Page 20 of Poison Vows

My knees weaken.

My heart groans against my rib cage.

A low buzzing sound starts in my ears, I have to close my eyes and shake my head, but the familiar strings of a migraine coming on start strumming to the beat of my shock and heartbreak.

“Wow,” I whisper to myself, trying to stabilize myself as the realization I have been avoiding for years comes barreling at me like a freight train. “Just… wow.”

“Is there a problem?” Emmett’s voice is low, cold, and indifferent.

How come I never knew just how indifferent he was?

Why did I always fantasize about the way he looked at me? Talked to me? Spoiled me?

Why did I never see just how cold he is until now when I’ve just signed away my life?

“Is there a problem with your first task?” Emmett asks again. This time I notice his large, deft fingers clutching the edge of the papers we just stamped our blood with.

I look up to take in his ethereal, handsome face, but I can’t see him clearly now. Not with my now blurred vision.

No! Don’t you dare cry! He’s not worth a single tear!

I shake my head. “No. There’s no problem. I’ll do whatever you want me to do for the duration of this contract,” I mutter like a robot.

I can feel his cold, piercing gaze on me, penetrating me my skin, but I just grip the hem of his shirt that I’m still wearing and hold on for dear life.

He grabs a glossy fountain pen from somewhere, unclips it, and silently offers it to me.

With the weight of my suffering, I walk over and grab the pen and jot down my signature next to the bloody fingerprints, sealing away my life to a monster.

Before I can put the pen down, he reaches for my hand. A zap of electricity shoots through my palm and up my arm as he takes the pen from me and adds his own signature right next to mine.

“Where’s my copy?”

“We’ll share this one. Our blood is on this one and only copy, so there’ll only be this one in this world,” he says gruffly, but I can’t stand it.

“I don’t want to share anything with you.”

His gaze snaps to me. “What?”

“You heard me. I’d rather we go our separate ways from now, since I’m now engaged to be married and all.”

Emmett’s eyes narrow, his nostrils flaring like an agitated bull.

“Unfortunately for you, that’s not going to happen.” He grinds out. “You and I are tied together forever. You can’t escape me, Angel.”

“Ivy!” I snap. “My name is Ivy! I never want to hear that noose of a nickname ever again!”

The icy silence that falls in the room after my rant is so cold, I shiver.

But I can’t back down now. I hold my head up high.

“Are you threatening me?” he asks in a clipped tone.

“How dare a mere toy threaten the strong?” I mock. “But you will regret it.”

He eyes me steadily, not fazed at all.

“Make sure you give it all you’ve got,Angel,” he says hoarsely. “Because after you, it’ll be my turn to dole out the repercussions that come with breaching our vows.”

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