Page 124 of Ricochet
“I don’t think you have a choice,” he snickered, looking behind me. I could feel his presence. How could I forget the way he made me feel, even if it was only for one day? I wasn’t questioning it then, but I was questioning it now.
Desire, love, attraction, those were the things that brought me where I was now. Those were the things that fucked me over once, because I trusted blindly. I loved with such ferocity, and I thought the other person loved me in the same way.
And it wasn’t only Kieran.
I loved Ava, Cillian and Tristan, I even loved my father and my mother, and look where it all got me.
The only person that deserved my love now was Maya. The only one that probably needed me was her, and after so many years running away from who I was, from what happened to her, it was time to face it all.
This was just the start of everything I was gonna do to those that wronged me. Logan Nightingale was the next bitch on my list, but there was an order of things.
There were things I had to do first, and my personal vendetta against him and the rest of his monkeys would have to wait.
“I always have a choice, Atlas. They caged me before, but I won’t allow anybody else to do the same again.”
I turned, meeting Storm’s impassive gaze. It was as if he flipped a switch, and the protective stance he had toward me while we were in the church just evaporated. I guess I wasn’t the only one good at pretending.
He was as well.
“What do you want?”
I had no patience for men that wanted to control every aspect of my life. He could take his whole Alpha demeanor and shove it up his ass. I didn’t want it.
“I hear you’re leaving. Or well, planning to.”
“Yes, and?” I passed next to him and started walking down the sidewalk, toward the second car Kieran’s guards came in. “I didn’t know that I needed your permission.”
In a blink of an eye, my back collided with his front as he pulled me backwards. My heart, my stupid, traitorous heart, fluttered from his nearness, and as he curled one hand around my neck, I wondered if I got more than I wanted this time.
“Let me go.”
His thumb grazed softly against my pulse, and I knew he could feel my heart beating like crazy.
“I don’t think you really want to go, sunshine.” His lips grazed the shell of my ear before his teeth bit down on my earlobe. “I think you want to stay.”
His proximity, the soft touches, the biting, caused shivers to erupt over my skin and I hated my body for betraying me in these moments. This wasn’t supposed to be happening, goddammit.
“Storm, let me go.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?” I was out of breath, and I blamed him for it. My hormones could go and fuck themselves.
“Because you belong to me, Persephone. Don’t you remember what I said?” He lowered his voice, the husky tone like a feathery touch on my skin. “I need a queen, and you are a perfect candidate.”
“Fuck off. I don’t belong to anybody.”
“But your body disagrees with you.”
It does. It wanted to stay with him. My body wanted to let him have his way with me, to press harder on my neck, to show me what I’ve been missing. But just before I could succumb to my deepest desires, I remembered something else.
The day I came to Santa Monica.
Two days after I ran away from the Nightingales. The day his guys told me to fuck off and that their president didn’t want to see me. The day I needed him the most. I needed somebody on my side, and he did what every other male in my life did.
He abandoned me.
So fuck him and fuck what my body wanted. I was my own master. I belong to no man, to no place.
I threw my head backwards, slamming into his face. His grip on me loosened, and I used the momentum to dash to the car. I had to at least try.
Unfortunately, luck was never on my side and before I could even open the door, my head got slammed onto the roof of the car. The impact knocked me out, sending me into the infinite black void.
For fuck’s sake.
Not again.
