Page 45 of Eat Me

Marcus's smile widens, a knowing glint in his eyes. "Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?" Raising his hand, he uses his fingers to gently trace my jawline. I suck in a sharp breath at the contact but don't pull away, frozen in place by the intensity of his gaze.

"It's okay to be scared," he murmurs, his voice surprisingly gentle. "Change is always frightening. But you'll come to love us and this family eventually.”

I feel my breath catch at Marcus's words and gentle touch. His confidence that I’d come to love them and their twisted family both terrifies and intrigues me in equal measure. I hate how my body reacts to his proximity, how part of me wants to lean into his touch even as my mind screams at me to pull away.

"I don't want to love you," I whisper, my voice is barely audible. "Any of you. How could I ever love people who've done this to me?"

Marcus's eyes soften slightly, though the predatory gleam remains. "Love comes in many forms, Victoria. Sometimes it grows from adversity, and from shared experiences." His thumb brushing over my lower lip, makes me shiver. "And sometimes, it's born from the realization that you've found where you truly belong."

Shaking my head, I’m trying to clear the fog that seems to be settling over my mind. "This isn't where I belong. This isn't who I am. I won’t feel anything for any of you."

Marcus's smile turns predatory, his eyes darkening as he moves closer. "You will, little one." His thumb brushes across my lower lip, sending a shiver through me. "It's only a matter of time."

I shook my head, trying to clear the fog that seemed to be settling over my mind even as I felt his hand move from my lips to go back to cup my cheek, his touch gentle and lingering.

"Love and hate are two sides of the same coin, Victoria. We'll show you a kind of love you've never known before. Intense and all-consuming. We'll worship every inch of you, make you feel things you never thought possible."

I’m trying desperately to ignore the way my body responds to his touch and his intense gaze. His promise of all-consuminglove and worship is both terrifying and alluring. I hate how part of me wants to believe him, to give in to the dark passion I see in his eyes.

"That's not love," I whisper, my voice shaking slightly. "Love doesn't involve kidnapping and torture. It doesn't force someone to change who they are."

Marcus's thumb gently strokes my cheek, his eyes never leaving mine. "Oh, but it does change you, Victoria. True love transforms you and makes you into something more than you were before."

"That's not love. It's... it's Stockholm syndrome or something." I whisper, trying to convince myself as much that I can never feel such things for these men.

Marcus's lips curved into a knowing smile. "Is it? Or is it simply recognizing your true nature, the part of yourself you've been denying all this time?" His hand paused before he let it fall to his side, and he looked at me with his dark eyes. “We see you, Victoria. The real you, beneath all the societal constraints and moral hang-ups."

Still attempting to clear the fog that’s settling over my mind, I hear similar things every time I try to fight them about my being here and my morals. I don’t see things like them, and I don’t know if I want to ever see the world like them.

“I can see that you need to have some time to think things over, but don’t get into your head too much.” Marcus pulls back, grabbing the bowl as he stands up and faces me.

“I can tell your mind is going a mile a minute. Relax and get some sleep. We’re trying to get the test done tomorrow…but there has been a…complication. Once that is figured out things can continue.” Marcus informs me, giving me another grin at the lost look I probably have on my face.

Complication?” I don’t know what in the hell that could mean. What could have happened to make them feel inconvenienced? My curiosity is definitely showing as I hear a light laugh.

“Nothing for you to worry about. For now, sleep. I’m sure someone will bring you breakfast bright and early.” He then gives me a small wink before leaving me alone in the room with my thoughts and curiosity.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Victoria

Waking in a groggy and disoriented state from sleep is all too familiar. As consciousness slowly returns, I become aware of a presence in the room. My eyes snap open only to land on Jasper lounging in the chair by the bed, with a predatory grin on his face.

“You all need to learn not to hover when someone’s sleeping,” I mutter, a glare on my face as I try to get the sleep out of my system and be fully aware when around these people. I can feel the blankets shift as I sit up, swigging my legs over the side of the bed.

“Now, that isn’t a very nice greeting.” Jasper laughs, as he leans forward in the chair, his fingers messing with one of the many rings on his fingers. My eyes are drawn to his long fingers for a few seconds before snapping back up to his face. I see the teasing smirk on his face, but he doesn’t say anything, which is surprising with his personality.

“What are you doing?” I ask, not giving the greeting he wants, the annoyance that flashes over his face confirming my thoughts. His grin snaps back into place as I eye him wearily.

Jasper huffs out a laugh, "Just enjoying the view. You look so peaceful when you sleep - almost innocent." His eyes darken. "It's a shame we'll have to change that."

A chill runs down my spine at his words, my fingers tightening on the bed covers under me in anxiety and fear.

“What?” I ask with a shaky breath. Change my innocence? What did that even mean? What were they going to have me do?

“Now greet me properly.” He ignores me as he raises an eyebrow, his hair shifting a bit over his eyes as he almost looks like he’d eat me if I didn’t give him the right response this time.

“…morning…” I bite out, my voice devoid of any emotion as I blankly look at him. Is he really going to act like this right now? I withhold a sigh as I watch as his grin grows.

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