Page 54 of Beautiful Dark Temptation

“Not so cocky now, are you,” he hissed out.A discombobulated voice outside his body. The room continued tospin. The back of my head felt wet and sticky. Liquid dripped downmy jaw. Red droplets fell onto my hand.

I turned my head to try to look at him andgot an inkblot instead.

“He ruined my life!"

His words made no sense. But I knew I had tomove, get my bearings, my head straight to figure shit out. But thewavy world in front of me didn’t stop. I heard a ping on the floorand two rings landed next to my hand. My dad’s and Daniel’s sigilring. Their souls.

“I stole them. I thought you should takethem with you to whatever hell you end up in.”

I fisted the rings tight just as he kickedme hard. I fell over onto my back. I couldn’t move my mouth, mytongue to ask what I did to him. I must’ve done something to hurthim. My vision came and went, pain pulsed everywhere.

I shut my eyes against the world.

“Get up,” he said with another kick. “I wantyou to look at the camera when I kill you. I want him to see.”

I had to crawl to the sofa, use it asleverage to get to my feet. As a member of La Sagrada Sangre, wedied fighting.

But you were never a member, Tomás. Thereason you hadn’t died with your brothers and father. You hadn’ttaken your vows.

No. I hadn’t.

And are you sure your dad and brothersdied fighting?That little voice in my head asked.OnlyMaddox would know. The Maddox you couldn’t kill.

I squeezed the rings in my palm, feeling themetal bite into my skin. The room tilted, blurred, came back. Mystomach churned.

Jack stood with a gun in his hand. He wipedhis nose on his forearm, shaking like a tweaker. He’d been doingdrugs all night. Jittery as fuck.

“Did Maddox send you?” I asked.

He glared at me, a crazed, feral look on hisface. “Maddox? You think I’m working for the Brennans? You idiot.Maddox killed my father! Everything went to shit after that. Mymother turned into a junkie. I got put in foster care. And then Iget a break. A scholarship to Arcadia and then … then … I was sostupid!” He punched his temple hard. “The scholarship came fromhim. Him! He wanted me at Arcadia. He paid for everything as if Icould be bought by the fucker who ruined me!”

My world turned cold.

I took in Jack’s dirty blonde hair, browneyes, the dark rims under his eyes. I saw myself that day when Itried to kill Maddox. Maddox had saved me, but he had ruined metoo.

I felt sick.

“He did that!” Jack cried out, pointing atthe kitchen. At his dead mother.

The gun came close to my face. I wonderedwhat I’d look like after he shot my face off. Would my motherrecognize me? Would Kieran care?

I understood Jack’s anger.

“Jack,” I said. “I get it. He killed my dadand my brothers too.”

Jack shook his head. “Bullshit. You live inArcas. You’re one ofthem!”

Them.

While Maddox had sent Jack to Arcadia withthe pretense of a scholarship, he had adopted me, changed my name,made me an A-lister. He put a target on my head, and I had lethim.

He wiped his nose. His movements jerky,uncontrolled. The gun arm shaking.

“I’ll go with you,” I said in a last attemptat surviving him.

“What?”

“New York. Let’s find Maddox. Do it right.”I lied. I didn’t want to die in this place. Maybe after trying tokill myself twice, the first time by bodyguard, the second time bydrowning, this was Fate setting things right.

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