Page 98 of Ink Deep Devotion

Honestly…I don’t know.

Either way, I lose a part of Mila. If I love her openly, I risk losing her entirely. If I love her in secret, I lose the softness that sparkles in her eyes when they look up at me.

I lose either way.

“It’s her fucking roommate that’s changing her!” I scoff, slamming the car door so hard it shakes the SUV.

“Mila never acted out,” Openly, that is. She never would have initiated phone sex or had the strength to see all my demons like she did yesterday. All my scars and grievous thoughts.

“We will deal with the roommate today,” Titan sighs,“But you need to make a decision. Be with her or don’t. It’s not fair to her.”

???

A devious grin spreads across my lips as I sit back and watch Titan corner Nova against the wall of her class. As soon as we entered, the class cleared out, leaving us alone with Nova.

How brave are you, Nova? Titan is about to peel you open to find out.

Why the fuck is Nova still smiling?

She should be cowering under Titan's glare, not to mention my own and Damien’s.Nova needs to understand that Mila isn’t her doll. I will make sure Mila is never a doll for anyone else again. Not even me.

“I know how to grab demons by the horns, Titan.” Nova purrs as she edges her hips closer to Titan’s. I watch his fist curl as he keeps her caged.“I already warned Dasher here, but I’ll repeat it just this once since the message didn’t sink in.”

See what I mean? Nova wants to die. She grins while pressing all the buttons, even the childish ones, such as intentionally using a different name for me.

“Stay the hell away from me, and if Dash even looks at Mila in a way that pisses me off, you’ll be down an heir.”

My throat tightens as I gaze into Nova’s steel-grey eyes. Her eyes challenge me, and I accept.

I understand Nova’s tactics. She is using Mila as her toy to piss me off, but it goes deeper. I can taste it radiating off of Nova. She is so strong and confident, she can’t stand that Mila isn’t.

Nova wants to change that. She’s already started. I’ve seen the changes in Mila, the phone sex being one. Fighting back is the second.

I like that Mila is trying to fight me instead of hiding in her shell and trying to poke holes in it again.

Nova is like salt in Mila’s life—just enough brings out the flavors, but too much can be off-putting.

I'll allow Nova to remain Mila's roommatefor now.

On the other hand, Nova is calculating. She wants to see me suffer and self-implode. She knows Mila is my weakness, but if she hurts Mila, she’s dead—so she wants me to be the one to hurt her.

It’s a smart move, forcing your enemy to destroy themselves.

Nova slides her eyes to Titan.“In case you need my message to hit home, how about this…” She swings her right knee up right into his dick, catching Titan off guard because even a fool wouldn’t dare attack us when we were in a unit.

Oh Shit!If I didn’t hate Nova, I would laugh.

Nova’s long black hair gleams like spilled oil, a dark and destructive beauty, as she turns. Her lips pull into a wide, daring grin. She blows us an air kiss and sings,“Toot-a-loo boys.”

Even I’m stunned into silence.

It takes a lot to shock me, but Nova did. I watch in utter dismay as Titan lets her saunter out of the lecture hall, her three-inch high combat boots stomping off the stairs with a purring satisfaction.

“What the fuck was that?” Standing, I shove Titan.

“I like her.” Damian retorts.

“The plan was to show up to her class, make her rethink every life choice she made this morning, and then watch her crawl into a hole and stop pestering me! Instead, you let her kick you in the balls, and what,” I throw my hands up,“walk away grinning?” I shout at Titan, who is still in a daze.

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