You have to let her go.
All those moments I walked away from her, I chose Aaron. When I left her behind in Boston, I chose my best friend. It was a decision that broke my heart but I made it and have continued to stand by it. I’m here in New York, living with my best friend, in my dream career. I need to force this obsession out of me.
I have to try.
Tonight I need to sever the ties that still bind me to Zoe. I need to burn that bridge—scorch it beyond recognition—so there's no way back. It's the only way to protect the life I've chosen, the life I've built.
It’s the only way to protect her and keep my promise.
The thought of it fills me with rage because I know the only person that could protect her is me.
My hands clench into fists, my breath quickens, and the red-hot fury continues to blaze inside my veins. Zoe’s memory is a fire I need to extinguish, but it refuses to go quietly. It's a fire that ignites every time I think of her, every time I dream of her, every second of every day. Disintegrating my resolve and making me question everything.
I can’t let it.
Not anymore.
I have to try.
Tonight will be the beginning of the end of us. Because there has never been an us. As far as she knows, I was never at the masquerade ball.
We never had that night.
Everything has always been in my head, and it needs to stop.
I need to stop.
Goodbye little butterfly.
For now.
CHAPTER 9
AARON
“Icrave the hunt. To chase. Take what I want, when I want—without care or mercy.” Dominik finally answers Selene.
His tone is as sharp as the edge of a blade, but Selene doesn’t flinch. Quite the opposite—she smiles at him.
Twisted little thing.
I don’t know why I’m surprised by Dom’s admission. I know he’s a primal player, but hearing him say it out loud solidifies it in my mind. That need is probably why he wanted to come here tonight—though I’d like to think part of it was because he was worried about me.
“Truth or dare, Selene.” Tristan’s voice drips with impatient hunger.
“Dare,” she replies, locking eyes with him as she slowly licks her perfect lips.
Tristan moves behind her, closing his eyes as he lowers his head to inhale her scent. Then, he grabs her jaw with firm possession, forcing her to look up at me.
“I want you to get on your knees. Take out his cock, and run the tip of your tongue up his shaft.”
What the…
Every thought imaginable floods my mind as Selene drops to her knees, her gaze locking onto mine. I could stop this, kneel down beside her and not let her continue but I don’t.
Instead, I watch as she unhooks my belt and strokes my already hard cock. I don’t even care that the other two are here, witnessing what’s about to happen. Right now, it’s just me and her. Selene frees my dick, running the pads of her fingers across it. The simple touch drives me fucking insane.
I grip her hair tightly, unable to hold back.
