Page 66 of Ink Deep Devotion

A few months later.

“You look stressed,” Mila whispers as she enters my bedroom. She’s no longer apprehensive when she enters the campus house. Eventually, even torture becomes routine. It has been just that: torture; not touching each other, not daring to look her in the eye.

I’m not brave enough, too.

I know the moment I do, I will crumble into her hands, and then she will break under our enemy’s hands.

I ordered her to come to our campus house tonight rather than me sneaking into her dorm after she was asleep. The reason why makes me a pathetic lovesick fool. Her scent had vanished from my sheets. I needed it back, so I forced her to come here to lay in my bed.

“Are you leaving town again?” Hurt sinks into her features.

“No.”

Her face lights up.“Why did I have to come here?”

Because I’m fucked in the head, thanks to you.

“You don’t get to ask questions.”

“Then maybe I should leave.”

She’s in a rare mood tonight. She’s been growing bolder. It’s like watching a child push up on their tiptoes before they jump off the high dive. My little fox has been up to something. I’m just waiting to see what she does. I expected this, some sort of lashing out after all my antics.

“Try.”Run for me, little fox; this way, I can have an ironclad excuse to cage you.

She swallows; I imagine her swallowing around my cock.

“No. That’s what you’d want me to do. You enjoy the chase.”

“I enjoy the kill.”

Her chest sinks in.I’m sorry, little fox. I wish I didn’t have to drag up old memories.

“Yes, you do.” She replies in contempt.“And how slowly you enjoy making your victims bleed.”

I hate myself.“Go to sleep.” I snap.

She used to fight me longer, but month after month of enduring fire has lessened her to embers that barely hold a flicker.

I watch her walk to my bed, but instead of kicking her shoes off like she usually does, she pauses.“N…no.” She stutters now. It’s out of fear, and I fucking hate it. It reminds me of my failures. In time, I will break this new habit she has developed.

“Was that a question or a statement?” I reply with a smirk, keeping my eyes trained on her forehead and not lower.

“Don’t belittle me.”

I shrug.Hate me. Please fucking hate me! Stop this insanity of trying to get me to say I love you. Stop it! Please, I beg you!

“I’m not.” I’m keeping you safe.“Go to bed.” Turning, I intend to leave and meet Titan in the basement. Damian has been missing for three days now. He set off to ask his dad about our grandfather and never returned.It’s not unusual for Damian to go missing. It’s his way of coping, of handling his demons and ensuring Titan and I don’t see them. Damian rarely lets us see his battles because he is always trying to fight ours.

The question is, did Damian leave of his own free will, did he find something out, or did his dad hurt him?

We’ve spent months searching for the identity of this group that may or may not be controlling our fathers, and the only thing we’ve found are more questions.

Meanwhile, the Brotherhood is steadily preparing to take over, but we still need more time. Cillian has been forced to move to New York—his uncle sees him as a threat to the empire he stole so he ordered Cillian to oversee the East Coast operations. In reality, it was just a way to get Cillian out of Ireland. Slowly, Cillian is building his army, but the rest of us fear his uncle will try to eliminate him before we’re ready to strike.

Dante is locked in a power struggle with his mother and her new husband, who have shared control over the family business. Anders is dealing with his prick of a father, who tries to torture him daily.

Leo is the only one who has taken control of his entire family—his father was assassinated, though the killer remains unknown.

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