Page 33 of Into The Darkness

“Mmmm” was all I could mumble before she shoved my arm away.

“I am not yours,” she said breathlessly. I laughed. I had her exactly where I wanted her and needed to figure out how to protect her against my father and the Den.

Hopping into the car, I turned on the seat warmers.

“Thanks for the ride . . . again,” she mumbled.

In a moment of weakness, shocking even myself, I clasped her soft, silky hand, intertwining my fingers with hers. Her hand fitting so perfectly into mine sent an unexpected rush of warmth through my veins. My thumb traced languid circles on her palm, each movement a whispered promise. Her gaze shifted downward before her body seemed to surrender and she sank into the seat.

Though my eyes remained fixed on the road, our hands rested gently on her thigh, a tangible link that spoke volumes. The silence hung heavy in the air, and she didn’t utter a single word, allowing the moment to linger in the midst of our shared vulnerability. It was a juncture that marked an irrevocable shift, a point of no return, as the realization settled within me that everything had changed. At this moment, I knew nothing would be the same because she was mine and always would be. The truth resonated deep within my being, echoing relentlessly.

Pulling up to her apartment, I parked at the curb. Her mouth parted ever so slightly, like she was going to say something, but then shut. I am so desperate to feel her beautiful full lips on mine . . . or wrapped around my cock.

Shit, even the thought of her touching my cock with any part of her body had me needing to adjust my pants so she didn’t see my raging boner.

“You aren’t parking?” The sweet lull of her voice filled the void in my lungs.

Hell no, I wasn’t parking. Mr. Solis had men stationed in the front of her house, which was why I preferred to go down into the garage. He had no eyes down there.

“No. I gotta go to the house,” I replied, but our hands remained clasped on her thigh.

“Okay.” She tried to move away from me, but I tugged her closer.

“I’ll catch you on Friday?” I asked, met by a restrained smile from her.

“Sure thing,” she replied, her eyes rolling, as if expecting something more. Maybe she expected some grand declaration, a proclamation of love to fit some romantic script, but that wasn’t my style, nor would it ever be. I wasn’t built for fairytales; I existed in a world of action, not empty words. Behind the scenes, beyond her awareness, I was working hard to ensure her safety—a gesture far more profound than any fairytale ending could encapsulate.

“Ember,” I rasped, “you need to tell me right now if you understand that you can never fall in love with me. I will never be the type of man that can give you the world you truly deserve. I will never be enough for the life you are destined to have.”

There were so many reasons she couldn’t fall in love with me. She deserved better than me. I couldn’t give her what she needed and would never be able to love her because I didn’t know what was happening with me.

Her delicate fingers slid out of my grasp, her bag in hand, then she opened the door and jumped out. She pivoted to face me, our eyes locking in a tight embrace of understanding. For a fleeting moment, she held my gaze, her lips parting. “I understand, Ash, but . . .” A sense of disbelief clouded her features. “Youareenough for me.” She whispered it so low, I almost thought it was the wind or a figment of my imagination.

She couldn’t truly believe that. The reality was stark and unwavering: I was the instrument of her downfall. My purpose was to lead her away from Isles into a dangerous dance with revenge, a collision course with her brother, and a future far removed from the innocence she embodied.

I skidded into the driveway, barely throwing the car in park before bounding out and running through the dark wooden castle to Rain’s room.

“What the fuck?” he screamed when I pushed the door open, almost breaking it from its hinges. He was, as usual, nose deep in a book, curled up on his bed.

I paused to take in my surroundings to calm the adrenaline coursing through my veins. Rain’s room was much smaller than mine. Bookshelves lined the room, floor to ceiling, and were so packed some books were stacked on the ground. A small mahogany desk sitting in the corner was the only other piece of furniture.

“I need your help.” Water dripped to the floor from my hair and clothes.

“About time,” he said, putting his book down and scooting to the edge of the bed. I pulled the chair from the desk, then leaned forward so my elbows rested on my knees.

“I cannot do whatever is planned for Ember, and I need to come up with a fucking solution that is going to placate my father and not hurt Ember.”

“Shit,” he responded, pulling back his thick black hair. “You like her?” His face twisted into an expression I couldn’t quite read. Jealousy? It couldn’t be. I shook that thought away, but as if he could sense I was questioning him, his lips curled into a smirk.

“I don’t fucking know what it is about her, but I don’t want to hurt her anymore. Not like with Walsh’s ex last year. I cannot do that to her.”

I never claimed to being a good person. I was always the villain, but Isles was run by the underground world. Hungry kids who wanted their parents’ power and would do anything to prove to them they were worthy.

Last year, the senior in charge was desperate to prove his worth, so he lured Solis’s latest little toy into the woods for a bonfire. His recklessness ultimately triggered a chain of events, causing Walsh to fly off the handle and the young woman to become ensnared in the turmoil. Official records label her as missing, yet her lifeless form lies concealed deep within the pine woods. She fell victim to the crossfire of a merciless clash between two expansive and perilous realms.

Although, because it had been Walsh’s men, he never admitted this to anyone. It was a secret only Rain and I knew.

That’s exactly why I couldn’t let Ember get dragged into this mess. I didn’t have it in me to bury her in those damn woods, and I didn’t think her brother did either. One way or another, it would end with one of us six feet under, another casualty of the brutal clash between these ruthless worlds.

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