Page 67 of Beautiful Prey

“If you’ll take any of my advice, don’t close yourself from your friends, Eve,” he said. “You’ll need them now more than ever. I don’t know what went down between you and him, but don’t let it destroy your life. Don’t let him swallow you up even now.”

A shiver coursed through me. I looked at him. “I know,” I whispered, knowing the nightmares would linger for a long while. I turned and left Liam by the fire, then whispered as I came to the sliding door, “But it’s too late.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

EMERY

“This is it, Emery.”

The man’s words penetrated my skull, loud and clear.

Insistent, annoying.

They buzzed at me, trying to get my attention for so long. Finally, the waking nightmare pulled back its heavy curtain over my eyes and let me focus on what was happening around me.

The doctors looked at me, wide-eyed, pale-faced…nervous. They were faces melded together, always the same expression until they were twisted and unreal. Ghosts watching me.

I was so sick of ghosts.

“Do you hear me?” the man said, leaning forward. Not too much though, no, not too close, in case I attacked. Like an untrained dog.

“I’m afraid we have to move you now,” he said. “You’re just going to take a nice bus ride, okay? Should be very nice and quiet.”

I stared at him. I hated his face, so close to mine. They were all crowding around me, the doctors, and behind them, the security, watching and waiting. Ready to move when I did.

I didn’t wonder where they were taking me, it didn’t really matter at this point. My head was so crammed full of darknessand poison I could hardly speak. Hardly think. I was barely here at all. When I looked at them, it was like looking through a screen.

Tunnel vision.

Everything around them was black.

Maybe this wasn’t even real. Nothing was. I was a ghost myself, just a shapeless, broken-up blob of sick rage, and violent tendencies, like a walking storm cloud with a skull for a face and when I opened my mouth, I sucked everything in, tearing it apart.

Except I didn’t destroy everything I touched. Everything destroyed me, from the inside out.

When I didn’t respond, the men moved. The doctors backed away and the security closed in.

They put their hands on me, and unfortunately, that felt real enough to tell me this was no waking dream. I hated being touched by them—by anyone, everyone…except…

No, no, no…NO.

She wasn’t real either. She was a bad dream.

They cuffed my hands, chaining me.Leash the dog, he’s feral, after all. He’s got rabies.

They led me out, stuffed what little I had in a bag. I wished they could stuff me in there too.

I must have made a soft noise because a few of the guys near me flinched and looked at me, giving me a surprised look that reminded me of a squirrel or a rat that had set off a trap.

Jumpy and restless. Wonder why?

I walked like a sleeping man, a dead man. I heard the cries of others in their rooms. Lucky bastards. I wish I could cry. I wish I could feel anything at all. Anything but this fury in my gut, eating me away. Anything but this demon in my head. A rage that had been simmering in me ever since the bad dream.No,she couldn’t have been real, couldn’t have left me, couldn’t have betrayed me.

The demon laughed in my head.Don’t fucking fool yourself.

Rage burned. I was only a walking storm now.

It was still dark even though it was early morning. A cold and foggy morning that hardly chilled me as I lugged my way over to the big black bus, purring like a cat.Sammy. No, no. Stop it.

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