legs. Not that it matters. Both of them have seen me naked more than once.

Their hot seeking mouths on my breasts and between my legs. The silence of the tomb broken by the sounds of my moans and panting.

A traitorous, sharp, low curl of lust flutters through my stomach at the memory. I suck in a shaky breath. It’s enough to shock me. It’s been weeks since I’ve felt anything other than depression. I can barely remember how the dares they gave me made me feel.

“Come on, Bella. Your food is getting cold.” Kellan returns to the table and pulls out a chair for me.

I sit down without a word. Eli takes the seat beside me while Kellan takes the one opposite. I stare down at the white Styrofoam bowl and spoon in front of me. When I don’t move, Eli reaches over and peels off the lid. The fragrant aroma of vegetable soup teases my nose.

“Eat.” He pushes the spoon toward me. “If we’re going to help you, we need you strong.”

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