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I feel my cheeks heat up, and I look down, clutching the thick strap of my fake leather bag tightly.
“Sit,” he says in a voice that reminds me of smooth honey. “Tell us some things about you.”
I park my ass, thankfully, on a chair near the top of the meeting table in the middle of Archer’s office and drop my bag on the floor.
Archer shuts the door and leans against it, once again blocking my way out. He is intimidating, and it sends a rocket of nerves shooting through my body. I smile nervously, dragging my gaze back to Owen. I can’t even look at Finn yet. I can feel his stare on me. It’s making me squirm in my chair.
Eventually, I have no choice; his will draws me to him. I meet his hazel gaze. He smiles slowly, sinisterly, yet full of promises that make my panties go damp.
ChapterEight
Finn
This isthe first time I’ve spent any time with Bailey, yesterday notwithstanding. She was torn from our grip far too quickly. My breath catches in my throat, and my heart pounds. She is breathtakingly beautiful—her dark hair tied up in a bun, her soft lips curved in a warm smile, and her eyes a mesmerizing deep green. The way she moves, the way she holds herself, I know there is something special about her. Her beauty is captivating, yes, but there is something else, something darker beneath the surface, something that arouses my curiosity and makes me want to know more. That shade of gray is calling to my pitch black, but I’m not sure if she will make me lighter, or if I will swallow her whole and corrupt her until she is fully immersed in the darkness with me.
The intensity of the moment thrums through me as our eyes meet. It’s as if I’ve stepped into a new world, one that is steeped in mystery and endless possibilities. I can't take my eyes off her now that I have her attention. I want to know more, to unravel the secrets that lie beneath her perfect porcelain skin. Suddenly all I can picture are slashes of scarlet etched into her exquisite flesh as she bleeds her soul onto the ground at my feet.
“Uhm,” she murmurs, dropping her gaze.
I want to explore her body in the only way that I can and discover her desires. I want to take her to the edge of pleasure, to drive her wild and bring her to the heights of passion before I step back and watch her suffer from my absence.
But, as quickly as that moment comes, it’s gone. Now isn’t the time for that.
She speaks, her voice gentle and inviting. I force myself to focus on her words, but my mind wanders back to the intensity of the moment, the heat that has flooded my veins, and the desire to hurt her that has surged through me. I’m drawn to her in a way I have never been with anyone else before, and I want to explore it further. I know she is special. She has to be for Solitaire to be interested in her. Her bloodline does nothing to help her. She must go through the initiation like everyone else.
She is as drawn to me as I am to her. The air seems to crackle with electricity every time her eyes meet mine. I can feel her desire, but also her fear. She is afraid of me. She sees the danger that lurks under the surface. She wants to know more but is too scared to ask. I want to drive her to the edge until we are both lost in blissful oblivion before I show her the monster that lurks in my soul. But I know that I’m not capable of giving her what she wants. I want to savor every moment of her destruction. I want to take my time and explore every inch of her until she begs me to take her, body and soul.
“Are you happy to be working for Archer?” I ask, during a pause in which she takes an unsteady breath, feeling the intensity that is simmering in the room.
My eyes never leave hers, trying to learn more about this mysterious woman before me. I want to know who she really is and why I feel this way about her. I expected to have a desire to hurt her, but not to be with her. She is beautiful and innocent. Butthisis…new. It claws at me to discover the depths of her passions and drive her wild with my own, previously unknown lust.
“Yes,” she says quietly, brushing back a wisp of hair that has come loose. “I’m excited to learn from the best.”
I meet Archer’s gaze. I have avoided looking at him until now. He is watching me, not her, with that penetrating gaze that makes my heart beat faster.
“You will learn more than you bargained for,” I reply just as quietly, hearing her catch her breath. I tear my gaze from Archer’s back to hers. “Are you ready for that, Alice?”
Her eyes go wide, and her cheeks burn with humiliation. “It’s-it’s Bailey,” she stammers.
“I know.”
Her puzzled expression widens my smile. The depth of the emotion filtering through my inability to really feel anything for anyone, startles me. Not even Archer has touched what she has.
That alone is all I need to know; I have to make her mine. I want to corrupt her, to stir her passions until she begs me for mercy. I want to bring her to the crest of pleasure and watch as she tumbles into an inescapable abyss of bliss. I want to make her mine in every way possible.
Blood to blood.
Ashes to ashes.
She will be ours.
ChapterNine
Bailey
“Bailey,”Archer says, interrupting an intense gaze with Finn.
He is cool and a bit frightening, very calm and controlled. I can’t see him ever yelling or lashing out. No, when you upset him, he will make you feel it in a subtle way that will have you questioning your own sanity.
