Page 22 of Theirs to Chase

My heart races erratically, pain sizzling through me like molten fire igniting my skin, burning like acid on an open wound. They used to hang out at our place when we were teenagers—only three years older than me. But that stopped after I moved out post-university. I never saw Zack again after that night my parents and brother picked me up, drunk and unable to stand.

Does he blame me for their deaths? I know I do. I close my eyes, willing this moment to fade away. When I open them again, he’s still there, looking just as handsome as he did in our youth, if not more so. He’s hot, but I’ve always sensed an underlying darkness in him, which was why my parents disapproved of him staying at our house or hanging out with my brother.

I miss them.

“What has this to do with anything?” I say, trying to keep my voice steady.

“You’ve been mine since the moment I first saw you when we were children. Who do you think scared away all boys in school?” Zack adds coldly.

I sputter on a breath. “Lukas.”

He laughs. “Oh no,min mardröm. I did. You’ve been my nightmare since that day. You’re part of our collection now, Eveline.”

“I’ll never be one of you,” I retort, feeling the floor being swept away underneath my feet. “Just let me out of here, and we’ll forget this ever happened.”

“Forget?” Zack chuckles darkly, the sound sending shivers down my spine. “There’s no forgetting this, sweet girl. What we offer is the delicious darkness you seek—we’ve seen it in you since the moment you met Eros last year. You’ll be adored, worshiped…and feared, if only you give in to us.”

“You s-stalked me?” I stutter as Eros’s hands glide from my knees to my thighs, awakening a bone-deep ache of desire within me.

“Stalked?” Eros tilts his head, a sly grin on his lips. “More like observed. The darkness flickering within you drew us in. We see through your twisted soul—how you crave revenge on your family’s killer.”

My breath hitches. “H-how do you know?”

“We know a lot of things, little pumpkin.” His fingers glide higher, igniting a war within me.

“You want this, Eveline. You want to finally belong somewhere,” Zack whispers, each word laced with temptation as he leans closer, the subtle hint of his cologne pulling me in.

He’s voicing every wish I’ve buried since my family died. I’ve been so alone, so scared on my own.

“Come play with us,” he murmurs, and at the same time, Erossays, “Run.”

I release myself from them as I run along the hallway, pushing into a huge bedroom that seems taken out of a long-ago era.

Within seconds, I hear their pounding feet calmly make their way toward me, and I turn off the lamp, hiding under the bed while staying as quiet as possible. My heart is a madman pounding against my chest as I struggle to remain calm, battling the creeping panic that threatens to drown me in hyperventilation.

The door creaks open after a few minutes of calming my breathing, and I close my eyes, as if, if I can’t see them, they can’t see me.

Something grabs my foot, and I squeak.

“Boo, little doll.”

With a force so powerful it sends my head hitting the bed frame, I’m pulled from my hiding spot. I find myself sprawled on the floor, my stomach pressed flat against the floor, while the two men in the room stand over my body, their gazes fixed intently on me.

“You’re not a very good hider.” Zack crouches down, sending something heated through me at the seductiveness in his voice.

He suddenly grabs my hair, yanking my head upward, and I wince from the sharp pain spreading through me.

“Aww, does it hurt?” he taunts, and rage filters through me. “On your knees,” he commands, and there’s nothing I can do to stop him as he forces me to my knees with his hand still gripping my hair tightly, leaving a burning sensation.

I’m now on my knees before them both, in a dark room in the middle of nowhere. My dress is ripped apart, leaving me in only my bra after Eros fucking took my panties, which instantly makes me want to cover up.

“Don’t fucking hide,” Eros growls the warning, and I freeze in place, not liking the tone of his voice. “Take off your bra.”

For seconds, I don’t move. I only stare at the foreboding men in front of me, their hungry gazes sizing me up like a predator does its prey. And in this moment, I’m the very prey they both crave, under their mercy with my life on the line. Zack pulls my hair until I whimper, my scalp hurting more than ever, but the request is clear in his eyes. With trembling fingers, I reach down to remove my bra. It’s a hassle as I’m kneeling with my hands planted on the floor, and they both observe every second of my struggle. A gust of air hits my exposed nipples, making a shiver crawl down my spine.

Since Zack is crouching down, he can see my wetness, his finger glides over my thigh, feeling the slick heat of anticipation from my body as he makes a tsking sound.

“Such a needy little pumpkin.”

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