Page 159 of Consume Me

“I’m fine. I’m more worried about you.”

“You know I can’t feel pain.”

“That doesn’t make you immortal.”

I love that sassy mouth of hers.

“Our friends are on the way. We’re going to be okay.”

She tilts her head and sighs. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize for being too damn good for this rotten world.”

Her face lowers, and I add, “Please look at me. I’ve missed seeing my life.”

She lets out a sound that’s half melodious laugh, half agonizing groan, before our eyes meet.

“I forgive you for anything. Don’t let him break you, please. What he’s planning to do… that won’t be you. I know you’d never hurt me.”

My heart rate spikes, and my pulse thunders in my ears. A dreadful realization sinks in. Caleb is going to make me pay for my betrayal by making me do the unthinkable. And if the first time didn’t fucking kill me, this one will.

“It won’t come to that,” I say. This is not how we’re going to end.

“How did you find me?”

“I’ll always find you. But I followed the trail left in the woods, and they led me to one of the students. After I bought all the intel possible, Bailey found this location. There was another, but I went with my gut and came here.”

“Felix and Caleb separated,” Mia says.

These two fuckers adapt easily, like damn cockroaches. They’ll survive a global extinction.

“I must look horrible.”

“No, you look like my dream woman.”

“Sure.” She rolls those silver eyes at me. This is not how I imagined finally telling her how I feel about her would go.

“I love you. Actually, no, forget that.”

A contrite expression takes over her features, her brows furrowing as she tilts her head to me, holding in a breath. Fuck, I am butchering this love declaration already. Inhaling deeply, I continue, “What I feel for you goes beyond love. Believe me, because I tried to analyze it and figure it out until I gave up. My love for you is embedded in my cells, threaded through every one of my heartbeats, wiring my synapses. All I know is you. All I want is you. All I’ll ever worship is you. My love is mixed with obsession and madness, and a whole lot of possessiveness. But yes, if I’ll ever live for someone, it will be for you because you’re my life, and I am too damn selfish to let you go. I’ll never do that, so don’t you dare leave me. No one wants to see how far I’ll go to keep you,” I say, and she smiles so radiantly it lights the entire room—my personal sun. I’d never lose myself in the darkness of my mind. That would be impossible with her at my side.

I keep babbling as she doesn’t say anything, she just keeps beaming at me. “I’m sorry it took me so long. I am even more sorry that I can’t even touch you or kiss you when telling you I am irrevocably in love with you. I love you so damn much with everything in me. I’ve never wished for anything more than to do life with you and love you every day a bit more, every night a bit harder until we become one. Maybe then I could quench this need to possess you in every humanly way possible and beyond. But I doubt it will ever happen, Silver. So I hope this is the man you want, completely mad and even madder for you.”

“I love you, too, Blake. So much. And you’re perfect, just as you are. I love you for exactly who you are, and I wouldn’t change a thing, absolutely nothing about you. Once we escape, show me how much you love me, because I’ll take it and joinyou in madness with open arms. If I’m your life, then you’re my world.”

“You’re not mad at me for waiting so long?” I ask, choked up, surprising myself that I can form words when emotions overwhelm me.

“Why would I be? You showed me through actions, and you told me every night, baby.”

“I’m sure the guys in your romance books do it better.”

“No. None of them could even come close to you.”

Our moment is cut short when my sperm donor struts inside.

“I raised a damn weakling,” he says, followed by the guard carrying two syringes filled with a transparent serum and placing them on the counter.

It takes everything in me to force my eyes off of her and stare him down.

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