Page 111 of Ink Deep Devotion

“You’re allowed to be a basket case of emotions, Mila. Lord, that’s your M.O. One minute you’re crying over this prick; the next, you’re begging for his tiny dick.”

“It’s not tiny,” I murmur as a blush creeps up my cheeks.

“Small ass, insignificant dick! Amanwould shout your name to the world. Dash isn’t a man, he’s a dickhead. Don’t get me started!” She points her finger at me.“You can want Dash, but stand your ground and demand respect. You can also get up, walk out that door, go snoop, and then tell me what you found.” A devious smirk spreads across her face.

“Do you want me to do this for me oryou?”

She bats her long lashes, which, when she’s not wearing mascara, are not the same shade as her hair but rather a lighter blonde color.“For me, of course. I won’t be able to sleep until I know what’s in that room. Don’t deny me my beauty rest. Trustme, you don’t want to see me with dark circles and bags under my eyes. There will be hell to pay.”

Standing, she yanks me to my feet, opens our door, then smacks my ass, meeting the disapproval of the guard outside my door.“Mila wants to sleep at the campus house tonight; I’ll see you tomorrow,” Nova winks, then slams the door in my face.

Chapter 37

Damian

Finally!I manage to pick off the last of the pink nail polish Nova painted on. I only let her do it because I’m hoping she lets her guard down around me. I promised Titan I would spy on Nova, and I have. Sometimes, that is at a distance, and other times, it’s me pretending to be one of them as they paint their nails and gossip.

I hate that Nova isn’t who she says she is. It’s going to crush Mila when she finds out, especially since Mila has clung to Nova’s strength so fiercely.

Ever since Dash received the photos sent from an unknown number, he’d demanded that one of us be near Mila at all times.

We need to let Nova act out her game to see what her end goal is. When Dash finds out, he will kill us.

Is it a risk to allow Mila to stay in the same dorm suite as Nova? Slightly, but we have a guard stationed outside the door and a camera in the living room. If Nova stepped one foot outside her room and towards Mila’s, the guard would intervene. That and up until a few days ago, Mila never slept alone; Dash was either with her or Mila slept at our house.

Nova’s using Mila as a tool to get closer to Titan and piss Dash off. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to have Nova close to Mila. She would kill someone if they tried to take her toy away. Another set of eyes can’t hurt, right?

I love my cousin. I would die for him. I know being Dash's wife will create a target on Mila’s back, but what Dash fails to see is that it also creates a shield. That’s the reason Greg wants his daughter to marry a King. We have an army to protect us.

Dash has a battle to fight, harder than anything we faced at Initiation 101. He has to stop feeding his fear and give Mila the respect she deserves.

My steps increase as I turn the corner toward the bookstore, and then my steps falter when I see Uncle Marcus smiling as Isabella hands him a bag and waves goodbye.

I feel the knife in my pocket and hear it begging me to end him.

He found me.

Titan and Dash warned me this would happen. But…no buts. I basically put a bullet in a gun and played the Russian Roulette with it.

Bang! Someone is dead.

It won’t be Isabella. I’ll…go to any length to ensure she is safe. Any measure necessary.I'm so sorry, Isabella, but I like that smile on my face; I like the warmth you created in my heart. Please understand, I don't want to go back to the numbing cold. Please.

Anders, he will help me. I just have to remain alive long enough to text him.

Marcus exits the store; his eyes lock on me with a predator’s glint as if he heard my footsteps from down the block. I look backat Isabella, but she’s just picked up her book and is reading it again. Typical—she is blind to the danger surrounding her.

“It’s so rare,” Marcus states as he takes three more measured steps toward me.“That’s when you say,‘What is rare, Uncle?’”

I hear the internal scratching of my molars as I move my eyes to look at him.“What’s rare, Uncle?” I repeat. This is a game, and he has the upper hand.

“So many things,” he mutters with disappointment.“Firstly, that store—it’s so charming. Do you want to know why our world is not surrounded by charming things, Damian?” He steps closer, gripping his purchase in his hand,“Because they force you to lower your guard. They make you feel cozy and lazy, and that’s when the enemy strikes. When our bellies are full, our feet are warm next to a fire, and our hearts are content with the curves of a female filling our palms.”

He wastes no time as he continues.“But the girl, she’s rare too, isn’t she?”

“I will—”

He holds up his hand.“You will shut up and listen to me.” His growl rumbles like a deep drum echoing through the belly of a mountain in a Tolkien novel.“It’s rare thatyou, of all the boys, would make such a fucking mistake.”

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