Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 108721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Catching my breath, I gently place her on the ground so I can get dressed. Her expression is relaxed, and her eyes roam over my body, watching as I pull my pants back up. I snag my shirt off the ground and gently maneuver her so I can wrap her up in the fabric. Once covered, the edge of the shirt hangs loose around her thighs.
Seeing her in my clothing makes me want to rip it off her with my teeth and claim her all over again. God, she’s fucking with my head. Destroying my resolve. I know without a doubt, as I look down at her, that I’ll do anything to protect her, from her enemies, my enemies, even from myself. From the darkness that seeps out of my pores, threatening to taint her angelic soul.
A scream echoes through the air, followed by laughter. There are still hours until the final runners and hunters stumble out of the woods, finding their way back to the party at the house. I won’t be attending that party this year.
I put my knife away and crouch down on my heels, scooping Ely up and taking her into my arms. I hold her against my chest bridal style, my grasp tight like I’m afraid she might disappear if I don’t hold on to her. Mine.
After tonight, nothing will ever be the same between us. There is no going back to the way things used to be. There is only the future, and Elyse is it for me.
“Where are we going?” she asks sleepily.
“Home. I’m taking you home.”
36
Elyse
It's strange how one single moment can change your entire life.
One choice. One word. One act.
Even though he hasn’t said anything, I know everything has changed. It's all I can think about—that and what will happen next. I try not to let the lack of answers send me into a panic while I listen to the steady, strong beat of his heart. He's careful with me, gentle, and it’s a stark difference from the usual way he throws me around like he owns me.
Instinctually, I know I should be scared right now. I should be wondering what else he might do, what other pain he might inflict. What revenge he might be contemplating. I can’t be bothered by thoughts like that, though, not when all I feel is...safe cradled in his arms. I’m satiated in a way I've never felt in my life. It feels like I've unlocked this secret door I didn’t know existed inside me, a gaping hole that needed to be filled, and he’s the single thing I needed to make myself whole.
Sebastian carries me through the woods without complaint. Part of me wonders if I should ask him to put me down since, you know, my legs work just as well as his, but there’s something about being carried through the woods by the man who claimed me in more than just a physical sense that makes me all warm inside. It makes me feel cherished.
A few yards ahead, he pauses and grabs his suit jacket off a low-hanging branch, and as much as I’m enjoying him caring for me, it’s still more than I’m used to.
“Am I getting heavy? Do you want to put me down? I can walk.”
He makes a low noise in his throat, almost like a grunt. “No. If I wanted to put you down, I would have done it already.”
He places the suit jacket over my torso, covering me from mid-thigh to chin and I'm grateful, considering he shredded the lingerie I'd been wearing. Ahead, the trees thin out, and soon enough we’re exiting the woods. Sebastian passes numerous couples that are mid-fuck, their moans stirring the air around us. He doesn’t even blink as he walks past them, almost like he doesn’t see them at all.
He carries me all the way to his car and cradles me one-armed against his chest while he opens the passenger door. I let out a squeak when my bare ass kisses the cold leather as he places me inside the car. It takes a minute to get around the other side and turn on the car.
Once in his seat, he fiddles with a few of the controls, and I let out a content sigh when heat blasts out of the vents. I hold my chilled fingers up to soak it in.
“Oh, that’s nice. I didn’t realize how close to icicles my fingers were.”
“Gimme a minute, and you’ll be nice and toasty.”
I toss him a curious look as he backs out of the driveway, then navigates the car out onto the main road that leads back toward campus.
Heat from the leather seat envelopes my legs and bare butt after he presses another button on the console. “Mmm, now that is way nicer than a little heat. I think I can finally feel my toes.” I flex them in my shoes, the feeling slowly returning.