Page 92 of Consume Me

“I got a message… Caleb is after you.”

She holds in a breath and then expels a loud sigh.

“That’s why you came?” she asks, sounding hurt. I slide my index and middle fingers under her chin to make her look at me.

“Nothing is more important to me than your safety.”

“Maybe for you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You’ve seen that I am fine. You can leave now,” she says haughtily, arms crossed over her chest.

“Do you think you can hide from me, Mia?” I stride toward her, forcing her back against the wall next to her bed.

There’s no place she can run or hide from me. Even if she went to the ends of the world, I’d find her. Nowhere is too far or unreachable to get to her.

“Not even you could keep me away any longer,” I declare.

I brace my palms on each side of her face. Her silver eyes draw me in. Good, because I want to live inside of her.

“I warned you, didn’t I? And now you’re fucking mine.”

I slam my mouth on hers. Parting her lips with my tongue, I dive into her sweet and addictive taste. She grips the ends of my hair with the same fiery passion and unbound madness.

We kiss until both of us gasp for air. Seeing her swollen lips and glazed eyes does something to me. I trace my thumb along the contour of her pouty mouth, captivated by the sight. She pokes her tongue out, wrapping those sinful lips around my skin, igniting a fiery lust in me that short-circuits my rationality.

“Don’t start what you can’t finish. I don’t care much about the consequences.” Especially not now when I am drunk with desire.

“My father––”

I dip my thumb inside, and that shuts her up.

“I wouldn’t care…”

Apprehension flickers in her eyes. She should be afraid, but like I said, it doesn’t matter anymore.

“See you tomorrow,” I say, forcing myself to take a step back before I lose it for good.

“Where will you stay?”

“I will be watching you, Silver.”

Once downstairs, I see her father with a drink in his hand, looking disheveled. The top button of his shirt is undone, and his hair is tousled as if he shoved his hands through it one too many times.

“Did you tell her?” he asks.

“Of course.”

He sighs and takes a bigger swig, handing me my phone back.

Dipping my head, I offer a goodnight, letting myself out. I slide into my car parked in front of their rightful home—the Prescotts, descendants of one of the six founding families. The Family’s history has been a bloody war of power and greed, going as far as eliminating whoever stepped out of line. Yet, here we are, a new generation struggling to overcome the corrupt legacy we inherited.

I don’t even attempt to close my eyes. The only time I can sleep longer through the night is when I am with Mia, but that is out of the question, so I guess my car will do for tonight.

From my vantage point, I can see my childhood home, mocking me. I don’t remember my mother—she died when I was four—but it’s not as if I ever hoped that I would have turned out differently. Still, I can’t help but wonder, and not for the first time, how having a family, a home, a safe place would have been.

Shaking myself from my idiotic thoughts, I lean back against the headrest and pull out my phone. With nothing new on the black market, I dial a number I didn’t want to touch. But if he brings me to my fucking father so I can eliminate him, fine.

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