Page 22 of Poison Vows

“After you brazenly threw yourself at that bastard, letting him touch you, kissing you last night, entertaining his nonsense to partner with him, was that your lack of fear as well?” Emmett asks softly.

Something has gone wrong.

If I wasn’t watching him closely, I would’ve completely missed the way his entire demeanor and expression shifts to an unrecognizable icy mask of fury.

Before, when we used to argue, he’d still be composed, but now…

I stare up at his drop-dead gorgeous face, noticing the way his sharp, chiseled jaw is clenched with tension.

“My fear of death was made invalid by you,” I state, saying anything I can to maintain my poise. “Have you forgotten?”

“No, but you must’ve forgotten what I’m capable of.”

“Please, Emmett,” I scoff. “I know how heartless you are. Once I was foolish enough to believe your cruelty wouldn’t extend to me, but now I know better, and guess what? I just don’t care!”

Before I can wrap my mind around what just happened, Emmett is right in front of me.

He wraps a hand around my throat and before I know it, I’m pressed up against the wall, being strangled to death.

“You don’t care, do you?” he growls in a voice so sinisterly low, it melts something in my insides, which is insane because at any moment this man can crush my windpipe and make me seize from existing.

“You’ve grown bold, Angel. So bold, it’s going to get you and everyone you love killed in the most brutal way.”

“A-are you t-threatening me?” I splutter, my voice hoarse and dry as I struggle to speak past the tightening grip. “How the mighty have fallen!”

“Do you feel empowered by taunting me?” he questions calmly, his face so close to mine, I can feel his hot, minty breath on my face. “Did you feel confident when you decided to fuck me up?”

I can only stare at him, fighting myself to keep my hands at my sides.

I don’t want to fight his hold on my neck.

I don’t want him to see the fear flaring beneath my bravado, so the only thing I can do is pretend.

But most of all, I don’t want him to see just how heartbroken I am over what he wants me to do…

I don’t want him to see how the hope I’ve been secretly carrying that he would fall for me too is shattered, so I taunt, throwing my life away by angering him.

I go to the little corner in my head where I pretend like I have all the power.

“Then do it,” I whisper mockingly, glaring at him. “Kill me. Make me pay for fucking things up for you like the coward you are!”

It’s a gamble that I’m willing to bet I’ll win.

But that’s another point of stupidity for me because Emmett’s hold tightens just as fast as his eyes turn from forest green to black, dangerous and unfathomable.

A murderous aura suddenly takes over between us.

Waves of soul-churning chills move through my body as fear rolls through my veins afresh, reminding me that Emmett really can do anything.

His hold tightens to an incredibly painful point that I start choking violently.

My vision starts blurring and my oxygen is effectively cut off.

He’s really going to kill me!

I try to wait for him to let me go, but his grip only tightens even more until my fight-or-flight reaction swiftly kicks in.

Weakly, I reach for his hand at my neck with both of mine and start scratching, fighting for him to let go, but he only holds my gaze and doesn’t let go at all.

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