Page 12 of Temptation
I kissed him with abandon, with the promise of forever, dragging my hands through his hair, trying to hold him close to me, while he ravaged my body with his hands. I spread my legs apart and wrapped them around his waist, pulling him closer and closer until his pelvis lined up with mine.
But magic never lasted long, and everything sweet that happened ended soon after. Before he could reach my center with his fingers, the eyes I loved so much suddenly turned into eyes I now feared.
It wasn’t Ash and his raven hair I was holding. It was still Dylan, and I still lived in the nightmare.
I grabbed his hand, stopping his descent toward my center and pushed him away from me. I jumped down from the altar, breathing heavily as if I just ran a marathon, wiping my lips, trying to get rid of the taste of him.
But he was everywhere. In the air, in my sight, and his blood coursed through my body mixed with the pill he gave me.
Whatever it was it worked fast, and I swayed on my feet, barely holding myself up.
Sick. We were all sick here, and nothing could ever wash away the sins we committed.
Fear coiled around my heart, squeezing both chambers, pushing my blood to pump faster. Fear, like a taste of chocolate ice cream, lingered on my tongue while I kept staring at Dylan, waiting to see his reaction. But neither one of us said another word, and without preamble, he walked over to Lauren and lifted her up onto the altar.
He ripped off the mask from her face, revealing her tear-stained cheeks and smeared mascara around her eyes. He straightened her legs and pressed her tied hands to her chest.
She kept looking at me, but there was nothing I could do to help her. Nothing at all.
I leaned on the altar while she kept crying, and as Dylan turned around toward the crowd, one lone figure stepped from the first row, wearing a robe similar to the one Dylan was wearing. His mask was as black as night, with white runes on the left side of his face.
“Father,” Dylan proudly said, and I gripped the cold marble of the altar when he slipped off the mask.
Judah Blackwood—my tormentor, my biggest nightmare, was standing right in front of me. The same crooked smile Dylan wore graced the face of my father. Or maybe he wasn’t my father if Kane was right.
My mind swam with possibilities, with endless questions I couldn’t ask. As he started walking toward us, looking from Dylan to me, I wondered who the real monster was here.
Was it Dylan, or was it our father who, like a puppet master, pulled all the strings?
“My children,” Judah boomed, his voice echoing around the room, bouncing off the chanting of their followers. “The day has finally come.” He looked at me. “I remember it as if it was just yesterday when you came to us.”
“Like an angel.” Dylan joined him in reminiscing while my stomach roiled.
“Sky,” Lauren called out for me, and I turned around, unable to look at the two of them anymore. “Please forgive me,” she cried. “I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t want to bring you here, but I had no choice.”
“Lauren—”
“Listen, we don’t have much time, but you need to find Kane.” She frantically looked from me toward Dylan and Judah who started ascending toward us. “You need to find him. He’s going to be able to help you. He’s your friend.”
“I don’t—”
“Please trust me on this.” Tears were now freely running down her cheeks and over her temples. “I was a shitty friend, but no matter what, I will always love you, Sky. You will always be my best friend. No matter what happens now, please know that I don’t blame you.”
“What? What’s going to happen?”
Her resigned face would haunt me for years to come, but when she looked back toward Dylan who was just a couple of steps away from us, I knew without a doubt that this night wouldn’t end well for us.
“Death.”
“Skylar,” Dylan called out. “Step away from her, Little One.”
Death, the word rang in my head.
Death would come for us.
“Skylar.” It was Judah that called out now and I turned around, my eyes colliding with the snake hiding in sheep’s clothing.
I looked at Dylan, at the proud look on his face, and then at the dagger in his hand. I didn’t have to be a genius to predict what was going to happen.
