“Then you better make her your old lady or she’s expendable. End of discussion,” Zeus warns me before walking away.
“Drop that bitch, man,” Cricket says. “She’s nothing but trouble.”
“You know I can’t.”Not now, not ever.
I feel my cell phone vibrating and dig it out of my back pocket. My heart rate speeds up when I see the name on the screen. “Yeah.”
“Zilphia had a visitor today.”
I lounge against my bike, my impatient gaze glued to the front door. I’ve only been waiting for about five minutes, but when you’re addicted to something orsomeone, one second can seem like an eternity. I smile, thinking about the dark surprise waiting for my prey at home.
“Get ready to scream, my sweet Zilphia,” Imumble, sliding a hand over my twitching cock. She brought what’s to come on herself. She didn’t listen, and now she has to face the consequences.
I glance down at my cell phone and type out a text.
Me: You have 60 seconds to get your ass outside.
The front door flies open at the same time I hit send. Zilphia’s saucer gaze holds me captive as her trembling legs carry her to me. God, I’ve always loved those fucking eyes. Those soulful brown orbs almost bring me to my knees, but then I remember what a treacherous bitch she is.
I straighten to my full height and toss her the extra bucket helmet. “Get on.”
“I didn’t do anything,” she rushes out. “I tried to—”
“No excuses.” I shake my head, securing my own helmet and straddling my bike in one fluid motion.
Tears gather in her eyes because she knows there will be pain. “It’s not my fault—”
“Get on the fucking bike, Zilphia,” I growl and rev the engine.
I burn rubber toward home the instant she hops on behind me. She holds onto me tightly, molding her soft curves against my back. I feel something for this girl. I don’t know what that something is, but it isn’t love. It can’t be. I don’t believe in it.
On the other hand, love and hate are closely related. Both invoke passionate responses and bring out the worst in people. It’s said that people often hurt the ones they love the most. And hurting her is a fucking addiction. Maybe I love-hate her. Is that even possible? Can one love and hate a person simultaneously? Stranger things have happened. My hate for her isn’t cookie-cutter. Not by a long shot.
It’s beautiful. A beautiful hate.
Before long, I’m dragging Zilphia through the front door and up to my bedroom. She doesn’t utter a word, but her sweaty hand clutched in mine lets me know just how scared she really is.
I gesture toward the white box centered on my bed. “A gift for you.”
“A gift?” Zilphia repeats, taking a step back. “Why?”
“Because you deserve it,” I reply, nudging her forward. “Open it. I made it especially for you.”
“What is it?” she whispers.
I push my door closed and lock it. “Go see for yourself.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t want to.”
“Are you sure you want to go down this route, Zilphia?” I ask, coming to a standstill behind her. “There are levels to pain… so many ways to make you hurt.” I kiss the side of her neck. “What’s it gonna be? Either choice is fine with me.”
“I’ll open it,” she whispers and reaches out with a shaky hand, slowly pulling the red ribbon securing my special surprise loose. “I didn’t know Redmond—”
“Shh.” I press a finger to her lips. “Keep going.”
Zilphia lifts the top, revealing Redmond’s severed head. She screams, the earsplitting sound bouncing off the walls. “Oh God! Oh God! What have you done?”
“I warned you, didn’t I?” I murmur, gliding my fingertips along her trembling arm. “You’re mine, Zilphia. Anyone who tries to take you from me will die a very, very horrible death. Like Redmond here. He was still alive when I started cutting off his head.”
