Page 19 of Ink Deep Devotion

But is his hand like that of a hunter offering food only to trick its prey?

Dash taught me about all the different kinds of monsters in our world; some have teeth, others claws.

What do you have, Dante?

“It doesn’t matter.” I reply.

“Yes. It. Does.” He growls. There it is, the beast lurking behind his handsome walls. He clears his throat, trying to sound comforting again, but it’s too late.“Don’t break now, Mila, not after everything we have survived. He is coming for you.”

I glare at him, wishing my eyes could penetrate him like bullets.“There is nothing left for him to collect, Dante.” I spit.“Everyone has taken something from me. I have nothing left to give.” I wipe my eyes with the back of my hands. He moves again, grabbing my wrist and turning my palm up as he spots the pills.

“Don’t take them.” He grabs them and slips them into his pocket.“Keep doing what you have to do in order to see clearly. One day, this will end, and Dash will come home.”

I snort as I grab the pain medicine button, smashing my finger into it repeatedly as if it were an arcade game I was trying to conquer.Click, click, click, click.

Make it all stop!

I glare at Dante.Try to snatch it from me; I dare you?“What if I’m not here when he arrives, Dante? What if I escaped?” I look at his pocket where the pills are. Maybe I should have taken them. Maybe that is my only escape.

Dante grabs my chin and tips it up.“You’re my family. Remember when I told you that? Time separated us and changed us, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re part of my world.”

“I’m no one.” I keep clicking the pain medicine button, but I’ve lost my vigor. It’s a trick, anyway. The button does nothing; it's just another illusion that I have control.

His thumb glides across my jaw, wiping away my tears.“You are someone to Dash and me. Someone who gave him fuel to endure things you can’t imagine.”

I avert my gaze, and his touch vanishes.“Then where is he now? Why is it you who is here and not him?”

Dante stands taller.“He’s still trapped, waiting to pass his final test. I promised him I’d look after you.” He reaches into his other pocket and hands me a phone.“If you need me, just call, and my brother or I will come.”

“You’re leaving again.” My bottom lip trembles. His coming here was like throwing a life vest to me, only to drive away in the boat as I was left to float, unable to sink or swim. Just float. Remain.

Fuck him and his phone!

He nods, ignoring my unspoken answer. My pillow tilts as he slides the phone under it, like a pebble in my shoe meant to annoy me, forcing me to grab it so I can walk without pain.

“And what will you do when you come?” I scoff.“Put me back in my cage like Dash did. You can’t offer me freedom.” I shake my head.“You can’t offer me a damn thing, Dante.”

He licks his lips, but then the door to my room opens.“Mila,” Dom announces.

What the heck is he doing back here?

My back sinks against the pillow.Please don't let Dom see the phone!

As much as I try to despise it, Dante and I both know that I desperately want it. I want a lifeline back to that old life I had; I do anything to escape the current one.

Like chocolate being poured into the mold, Dom's feet come to a smooth halt. His shock and anger don't overflow. Dom's skilled; he lets nothing spill over. He pauses when he spots Nico and Dante. I expect him to be surprised, but instead, Dom flashes them a wicked grin.“I should have known it was you.”

“You need better guards,” Dante smirks, but it’s so aggressive it sends a chill down my body, so strong that it threatens to crack open the cast on my leg.

“You know them?” I glance at Dom.

Dom closes the space, comes to my bedside, then bends down and kisses me. His lips feel vicious and crisp against mine.“My love, how are you feeling?” He pulls away, and I’m thrust into another storm of confusion and mind games.

“You told my dad you were going home for the night,” I whisper.

“I’m not abandoning you the same night you tell me you love me.” He speaks loud enough for the entire hospital to hear.

Dante’s eyes look at me and fill with disappointment.I look away, glaring at the cast on my ankle.

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