My jaw tenses as I glance down, breaking eye contact, hating the fact he’s right. I’d destroyed everything I believe in, for him. I should have turned him in as soon as he laid his hands on me in Sacred Heights, but facts are facts, if I did, I probably wouldn’t have survived Billy.
“I like to see the good in people, Ty,” I murmur, my gaze trailing slowly up the expanse of his body, lingering on every scar, until my eyes find his again. “I want to believe they can come out of the darkness. Everyone has a light somewhere. No one is completely… evil.”
He studies me for a long second, as if weighing my words against a truth he’s known far too well, and I continue.
“I gave you a few chances because you were so close to your release… I thought you deserved a chance at life.”
Slowly, he lifts his hand, the back of his fingers brushing my cheek, and I feel myself tense as his thumb traces over my bottom lip.
“And that’s where you were so fucking wrong, Kitten.” His voice drops to a low hum, as if he’s letting me in on a secret.
“You’re staring evil in the face right now—not just in me, but all around you. The sweet neighbour. The friendly teacher. The skilled doctor.” I search his gaze, feeling the sincerity, a sinister confidence in his words as he leans closer. “They just keep theirs buried, hidden behind smiles and power and that makes themfar more dangerous than I could ever be, especially to people like you.”
My heart beats erratically as I absorb his words, the world I thought I knew shifting under me, but I don’t want to feel it and I try to push it at the back of my mind.
“Because someone like you… someone with light in them?” His voice softens, but a dark edge laces his words, cutting into me. “You’re the perfect prey for those who know exactly how to wrap that light tightly around their little finger until it’s squeezed the fuck out of you.”
His eyes narrow slightly, roaming over mine. “And after that?” He lifts his hand and snaps his fingers causing me to flinch slightly. “Darkness.”
The word slips out like a warning, sending a shiver down my spine. “Darkness swallows everything in its path eventually, Kitten. And you’re going to learn that.”
“Ty…” I start, wanting to tell him I’ve been in the dark, that I can somewhat understand so I can help him if I can, but his finger lands on my lips. “Shhh,” he hushes. “Therapy session over. Go to fucking sleep.”
He shifts onto his back, turning away, as if he’s closed a door between us, dismissing me entirely. A heavy sigh slips from my lips, filling the silence that suddenly stretches between us, until, finally, I feel sleep tugging at me, my body surrendering as exhaustion seeps in.
Chapter Nine
Ty
The first light of dawn seeps through the mosaic window, casting a faint colourful glow across the room. I stand at the far side, watching her as she sleeps in the warm light, her face peaceful, her red hair glistening with every breath she takes. The morning softens her features in a way the firelight never did.
I tug a clean hoodie down my body and over my head, then shift slightly, bending into a crouch to tighten my laces. Midnight sneaks around my feet, her sleek black fur rubbing up against my legs, meowing softly.
“Yeah, yeah. I hear you. You’re hungry,” I mumble, reaching down to run a hand along her back, feeling the vibration of her purr against my palm.
As I rise, Kitten stirs, her hand slipping out from under the blanket as her lashes flutter. I pause, one boot still unlaced, and watch her, almost captivated, the way her brows pinch as she glances around in confusion. She’s handling all this better than I expected, almost too well. Even in sleep, I can tell she’s keeping herself shielded, playing some deeper fucking game.
But I see through it. Those pleading, sky-blue eyes are like bait. She’s trying to figure me out, see what’s locked beneath the surface, just like any therapist would. She doesn’t know thatwhat she’s after is something I’ve buried too deep, even for her to touch.
She’s not here for that. She’s not here to fix me. Whether she realizes it or not. There’s no breaking free—not from me, not from this. She can tell me everything I want to hear. Hell, she could let me fuck her violently like I want to, but I’m never letting her go.
I finish with my laces and straighten, then head toward her, my heavy boots making her shoot up on her elbows, watching me carefully through tired eyes. I stop by her feet and lift my fingers.
“Get up.” I say dryly.
She sighs, throwing the blanket off her and I can’t help but look at how her body moves. Memories of last night flood through my deranged mind. How I placed that knife on her neck and made her dry hump my hard cock through my jeans.
She fucking loved it.
Raven has a dark side to her that she likes to keep hidden, but I felt her hunger in that moment, even as she tries to cover it up with those careful eyes and that faultless composure. I saw it, the way she unraveled, to the point where I ended up busting in my fucking jeans just from the sight of her.
Fuck, it took everything inside me to walk away. She wants me. She just doesn’t want to admit it, but that’s where the fun lies. I don’t just want her to want me; I want her to fucking crave me. Then when she finally submits, if I make it that far, I’m going to screw that perfect cunt so savagely, she’ll be raw from the ferocity. She’ll never want to be without me.
My pulse thrums harder as I watch her adjust her dress, her tits jiggling beneath the thin silk, little nipples stiff from the cold.I have to look away, my jaw clenching as I start to feel the blood rushing into my cock, making it swell against the tight fabric.
I force myself to stay in control, but my thoughts drift to all the twisted fantasies I can’t shake—the thought of her riding me, breasts bouncing as she sinks onto every inch of my dick repeatedly. The way she looks coated in blood. How she would look naked and coated in my blood. I shake my head, fighting the images that push at the edge of my mind, threatening to tear through the last shred of restraint I’ve got left. She’s there, right in front of me, ready to take. To fucking destroy.
Once she’s finally got herself together, I catch her wrist, tugging her along behind me. I grab my backpack and toss it into the crawl space, lowering myself in backward, dragging her down with me. She resists for a moment, but eventually, she’s forced to follow me, her breaths quick and shallow in the tight passage.