Page 127 of Once Upon a Fable

To trip like I did each time I dared look at her.

To continue the inner destruction of my soul.

It was the last thing I remembered.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

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THE THING ABOUT LIVING on the edge of safety and sin was...it made you do things you never thought possible. It pushed you into situations you never imagined. It opened up pieces of yourself you weren’t acquainted with, revealing just how cutthroat you could be.

The man I’d slept with, fought with, and ultimately couldn’t decide if I hated or hungered for stalked ahead of me.

His nude back rippled with power, his long legs striding confidently over tree roots. He was in his element out here. A wild creature that would rather take on a bear than drop his shields and be nice to me.

For most of the day, we didn’t say a word. Not a single look. Not a second of connection.

I needed that distance.

I needed time away from his dangerous distractions.

But with time came clear headedness. Shame too. And utter disbelief in what I’d done.

I’d chosen to see the suffering buried within him instead of the malice glittering in his every stare.

I’d once again romanticized a hostage situation, and I was appalled with myself.

What would Josh say?

What would my online fans think if I shared this crazy part of my life?

They’d tell you to run.

As we trudged back to the valley, my mind raced.

He gave me too many hours of silence.

Too many moments to go over every interaction, every mistake, everytriumph.

The things I’d done with him, the domination over my body, the softening of my heart, it all began to darken. A patina of mortification coated everything, leaving my mouth sour and mind full of scorn.

What was Ithinking?

Had I honestly, willingly kissed him?

Had I truly come so hard, stars literally exploded behind my eyelids?

Stupid,stupidgirl.

Whatever physical reaction I’d had to him would never negate the truth of the situation.

I’m his prisoner.

And I have an obligation to fight.

I couldn’t permit someone—a man who fully expected me to keep my legs open and mouth closed for however long we lived together—to have such power over me.

It just wasn’t doable. Not possible.