“You won’t like how this ends,” he growled against my lips.
His words sounded like a threat.
What the hell had made him so cold and hateful? Even with my horrible upbringing, I could still find the goodness in people, still find it in myself to care about others. But Luca was long gone, replaced by a monster who had teeth and claws. I felt like he would suck the life from my body if I didn’t get away from him. Every second in his presence had me falling deeper under his spell.
I slipped out of his grasp and scooted across the grass, pushing the short, frilly dress down my legs. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
He tipped his head back and howled with laughter. “Everything.”
Damaged and broken, Luca was the shell of a gorgeous man with a wicked slant to his mouth and blue eyes that sliced through me. He was trying to intimidate me. But I did not understand why.
“Why did you let me touch your scars?”
“Because you need to understand the cruelty of our world.” He lifted my fairy mask and cupped my cheek with his hand. “You’re so beautiful and pure, easy to break.”
I’m already broken.
His sapphire irises flickered with desire, and I shivered from his touch. “Soon, you’ll understand what it’s like to be one of us.”
Before I could respond, my grandfather’s deep voice boomed behind us. “Alexandrea, I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Get in the house.”
His words said one thing, but his face said, Get away from Luca.
Aiden stood beside Pops with a hand on his hip, a drink in the other, giving me a disapproving look.
“I was just…”
What was I doing? Sitting at the edge of a cliff with a sexy lunatic who made my heart pound.
Luca glanced over his shoulder and smirked at my grandfather before his eyes landed on me. “I have to do this.”
Fear shot down my arms as Luca leaned into me, his lips inches from mine.
“I can’t help myself. I have to know…”
Know what?
And then he kissed me, fisting my curls so hard my skull hurt by the time our lips separated.
A chill crept down my spine as shoes slapped the pavement behind me. Rushing down the dimly lit pathway, I cut through the Southside of Haven University. It was well after ten o’clock, midway through the summer, the campus desolate at this hour.
And someone was following me.
Thunder cracked through the silence, and light illuminated the sky. Chills rolled down my spine, sinking deep into my bones. Another boom rocked the ground, and I stifled the scream threatening to escape my throat. I glanced over my shoulder, but no one was there.
Maybe you’re losing your mind.
It was too dark to see more than shadows, but I could hear the faint sound of footsteps drawing closer. Another roar rippled through the sky. Tiny bumps dotted my skin, making the hair on my arms stand at attention. My hand trembled as I reached into my pocket, gripping my Taser.
For weeks, I’d felt as if someone were observing me from a distance. I would look up from my sketchbook at the coffee shop and feel him. But the second I turned my head, he vanished. The stalking had extended to Haven University, where I worked twice a week, assisting a world-renowned artist restore frescos in my free time.
I told my parents about my stalker. Not like they cared. Dad laughed it off and went back to drinking his coffee. He said I was delusional. My mother threatened me with another involuntary stay at Haven Asylum, so I never mentioned it again.
No more padded walls.
No more restraints.
Choking back my nerves, I rushed across campus, using the energy to propel me. A hard sole tapped the sidewalk. The sounds grew louder and gaining momentum. He was maybe twenty feet behind me, so close I could smell him.
Maybe you’re imagining it.
You did once before.
I broke into a light jog and clutched the Taser, hoping my Uber driver was on time. The last guy was twenty minutes late and smelled like onions. He offered me half of his sandwich as if that was some consolation. It wasn’t.
And with the footsteps moving closer, I didn’t have time to wait in a dark parking lot alone. My doctor still hadn’t cleared me to drive. So for the past few months, I’d used rideshare apps.
“You can run, Alex,” a male voice boomed from behind me. “But why bother? Save us both the trouble and quit while you’re ahead.”
No, no, no…
Why is he here?
I spun around, my limbs trembling as I locked eyes with a tall, handsome man dressed in a dark tailored suit. He styled his black hair as if he’d wanted it to look messy, a few strands falling onto his forehead. Cold eyes met mine as I pointed the Taser at him. Despite his killer looks, the man who stood before me was dangerous.