Page 45 of The Masks She Wore

?My chest hollowed out. “A week,” I said weakly.

?He looked down at me in disgust, causing my skin to crawl. “You didn’t think your life was worth more than that, did you? You stepped into something you shouldn’t have. This isn’t a movie, Rae, nobody gets a happily ever after when this story is done.”

?There it was again, my name. How did he know my name?

?“I’m not going to speak a word,” I tried.

?He grabbed my hand, pulling me away from the counter. “Don’t bargain for your life, Princess, it doesn’t suit you.”

?In a daze, I let him pull me to the dance floor, and I half wondered how far I would have let him take me if he had started for the door.

?He pulled me in, sliding one hand around my waist, his fingers skimming the top of that slit, while he held the other one to the side of our heads, gripped in his firmly.

?“You’d dance with me after I just became the talk of the town?” I asked bitterly. “Bold.”

?He smiled. “Don’t worry, that’s already been taken care of.”

?We started to dance, my body settling into the rhythm Donna had beat into me when I had been just a girl. It was automatic, the motions, but my eyes were locked on his mask, my breathing weak.

?Taken care of?

?A week?

?What had I gotten myself into? Should I keep trying to bargainor play his game until the last second? Was this what happened to my mom? Had she seen something, heard something that promised the end of her life within seconds?

?Were she and I the same in our reckless endeavors?

?“Stop thinking about it. It’s going to happen no matter how much thought you put into it.”

?I released a breath. “I can’t consider my own death?”

?“No.”

?“Why?”

?“It’s pointless.”

?His words were so cold, so clipped, it made me angry. “You wouldn’t consider your death if you were given a sentence?”

?“My fate has been sealed since I was 14,” he responded. “I don’t fear the other side, it fears me.”

?I sneered. “What kind of alpha male bullshit is that?” I hissed. “You sound like the kind of man who tells everyone that you’re the alpha. You’re bullshit is what you are.”

?He dipped me low, my knee sliding up his thigh and I fought the urge to push my hips forward. “You didn’t seem to think so last night,” he hummed, and pulled me back up.

?“I was playing a part,” I rationalized. “You like wearing masks, so do I. Mine just aren’t as pathetic as yours.”

?He smiled, drawing my eyes to his lips. “You get off on it, Princess. You love it.”

?God, if his lips were sin, I wanted to swear my soul to the Devil.

?I scoffed. “I don’t,” I lied.

?He angled his chin. “How many languages do you speak?”

?“Why?” I bit. “So you can threaten me in all of them?”

?“Yes,” he answered without hesitation.

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