Page 47 of Break Her Heart
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
She justhadto be the center of attention. Had to make everyone be just as infatuated as I am with her. Of course everyone was looking at her! You had to be blind to not notice Winnie.
Mine.
MyWinnie.
The only thing in this cursed world that could ever make me feel anything again—and the only one cruel enough to use it against me.
I paced the room. My hands were fists at my sides. I couldn’t sit still. I couldn’t fucking breathe.
I was supposed to feel satisfied. I’d won, hadn’t I? She was mine. Bound to me by every dark vow that could be sworn under fire and blood. So why did I feel like I’d just carved out my own heart and handed it to her?
I wanted to tear something apart. I wanted to find the vampire she burned and set him on fire all over again just to see if she’d flinch. Just to see if she’dcare.
I hated her. I wanted her. I wanted to bite her and rip her open and pull her close and make her beg. I wanted to drag her into the dark and drown in her until there was nothing left of me.
Thatwas what she did to me.
And I had no one to blame but myself.
I backed her into a corner. Put her on display. Threw her into a pit of monsters and waited for her to bleed—because Iknewshe’d break.
For what? To chain myself to her more tightly? When I was already hanging on by a thread every time she breathed in my direction? It was fine. I could keep my distance even if I’m in the room with her at all times.
Ha!
What a fucking joke.
I had shackled myself to the only person in this world who could destroy me—and then dared her to do it.
She turned to me again and I could see the wheels turning behind those emerald eyes. What did she see when she looked at me right now? Was I holding it together? Did I look at her like she meant nothing to me? Gods, I hoped so.
“Is that why you said those things to me before the wedding?”
I flinched. Just slightly. Just enough that I prayed she didn’t notice. I couldn’t remember what I’d said—there were too many voices, too many memories all crashing at once.
I feel nothing—Fuck the whole lot of them.
Fuck no, I didn’t mean that! I could barely stand them looking at her. If someone tried to touch her like that, I’d rip their throat out.
“No. I meant them.”
Her hands curled into fists at her sides. I didn’t know how much power she still held from killing that vampire, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she unleashed it on me. In fact, I kind of hoped she did.
But instead, she straightened.
“I need to get out of this dress.”
She turned, presenting the laced back to me, and waited.
Gods alive!
I hesitated. The space between us pulsed like a wound. I didn’t trust myself to touch her right now, but I stepped forward anyway. My fingers found the ties at her back, trembling with restraint. The fabric resisted me, as if it knew what would happen if it fell too fast.
My knuckles brushed the curve of her spine. My throat burned with the scent of her, and I nearly choked on the desire clawing its way up from my chest.
I wanted to sink my teeth into her shoulder. To claim her again in the only way I understood. To hear her moan my name until it was the only word left in the world.
