Page 2 of The Darkest Prince

His gray eyes meet mine, and I consider touching him. Pressing my lips to his.

He won’t let me kiss him.

Not on the lips.

I know this.

But I want to.

Bastian only lets me indulge my fantasies whenever I can’t control myself, consumed by bloodlust, needing to kill again.

Before he cleans off the last of the blood, I raise his hand to my mouth and suck his finger, licking it clean. His chest rises and falls faster, his eyes fixed on me.

I know he likes it.

He wants it.

But he hates himself for having feelings for a man. He’s been brainwashed to feel shame every time.

We’re not gay. I’ve never looked at another man and felt attraction. Desire. Bash is my exception, and I’m his.

“D,” he groans and yanks his finger out of my mouth, wiping his hand on the towel. “Tonight is a big deal for Dad. You have to keep your shit together. We won’t get into The Founders Society without Alexandrea Wellington.”

Technically, we don’t need to marry anyone. We were born into powerful, connected families. Before we became Salvatores, we could gain admittance into any exclusive club in the country.

Bastian Kincaid.

Damian Townsend.

Our former last names guaranteed us a spot with the Founders. But the Salvatores are not from the United States and don’t have the same lineage as us.

“I’ll be on my best behavior,” I tell him. “What do you think I was doing out here?” I roll my shoulders. “Just blowing off some steam.”

His thumb traces his bottom lip, and my eyes follow the simple movement.

I lick my lips.

He stares at mine.

“We can’t do that anymore,” he whispers.

“No,” I fire back. “You don’t have to be embarrassed by me.”

“I’m not.” He shoves his fingers through his dark caramel hair, brushing it off his forehead. “Fuck. It’s not like that. You know I love you.”

“As a friend,” I toss back at him. “A brother?”

He swallows hard. “Yeah.”

I understand obsession.

But love?

Not so much.

I don’t know how it feels to love someone. What I feel for Bastian goes beyond love.

I want to possess him, crawl so far beneath his skin I become one with him. If I believed in soulmates, he would be mine. The one person I can’t live without. He’s like a drug to me. An addiction. And after he let me get high on him once, I couldn’t stop.

---