Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 153544 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 768(@200wpm)___ 614(@250wpm)___ 512(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 153544 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 768(@200wpm)___ 614(@250wpm)___ 512(@300wpm)
He definitely isn’t thinking about whatever emotional implications of his actions, considering he lacks emotions, and seems happy with the fact.
He owns that part of him, takes pride in it, and uses it to do depraved acts like the hunt tonight.
Like knocking out those people and tracking me as if I were an animal.
Would I ever feel like more than an animal in his presence? And what can I do to make him lose interest? If Eli and Lan are any indication, then his type has a short attention span for everything.
Unless we’re talking about Eli when it comes to Ava.
Or Lan when it comes to sculpting.
But those obsessions started fairly young for both Eli and Lan. They basically grew with their personalities, so they can’t be compared to Killian’s sudden fixation on me.
He’ll eventually get bored and move on to some other unfortunate soul.
He has to.
Or else I’m completely and utterly doomed.
“What are you thinking about?” His smooth voice swirls around me as he hooks his fingers against the edge of my top and tugs me against him. I’m starting to realize he likes to constantly touch me in some way.
“An effect Cecily once mentioned.”
“And what is that?”
“Have you ever heard of the suspension bridge effect? It’s when people experience psychological responses related to fear, but they mislabel them as romantic arousal. The actual term is called misattribution of arousal, I think.”
His fingers stroke the skin of my stomach in a circular motion, and he hums, “Let me guess. Your busy little brain was thinking of that as a way out of actually wanting me?”
“I’m pretty sure I don’t want you. I told you. My reaction to you is probably me misjudging fear and anxiety as arousal. Think about it. Every time you touched me, I was scared in some way.”
The more I talk about it, the more it makes sense. There’s no way I’d willingly want this bastard who lacks a human bone in his body.
“Aren’t you the smart one?” He pulls on my top and I crash against his chest with a yelp. He lifts his other hand and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. The gesture seems to be doting but feels threatening. “So what if it is fear? The point is that you want me.”
“It’s not real. It’s an illusion.”
“If that makes you sleep better at night, let’s say it is.”
“I could want someone else if I feel scared in their presence or see them after being scared.”
“Believe me, little rabbit, that won’t be happening. Not unless you want some splashes of his blood on this flawless skin. Though I’m sure it’d look pretty, don’t you think?”
I shudder, trying and failing to prevent that image from forming in my head. This wanker knows all the right buttons to push.
“You really don’t care that I don’t want you for you as a person?” I realize that I’m provoking him, and I don’t know what’s come over me. I just know that a weird sense of courage has grabbed hold of me today.
I’m no longer the scaredy-cat Glyn—that didn’t get me anywhere—so I might as well embrace the change.
“You don’t want me as a person, huh?”
“No. You’re not my type.”
He pauses before stroking my stomach again. “And what’s your type?”
“Someone nice.”
“I can be nice.”
“Yeah, right.”
His voice lowers to a shiver-inducing range. “I gave you time like you asked, and it was a stretch on my part since, and I repeat, I am not a giver. So if that’s not considered nice, maybe I should retract my promise and be the opposite of nice.”
“Don’t…” This arsehole is a major headache. I can never win against him.
“Does that mean I’m nice?”
“You can be,” I mutter.
“Look at that. I’m suddenly your type.” I glare up him and I’m met with a low chuckle. “You’re so adorable, I could eat you up.”
“I’m not edible.”
“Judging by the taste of your sweet little cunt, you most definitely are.”
Heat rises to my neck and ears and it takes everything in me to keep staring into his gleaming eyes. The bastard is enjoying this. Probably way too much.
“I’m surprised you haven’t gotten yourself killed due to how infuriating you are.” I huff.
He kisses the top of my head. “That’s because I know how to fight.”
“Can we go?” I start to step away from him and he surprisingly lets me go.
I quicken my steps down the path and he catches up to me, mask around his neck. He picks the bat up from the ground and swings it onto his shoulder.
My heart tightens when I make out the smudges of blood on the wood.
“Do you know if the people you hurt are okay?”
“They should be.”
“Does that mean they could not be?”
“Probably.”
“And…you’re not going to do anything to make sure?”
“Why should I? Jeremy and Nikolai’s guards will take care of it.”