Page 19 of Vengeful Valentine

Ashmine tugged his attention back to her.

She shook her head. “I’ve got it handled.” The words were barely audible. “We need to leave.”

Ace wanted to disagree, to argue, to fight, to scream.

He didn’t do any of that. Instead, he shifted out of Ashmine before offering her a hand up.

They both clothed hastily before leaving the cabin without another word or a backwards glance.

It was on the walk back to their cabins that Ashmine finally told Ace everything.

Everything that she had done.

Who she was.

Why those purple flowers had been so familiar.

How she had planted them outside their foster home and used them before.

If only she had told him her plans for William…if only he had guessed…maybe he could have warned her…

Chapter 8

Ace

The door to the cabin slammed shut, and Ace waited just a few moments before moving.

Ace took off his mask, setting it and the knife behind him. Turning back around, he bent down and pressed his lips firmly to Ashmine’s. He pulled back, but only a centimeter.

“They don’t suspect anything yet. How far are you willing to let this go?” He spoke the words against her mouth.

Ashmine peered up at him, unphased.

Even though she was tied down to an operation table.

Even though she knew what Hawk and Silas had planned.

Even though she was going to be ruined by the end of tonight.

“They need to know I can handle them,” she murmured. “They have this image that I’m an angel that turned to a rat in a blink. They need to hurt me before they understand the truth. Then there can be no doubt of my intentions. That when I told them I chose them, I meant it. I just meantallof you. I choose you all.”

“I know.” He stroked her face adoringly.

Two years ago, he had pushed her to Hawk and Silas. He thought if they had her, if they sunk into her, they would understand.

That she was meant for all of them.

Except, then he had been arrested and never had the chance to explain. And so Ashmine was left with two angry men that thought her a cheater, a liar, adeceiver.

“Remember if it is too much, I will stop it. The button is below you to alert me, I know your safeword. But I won’t let them kill you. I am stopping it, if it gets that far.”

“No.” Her eyes darkened even further, becoming voids that swirled against her pupils.

A steady thread of her intentions.

“Ashmine. They can’t kill you. You never did anything wrong for fuck’s sake! All you did was try to keep us all safe. To keep us all protected. You only turned to the Headmaster after you didn’t have another choice. It’s not your fault we were caught. We were going to get in trouble either way. Your testimony did nothing to change that, if anything it only served to shift the reasoning. To help us get away with murder.”

“But they weremymurders. I committed them. Now rough me up before they return. Bite me, bruise me, make them jealous. But don’t fuck me, then they won’t touch me. It will be too much like the past.” She shut her eyes, relaxing back onto the table.

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