Page 21 of Theirs to Chase

His words hit me hard, a wave of despair settling in my stomach as I release a silent huff. “You can’t be fucking serious,” I say as I go to move past him again, but his hand clasps my arm harshly.

“I am. Things will only get worse from here, but it’s up to you to decide how much.” He leans in, and despite my mind’s projections, my body betrays me, drawing closer to his touch. “You can either give in, or fight.”

I only stare at him in confusion.

“Though I’d love a good fight,hedoes not take kindly to disobedience.”

“Who the fuck is ‘he’?”

“You’ll see.”

He drags me down the ladder, and I nearly stumble until we reach the floor beyond, away from the dusty attic. A confusing mixture of fear and excitement fills me as he drags me through a hallway, feet pounding against the marble floor. I don’t know where he’s taking me, and it’s clear I’ve walked into a trap I’ll never escape. Deep down, whatever this is will bring a pleasure unlike no other—just like this twisted night already has.

I scramble behind him, trying to catch up to his rapid pace as we make our way through the huge gothic mansion. In a wardrobe with its door open, I see another human-sized doll, and the fear increases tenfold.

“Who are the dolls?” I ask him, a seriousness in my voice that makes his shoulders tighten.

He doesn’t reply, the only sound being our feet clickingagainst the floor and my labored breathing.

“Who are the dolls, Eros?” I repeat.

He turns around, slamming me against the wall. The look in his gaze frightens me, but his touch is possessive.

“You’re fucking infuriating, you know that? I should spank your ass raw for the shit you pulled up there, venturing into places you never should have.”

“It was you who told me to hide!” I scream back at him.

He freezes in place, looking at me with a confused gaze that gives me whiplash. “I didn’t.”

Now, a chill spreads through my body at his words. I’m fucking done being toyed with. “Who are the dolls, Eros?” I repeat again, putting emphasis on his name, which has him clenching his jaw.

“Our victims.” The voice comes from the other side of the hallway, and I jolt in surprise, my eyes wide as I stare at the silhouette approaching us.

Fight-or-flight instinct takes root inside me, screaming at me to fucking flee, but something tells me it will be impossible.

I stutter out a breath, staring between the two of them as all the puzzle pieces fall into their places. Two men…

A Ghostface mask covers his face, and there’s something primal stuttering to life within me at the thought of it—the allure it brings.

“You see, Eveline, every doll contains a story. We make ours as reminders of what happens when you defy us, or the corrupted world. Sometimes, morality twists into eagerness and evilness.”

I feel trapped between the two dark forces these two men are as I stare between both of them.Those fuckers.

He slowly removes his mask, revealing strikingly beautiful features that make my heart race, the weight of their gazes anchoring me in place. He’s familiar, and now I can’t keepmy own weight up as I fall against the wall, captured by Eros holding me in his toxic grip.

Because before me, beside Eros, now stands Zack, my dead brother’s best friend.

Chapter 9

Eveline

“Surprised to see me?I’ve waited a long time for this. Especially after my precious little Eros revealed his newest obsession. Imagine my shock when I realized it was Lukas’s little sister.”

Zack’s eyes slowly rake over us, his gaze filled with something darker than I remember.

“Don’t say his name,” I grind out, a stab of pain hitting my chest.

His smile is cold. “He was my best friend. Don’t think for a second that I’ll ever stop remembering him…or the tragedy that followed.”

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