“I missed you too, Terror. I’m sorry I wasn’t there after… everything.” I slowly pull back and wipe away my tears with the backs of my hands before meeting Cas’s gaze. His eyes used to hold such a hopeful look, almost like he was untouchable to any type of pain or hurt but now, all I see is emptiness. The look is so alarming to me that I suck in a sharp inhale of breath. It seems like I’m not the only one who changed.
“I…” I swallow and clear my throat, forcing my emotions to remain in check. “I just found out about KennaDee today.” My voice catches on her name and tears threaten to spill once again. Cas’s face remains blank and devoid of all emotion.
“What do you mean, you just found out?” Cas’s voice is laden with scorn and I stiffen with worry, he’s never used such a tone like that with me before.
“I… Can we sit?” Cas exhales loudly and nods. He motions for me to take a seat on one of the sofas. Just as I get myself seated and manage to keep the hiss of pain from escaping, the sexy stranger decides to claim the spot next to me! He’s so big he takes up nearly the whole two seater by himself. I press against the arm of the sofa to give us more space but unlike me, he doesn’t seem bothered about being this close to a stranger. My ribs protest and start aching so badly that tears prick the backs of my eyes.
“Bed rest.” I snap my head toward the handsome stranger and instantly whimper. His eyes narrow but I ignore the look as I ask.
“Excuse me?”
He rolls his eyes as if me daring to question him is wasting his time. “It’s the only way to heal cracked ribs.”
“And you would know this?”
A cocky smirk graces his too beautiful face. “Yeah, your brother gave me a cheap shot with his stick during a game.”
My eyes widen to the point they burn. “You know Masen?” I breathe out, my heart suddenly kicks into overdrive.
I watch as darkness slowly shadows his face, his eyes darken and I gasp. “Your brother is not a subject we are going to discuss, Tink.”
“Tink?” I question.
His smirk is dangerous and filled with a sinister promise. “You’re like a broken little fairy. Tinkerbell could only live because people believed in her. The moment they stopped, she died because fairies are nothing but a myth of beauty and virtue. You remind me of that myth and one day, I bet you will fall just like Tink did.” I swallow audibly, he said it so casually but I can hear the underlying threat. Whoever this guy is, I can tell he is dangerous and cold. He may be the most gorgeous man I have ever met but even death comes wrapped in a pretty package.
“Ignore him and continue on with what you were going to tell me,” Cas says, drawing my focus away from the God of darkness beside me. My pain becomes a thing of the past as my anxiety spikes, I don’t know why I feel so out of sorts with Cas. He wasn’t just Masen’s friend, he was mine as well. Yet, I feel like there is an ocean separating us. He looks like my Cas and sounds like him but his eyes… They aren’t the same. There is no warmth in them. Once I may have found comfort in them but now, I see nothing but a void of despair.
Instead of answering his question I ask. “Who is he?”
Cas darts his gaze between me and his friend, then reclines further, stretching his arms across the back of the sofa. “Terror, meet Xaden Devlin, your brother’s arch enemy.” I snap my head toward the dark lord who sits next to me with a sinister grin on his.
“Nice to meet you officially, Toren. I promise all the rumors you have heard about me are true and yes, my bite is much bigger than my bark, Tink.” My mouth is agape as I stare at him, I’ve heard about him and his family. His father is rumored to be the head of the mafia in Stormsend. Xaden reaches out and grips the back of my neck. I stiffen instantly from his touch. His grip is firm but not painful, he’s asserting his dominance. “I promise not to bite unless you beg me to.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
XADEN
Her eyes are wide with fear. She trembles beneath my touch and I fucking hate to admit it but the sight of her riddled with horror at the mere mention of my name has my cock twitching in my pants. Caspian might have been onto something with this plan of his. Being able to say I was the one who broke in the princess of the Kellar family will be worth more than gold, especially when her brother finds out that his baby sister is spending her nights under me and on her knees with my cock down her throat.
“Are you going to hurt me?” she whispers.
The corner of my mouth lifts as I lean in, leaving a sliver of space between our faces. Her breath hitches at my close proximity. “Worse than anyone ever has but you will love every minute of it, Tink.” I draw back and release my hold on her as I turn to peer out the window, dismissing her.
Treat ‘em mean and keep ‘em keen.
“Now, you’ve met Xaden, can you tell me about that night?” The hint of impatience in Cas’s voice has me shooting him a warning look to keep his fucking cool. If I can suck up my disgust and play this game, he can fucking do it as well!
Toren gnaws on her bottom lip and begins to wring her hands in her lap, she keeps her eyes downcast and refuses tolook at him which has me grinding my teeth. The least the cunt could do is look him in the fucking eye while she admits she’s a murderer!
“I… That night, it’s a blur for me,” she mutters.
“What do you mean?” Cas pushes.
She releases a whoosh of air and slowly lifts her gaze to his. I wait with bated breath for her to admit the truth. “I don’t know what happened, Caspian. All I remember is waking up in the hospital. The doctors told me I suffer from short term memory loss. I may get the memories back, I may not. They say it’s my mind's way of protecting me from the trauma of that night.” I stare at her with accusation and have to force myself to calm the fuck down, my hands are itching to wrap around her neck and strangle the fucking life out of her.
Memory loss.
That is the biggest load of horse shit I have ever fucking heard.
