When I opened the lid, something silver reflected back at me in the muted light. Rising back to my feet, I held it under the lamp on the cabinet. At the silver skull mask staring back at me, I jerked my hands away from the box like I had been burned. It clattered to the floor.
And then a realization shuddered through me.
The Beast had remained hard after coming until he came again. Maksim always seemed to distract me after he came by building me to another orgasm or slipping away to remove the condom and shower.
“Oh God,” I muttered.
Maksim was the Beast.
The Beast was Maksim.
I’d been utterly deceived by the man I was in love with.
As tears filled my eyes, my fists curled with rage. I didn’t know whether to sink to my knees sobbing or punch a hole in the wall. I wanted simultaneously to run away and confront Maksim. My tremulous emotions sent my body into convulsing shudders so strong I had to lean back against the cabinet for fear of falling to the floor.
This wasn’t happening.
This couldn’t be happening.
Maksim wasnotthe Beast. He wasn’t a psychopath. He would never do something so vile as to pretend to be someone else.
While they were similar in build, their personalities were too different. Not to mention, I’d been with both of them sexually. There was no way I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference.
I realized that until I heard it from his lips it wasn’t really true. Maybe there was an explanation. Maybe his associate had hidden the mask here.
STOP IT!
You know the truth. Now face it!
With trembling fingers, I bent down and retrieved the mask. Slowly, I made my way back into the bedroom. At the sound of the shower turning off, I swallowed hard.
When I appeared in the bathroom doorway, Maksim was toweling off. At the sight of me, he smiled, causing my chest toclench into an agonized vise. Nodding at the hand behind me, he asked, “Is t-that my vodka because I’m desperate.”
I shook my head. Fighting to breathe, I shoved the mask in front of me. My stomach churned as it gleamed under the bright bathroom lights. “I found this when I was looking for the Stolis.”
As Maksim froze, the color bled out of his face. “Sarah, I can explain.”
A maniacal laugh bubbled from my lips. “You’re even more insane than I thought if you think you can just explain away your deception and fraud.”
“There is no explanation I can g-give you without first starting with an apology for what I d-did to you. Yes, I was the B-Beast in primal play hunts. Yes, I found out t-that you also shared my kink. And yes, when you turned down treating me,Idecided to kidnap you.”
“Oh God,” I moaned as bile shot into my throat.
“When I b-brought you to the house, I selfishly d-decided to keep my identity separate from the B-Beast’s because I d-didn’t want there to a stumbling b-block for you falling for me. You would b-blame him, not me.”
Maksim shook his head. I should have never d-done t-that. I should have b-been honest from the start. I’ve wanted to come clean so many times, b-but I was afraid of losing you.”
The fact I wanted to yell at him to loosen his jaw and relax made me feel truly psychotic. How could I possibly care about his stutter at a time of such betrayal?
“Is this what Dima was talking about?” At Maksim’s nod, I gasped. “He knew, and I didn’t.”
Maksim pinched his eyes shut. “It was wrong, and I was wrong.”
“You fucking bastard!” I screamed as I threw the mask at him.
When it slammed against his chest, his eyes popped wide. “Sarah, please. Just listen to me.”
“There is nothing you can say to me right now or ever for that matter that would induce me into forgiving you.”
