Page 117 of Pretty Poisoned

"Andyoulove him," Declan continues. "You love him so much you cried last night because you thought he left with someone else. You let him carve his initial into your skin, and you liked it. You knew, Teagan. Stop thinking about how you should react based on societal conditioning. You don't really care, do you?"

"I do care about this!" I tell him.

"Why?" he asks flippantly.

"She's jealous," Luca laughs. "There's nothing to be jealous about, Teagan."

"I amnotfucking jealous!"

Beside me, Declan's phone rings.

"Hold on," Declan says. He answers the call and paces in front of the bed. "Yeah?"

"I love you, Teagan. I never loved her like I love you. I could never do that to you."

I drop my head in my hands; tears leak from the corners of my eyes.

"Declan told me you're just obsessed with the idea of love. I could be anyone."

I'm just the one who's broken and stupid enough to believe it.

"That's not true. You know that's not true now, right? You're my black licorice," Luca says, nuzzling his face against my neck while running his fingers down my back. "My pretty, poisonous girl. You're so sweet, Teagan. I'll let you kill me before I'll hurt you; I'll never get enough of you. I'll love you until my heart stops."

"Stop it," I sob.

"We have another problem," Declan tells us. "Teagan's sister is here."

"How did she—" I start.

Never mind. I share my location with her. That's why she was calling—she's already here. I didn't even see what time those texts were sent.

"Well, tell her to fuck off," Luca says.

"I can't do that," Declan says. "She told the front desk that if Teagan wasn't downstairs in fifteen minutes, she would send the police to do a welfare check. Teagan needs to go downstairs and talk to her. Get dressed."

I wipe my eyes and get dressed like he said, pulling on a pair of jeans, a hoodie, and my black Chucks.

"I'll go with her," Luca says.

"No," Declan tells him. "She has to go by herself."

"That's a terrible fucking idea!" Luca says. "She's going to fuck with her head—you go with her, then!"

"Teagan is free to come and go as she pleases," Declan says. "We need to show her that. Come on, Teagan."

Declan wraps his arm around me, and we walk out of the room and then through the hallway to the elevator with Luca behind us.

"You can't come downstairs, Luca—you need to stay here and calm the fuck down."

"You said you wouldn't leave me," Luca says as I step into the elevator with Declan. "You fucking promised me."

I avert my eyes and wait for the doors to close.

"Think about what I said, Teagan," Declan says after the doors close.

"I am thinking about it," I say softly.

"I didn't realize what he was doing. I was…distracted by my fight with Layla. And once I did, it was too late. I thought wewere going to have to kill her. He left a knife close enough that she was able to get free. I don't know if it was on purpose or not."

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