Page 21 of Between Dusk and Dawn

"Yes, Madison." His hands gripped me so tightly that the pain pulsed underneath his fingertips.

Come on, focus on his words, not his hands."Wha-what are you talking about?"

"I told you I’d make you mine one day, but this little…stunt that you’ve pulled has shown me that you need a lot more training in order to make this work."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

He let out a maniacal laugh. "I fucking warned you that one day you'd be my queen, because you're the only person I've ever known who wears a mask like I do."

My eyes drilled into his, searching for any spark beneath those dark, hooded eyes, but all I found was pure venom.

"But here's the problem. You thought you were going to take me down, but you didn't realize I was the other damn player in this sick game. I spent the past year ignoring you, makingyou think you were losing, and in the end, your damn mask crumbled."

Damn it. It was all a twisted game to him.

"You lost the battle, Madison, and now, I'm gonna win the goddamn war."

I tried to spit out something, but my mouth wasn’t cooperating. "Wha?—"

Walsh casually waved a hand behind me, gesturing toward the black SUV that had pulled up earlier. "Time to go home now, Madison. Time to wait until I decide to train you."

He released his grip on my hips, only to grab my cheeks, pulling me closer. "Because you need a shitload of punishment for the way you fucked with my sister. I fucking promise you, I'll be the one watching you."

"Go ahead. Kill me, Walsh. Just like you killed?—"

"Get in the car, Madison." I turned behind me where the driver, wearing all black, was approaching me.

"Fuck. You."

"Go home. I’ll call for you when I need you."

"I won’t be around to answer." He emitted another deep rumble from his chest.

"I told you this before. I will never be someone’s second choice."

"You will be exactly where I need you, Muse." I paused at the familiar nickname rolling of his tongue and turned to catch him heading through the gates of the Alpha house.

"Remember, Madison, this was a war and I won. You are now indebted to me."

"And what do I owe you?" I shouted.

"Your life."

Chapter Eight

Present: Three Years Later

"Thanks for the ride home, Peter." I gave him a small smile, trying to push the car door open, but he reached across me, stopping my hand from pulling the handle.

"You know, if you were hungry or something…"

He was harmless, but I hated this feeling.

You know, just because I had a vagina and a guy did the decent thing and drove me home because it was storming, I somehow owed him something more than just a ride home.

"I’m not," I quipped, trying to push away his hand, but he held me tighter.

I sucked in a deep breath before turning to him in my seat, using my free hand to reach into my black backpack tucked behind me. To my surprise, there was a little can of pepper spray. I didn’t remember it being there, but it was exactly what I needed.

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