Page 52 of The Library

With that thought, I glance at the phone one last time, my pulse racing with anticipation.

And I know, when he comes, I won’t be able to stop him.

I won’t want to.

Sebastian

The text from her still lingers on my mind.I can’t stop thinking about your cock in my mouth and the way you fucked me. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

She’s growing bolder, pushing boundaries, testing how far she can go, but she has no idea how deep this world runs. She’s tempting me, and while I enjoy watching her unravel… tonight, she’ll see me for who I really am. Not the man she’s trying to seduce, but the monster lurking beneath the surface.

I glance down at my clothes, stained with blood, the weight of tonight’s job still hanging over me. The violence, the swift justice—I’ve always thrived on it. But showing her this part of me, letting her into this world, that’s the real risk. I want her to understand, to see it all and still fall into my arms, craving more.

Ty and I had to take care of something quick tonight—no dragging it out like last time. We’d barely just gotten home from the last job, but this one needed to be efficient. I told Ty, made it clear, this shit had to be fast. He knew exactly what I meant. The bastard smirked, made his usual jokes about me being in a hurry to get back to my “new toy,” as he called her.

“Shit, man, you’ve got it bad,” Ty had laughed, slapping me on the back. “Fine. In and out. No fucking around. Scouts honor.”

I shot him a look, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “You’ve never been a fucking scout, Ty. So your ‘scouts honor’ doesn’t mean shit.”

He just grinned, unfazed as usual. “Yeah, well, I’m doing this for you. Let’s get it done so you can get back to your little obsession.”

As much as Ty loves to fuck around, he knows when to pull back. Tonight wasn’t the night for games. And for once, he kept his word. We went in, did what we needed to do, and got the hell out. No games tonight, no dragging it out like he loves to do. But the blood still clings to me, the violence still humming in my veins, even now. As much as I needed to get it done quickly, I can’t shake the rush.

But the thing that keeps gnawing at me, that pulls me back to her every time, is the thought of her seeing me like this—covered in blood, steeped in violence. Part of me wants her to run, but another part of me… fuck, I want her to embrace it. To crave it. To craveme.

Throwing back a drink, I feel the burn as it slides down my throat. It’s not the job that’s got me on edge tonight. It’s the fact that for the first time, I’m allowing her to see the blood, the aftermath of the darkness that consumes me. It’s a test, not just for her, but for me. How far can I push her? How much will she take before she breaks?

The door creaks open, and I hear her soft footsteps as she steps into the room. Her eyes widen as they take in the sight of me—still covered in blood, my hands stained red. She stops in her tracks, and for a moment, there’s nothing but silence between us. No words. Just the tension hanging thick in the air.

The shock is written all over her face, but there’s something else, too—something dark and thrilling that flickers behind her wide eyes. Desire.

Now she understands. Now she knows what I meant that night at the Halloween party when I told her she looked beautiful covered in blood. The memory of it plays out in my head—her lips parting, her pulse quickening—and the same hunger I felt then courses through me now.

I don’t say a word as I finish my drink and set the glass down on the counter with a soft clink. Her gaze follows my every move, and I can see the questions racing through her mind. But she doesn’t ask. She just watches, waiting.

I stand, letting the silence stretch between us as I step closer, closing the distance between us until I’m right in front of her. Her breath hitches, her chest rising and falling with each shallow inhale. She doesn’t look away—she’s too far gone for that. Too consumed.

I reach out, my blood-stained fingers brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear. She flinches but doesn’t pull back. Instead, her body sways toward me, like it’s instinctual, like she’s drawn to the darkness, to the violence she’s now witnessing firsthand.

“You see it now, don’t you?” I murmur, my voice low and rough. “This is what I am. What I’ve always been.”

Her eyes flicker, and I can see the war inside her—the fear, the confusion, the thrill. But it’s the thrill that wins out. It always does.

Her lips part, but no sound comes out. Just a soft exhale, her pupils dilating as she stares up at me. I know what she’s feeling, because I’ve seen it before. That pull toward the edge, toward the chaos. Toward me.

I trail my fingers down her neck, smearing the blood across her pale skin, marking her. Claiming her.

“You’re not scared, are you?” I ask, tilting my head. “No. You like this. You’re drawn to it.”

She swallows hard, and I can see her body trembling, but not from fear. From anticipation.

Without another word, I turn and walk toward the bathroom, leaving her standing there. I want her to follow me. I want her tochoosethis, knowing exactly what she’s walking into.

And she does. The soft sound of her footsteps follows me as I turn the shower on, letting the steam fill the room. There’s a hesitation in the air, a moment where she’s on the edge of a decision, and I can feel it—like the pull of gravity, the weight of inevitability.

I don’t look at her as I strip off my clothes, the blood-stained fabric hitting the floor with a dull thud. The shirt that clung to me, sticky with blood, now discarded without care. The knife, heavy in my pocket, left behind as a reminder of what I am. What I do. I step into the shower, feeling the hot water wash away the evidence of tonight. The blood rinses off me in waves, turning the bottom of the shower red, swirling around the drain like the end of a fucking ritual.

I hear her behind me, but I don’t turn around. I could, but I won’t. I want her to come to me. To take that final step. The one that will bind her to me forever.

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