Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 127146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
The wheel finishes its round, and we stop at the platform. I stand and adjust myself before we step out, Bel first, then me. I nod at Nash, who gives me a smile as we pass by. As expected, Bel takes off on a dead run, disappearing into the masses.
Now that I’m calmer, and my thoughts are less red and murderous, I can make better choices. As the hunter, I prepare myself to capture my prey. Clearly, there is still a lesson to be taught. I head after Bel at my own pace. There's nowhere else for her to go but back to her dorm. She’s trapping herself, and if she thinks she can escape me, then she doesn't know me at all.
I’m not even winded as I shoulder my way through the rest of Oakmount’s student body. It doesn't take long for me to catch up with her. I let her stay ahead, but smile every time she glances over her shoulder and catches sight of me. If I didn't know better, I’d say she looks scared, truly scared, like that first night, and it suits my mood just fine. This is how I prefer her, my little flower.
CHAPTER 22
BEL
I have to be in shock since I barely feel the cold night air as I rush through the crowded carnival and out the other side. My car is here, but I’m in no condition to drive, not when my hands shake and my stomach is an anxious knot. I'm so turned on right now I nearly moan as my thighs rub together with every step I take. The friction is enough to make me go off.
What is so wrong with me that I found that so erotic, so exciting? Drew calling me out on the fantasy makes it even worse. How does he know? And if he knows, do other people too? I was scared through it all, scared that someone would see us, that he'd do more at any second, but not scared of him, not when I should be.
With a stumble, I refocus my attention on walking. Fuck. I can't even think straight with his taste on my tongue and my body clenching around nothing, yearning for something I know I shouldn't want. People stroll past on the way to the carnival, and all I can think about is getting away from the scent of cotton candy and popcorn, and the sound of laughter and happiness. I just need to get away. Run home. Put some distance between us and everything else.
After tonight, I won't be able to look at myself or him the same. I can't believe I allowed this to happen. Why did I go through with it? I could have walked away, screamed, anything. He can try to force me in this world where he is king, but he won't actually succeed surrounded by people, not in today's world. I’m mortified that I let him degrade me like that and even more ashamed that I liked it.
I slow to get a better grasp on my breathing and body. He's just a man who pushes every single button I have, in both animosity and arousal. It’s getting hard to tell myself there isn’t something else here, something dark and sinister growing between us. He brings out the worst and best in me, and I want to revel in it. I want to let him own me. The person I was before him never would’ve gone out of her way to make a guy jealous. She never would’ve worn a dress like this. The old me is slowly being chipped away, revealing something I didn’t know even existed.
While I walk, I risk glancing behind me, even if I know I shouldn’t. It would appear I’ve gotten away scot-free since I don't catch sight of his towering silhouette in the dark, but just because I don’t see him doesn't mean he isn’t there.
God, I'm such an idiot.
Some of the heat in my body finally begins to fizzle out. It's not like he's said anything. It’s not like he cares, not past the point of me being an object he physically owns. He didn’t even say anything about me trying to make him jealous other than confessing that it worked. I bet he was only jealous because someone else was touching what’s his, not because he actually cares—which was the whole fucking point of the night. I want him to see me as a person. Instead, he saw the darkest parts of me. I huddle into myself and walk a little faster, the cold air sinking through my thin dress. The sidewalks are mostly empty. Everyone is either staying in for the night or already at the carnival. A couple passes by me, and I avert my gaze to the ground.