“I was kidding!”
He wasn’t kidding. By the threatening step Sable takes his way, she sees through him as well.
I can’t have her punch him again. It might make me come without being touched, and that’s a level of low I can’t afford.
“Give me a day or two.” He eyes both of us warily, backing away with his hands up in surrender. “I’m not sure what the time zone difference is down there, but I’mhopingto be back soon.”
He salutes us and scrambles out of here the second a portal—a swirling void of darkness emanating faint heat that stings my already burning face—opens behind him.
Sable leans forward, as if she’s trying to look inside, but I wrap my hand around her elbow and pull her back against my chest. “You’ll fry before you can even get to the other side.”
She stills, muscles tensing against me as the moment suspends, and suddenly, I swear I can smell her—strawberries and desire wraps around me, andfuck. I’m also very aware of my cock pressing up against her. There isn’t a chance in this world she can’t feel it. She’s turned on, so am I, and fuck do I want to press into her and hear her gasp.
She yanks herself away from me and moves to the other side of the room, and I glare at her.
My gaze flies back to the portal; the need to go through it, to end this fucking madness once and for all, is intense. It’s not like we can stay here, and as far as I’m aware, I’m bound to her, so who’s to say I won’t vanish into nothing when she passes on?
With one last lingering look at her face—taking in her brown eyes, that long, two-toned hair, the way she looks beautiful without even trying—I take a deep breath and push through the portal before it can ripple into nothing.
Usually, I’d land on my knees at the gates. It’s not the first time I’ve tried to either escape or transport around Hell, but this time, my lungs cease to work, and blistering heat encapsulates me until I’m gasping from the pressure. A fist I can’t see grabs at my chest, gripping so tightly I yell with pain before a force hits me so hard, I’m catapulted back through the portal.
My back hits the wall of the bedroom, my vision blurry but enough to see Sable stepping in front of me.
Just when I think she’s going to yell at me for trying to leave her here all alone, she looks down at me with a sad, pitiful gleam in her eyes as she shakes her head.
“Guess Hell doesn’t want you either.”
15
Sable
There’s a person on my lawn. Several people, in fact.
Too many for my liking.
The sun set a few hours ago, and the night was cold and quiet with that distanttick, tick, tickin the background until I heard the first hoot. At first, I thought it was an owl or bird of some kind.
But then I heard something even worse: men laughing.
And I saw them. Eight frat-looking bros carrying cartons of alcohol, followed by a mini entourage of giggling girls, all looking about my age. Some are dressed in miniskirts, while others have opted for a more casual look of jeans and a sweater.
They hoot and holler, and get closer with every passing second until I can make out the additional equipment they’re bringing: industrial lights, lawn chairs, and big speakers.
I watch the long driveway from the spare bedroom on the second floor, grinding my molars as one of the men downs a can of beer then throws it onto the overgrown lawn.
More people trickle in behind them, bringing with them cartons of things that will end up as trash sprinkled aroundmyhouse. They must be the ones who’ve been destroying my family’s manor.
Abso-fucking-lutely not. They can fuck right off.
I storm out of the room and stomp down the grand staircase, not bothering to avoid the broken steps.
Like hell are they about to do more damage to this place. I may not need to worry about selling it anymore, but this is stillmymanor. If I’m going to be stuck here, it’s not going to be a pigsty.
I barrel through the open doors and place my hands on my hips to make myself seem bigger than I am. I’m fully prepared for a showdown with these Chads. Except none of them so much as looks up at me.
“Fuck off,” I yell. “All of you.”
They keep walking toward the house as if I’m not even here. Just flat-out ignoring me.
