Page 40 of Forbidden Desires

“He’llbe happy to know you begged.” She took her time to look around the room. “I want to commit the place you died to memory to share it over wine and the best orgasm of my life.”

A woman had to have dreams, Amelia thought. She’d like a glass of wine and an orgasm with Zylar. She and Stacey weren’tthat different from each other. One mate killed, the other healed. She was getting loopy from blood loss and the pain in her side.

“Let’s finish this.” Stacey stood over Amelia every inch the serial killer she grew up to be.

“Then we’ll regret it together.” Stacey held the blade high, charging it.

Amelia didn’t know what else to call it since this was her first time seeing it done. It looked like Stacey was sending every negative emotion that lived within her to the blade while giving it the order to kill.

Amelia desperately tried to move, to wiggle out of the way. She couldn’t get a toe to move. Her body was done. It had thrown in the towel and was demanding rest, not death, but a long recuperative sleep. When the silver of the blade turned black, Stacey was ready. She took a step closer to Amelia and aimed the blade at the weakness in her wall. Stacey brought the blade down with all the strength she had.

It pierced the wall, stabbing Amelia in her side, but it didn’t stop there. The blade shot out of Amelia’s side and stabbed Stacey in the same place.

“Kill her.”Amelia’s mini-me was back.

“With what? My good looks?”How did she expect Amelia to move?

“Figure it out. One of us dies, and one lives.”

Amelia wanted to scoff at that, but one look at Stacey said that she was changing into something that wasn’t human and Amelia didn’t want to wait around for that to happen. Where was her mate when she needed him?

She rocked, using her hips like she was on a boat, swaying from side to side. Heck, she might be experiencing motion sickness. She threw a hip over and landed on her stomach, it wasn’t a pretty move and every nerve on her body was screaming foul play. She imitated an inchworm and sent up severalheartfelt prayers that she wasn’t born an inchworm and pleaded that she never came back as one. Getting across the room took longer than it should have. When she got there, she strained every muscle in her arm to reach out and pull the knife out of Stacey’s side.

“I’m going to kill you,” Stacey whispered, trying to make her fingers move.

“It’s all over but the hurrah,” Amelia said. “Want to tell me why, before it’s too late?” She needed to keep Stacey talking until the last minute. Her fingers, which seemed mostly nerveless were trying hard to palm the knife.

“Why? Because he heard me when no one else did. Is that reason enough? Is he a cold-blooded killer? Yes, but who doesn’t love the bad boy?” Amelia shivered as Stacey spoke of her enemy and the enemy of all humans with such love and devotion.

“I’m sorry you couldn’t find the right kind of bad boy because you deserved that much out of life.” Amelia poured the last of her life force into her body, giving herself a dose of adrenaline as she reared up and plunged the knife into Stacey’s heart. The impact destroyed Stacey’s heart and then doubled back to the knife and then through Amelia’s arm, going for her heart. There was a scream of pain and anguish that painfully swept over anyone listening.

Amelia died.

Chapter Twenty-two

So, this was death. Amelia was floating in a black void and decided she was okay with it. There was no pain here, and no one had promised her that on the other side. She moved like a mermaid, undulating around the large area, trying to take in anything she could see other than the dark expanse in front of her. Amelia was pretty sure that brief flashes of light were doors. Where did they lead? She didn’t know but planned to hang out here. There was no desire, need, or want in this place. She didn’t feel judged for her bad life choices. She simply was, and it was a glorious feeling.

Closing her eyes, she slept. When they opened again, she realized she wasn’t hungry or thirsty. This place was the best. She swam around until her eyes closed again. When they opened, she wondered how long she’d been here. It felt like days and years at the same time. Should she leave? Hell. She was staying right here where judgment couldn’t find her.

“It is nice here, isn’t it?” The voice came from everywhere, both inside and outside of her. It just was, and it felt as naturalas she was talking to herself. Except she knew this wasn’t her voice.

“Who are you?” The voice ignored her and asked her a different question.

“Have you ever thought about the ones who died and came back with stories about the afterlife? It’s fun to ponder if they saw something or if their brain filled in something that wasn’t there. Could it have been so bad they couldn’t articulate the hell into which they were thrown?

Don’t you think it’s an interesting thought?”

“I don’t know. Are you here to tell me it’s time to leave that my ultimate fate awaits me?”

“Maybe. What about your mate? Have you thought of him while you’re swimming around pretending to be a mermaid?”

That was a kick in the gut. It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought of him, but rather that she spent her waking hours deliberately shying away from thoughts of Zylar. Now that the voice had mentioned him, all she could do was yearn to see him.

“You could walk through that door. It’s up to you. I don’t want to be accused of influencing your decision”.

“You’re influencing my decision.”

“I said I didn’t want to be accused of it, not that I wouldn’t do it.”

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