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“I wonder if it’s about my mom. Maybe she didn’t run away. Or maybe she did, but it’s more complicated than that.” She sounds excited, creating scenarios in her mind for what she wishes so desperately to be true.

Sorry, Vix.

“I want to talk to him again.” Sumner straightens, hope plastering her sun-kissed cheeks. “Will you go back with me?”

Fuck that. “Go your damn self,” I grumble. I’m not in the mood for her joy. In fact, I’m not in the mood for her at all anymore. My life, the one destined for me, eternally and far beyond my control, it’s not something I enjoy being taunted with.

Everyone knows who I am. Everyone but her. And that’s why he chose that story. The reptile isn’t gifted with foresight, he simply illustrated a scenario based on impending truths. It’s lore.

“You know,” she starts, looking at me with far too much amusement, “I heard obsessive grumpiness is a side effect of having a small dick. Maybe you should get that checked out.”

She’s trying to be playful, and I don’t like it. “Don’t push me right now, Vix.” It’s a warning I won’t give twice. This girl is pressing buttons I have zero patience for. Why is she even here right now? I didn’t invite her in.

“Or perhaps it was lack of hugs growing up, which tends to happen when your favorite hobbies are grunting and scowls.”

That’s it. I’ve given her her chance.

“Speaking from experience, hmm?” I ask, my face blank and voice cold. “All those homes, and not one of them wanted to keep you. You know why that is, Vix?” She watches me now, trying to not let my words have any effect on her. I have belittled, carved, dug so deep trying to get to her. This, her past, it hurts her the most. It’s how I plan on snapping those unraveling strings she holds so tight. “Everything about you is repulsive. I have a family, but you, you will never be anything more than a worthless stray. Unwanted. Incapable of any form of acceptance. You’re nothing. You’ve always been nothing.”

Harsh? Perhaps. True, nonetheless. She isn’t a friend. She’s an obligation. A promise to myself of the girl I swore to ruin. I’ve been too kind. She’s getting too comfortable. Too brave.

The glow from earlier, the sweet smile, it’s gone, lost to a wall of anger while she fights so hard to block out the pain. The past hurts, but the punch hits with more potency when it’s filled with the truth. Sumner. Is. Nothing.

It seems this is something I needed to remind myself. I’d started to forget, almost finding comfort in her nearness. Sumner stirs something in me, forcing thoughts I shouldn’t have. Can’t have. And maybe that’s why I’m so angry now. She’s wedging herself somewhere she could never belong. I won’t let her.

She’s ruined my life beyond repair once already. Why is she trying so hard to do it again? Why do her invisible scars give me not only satisfaction, but also grief? Why is there a part of me that wants to fix them, when I yearn for nothing more than to be the one who causes them?

Her lips part as she opens her mouth, no doubt to argue. Sumner is always fighting me. It pisses me off, and yet I know I’d hate if she didn’t. My gaze falls down the length of her, pausing on those full, pouted lips. Her anger is something to be admired, and I’ll never let myself admit that.

Sumner. Is. Nothing.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

SUMNER

His words sting. They plunge deep inside of me, forcing yet another crack in the part of me that’s trying so hard to heal.

Rhenn takes a step closer, gaze falling over me. His lips spew venom, but his eyes shine something else. Something ravenous. I’ll die before I ever acknowledge the flutter that look causes. I hate him. I hate how cold he is. I may technically be free here, but I feel like a prisoner. Trapped to his torment. Trapped to him.

“Do you get off on being a psychopath, or does trying to hurt me make you feel better about the fact you have no love inside you?”

This causes his lips to curl. “Silly little Vixen. There is no room in this world for love. There is only pain and fear.”

I step back. “And why is that?”

“Fear lasts longer than love.” He moves closer. “I wonder what color your fear is.”

I almost laugh at that. While I may not believe in the concept of love, I fully believe in fear. Rhenn doesn’t scare me. Not anymore. If I’m going to be stuck in his world, so be it. That doesn’t mean I’m going to sit down and take his shit.

“It’s black,” I spit. “Like your twisted soul. You can’t dirty it anymore. Worse men than you have tried.”

I’ve backed myself into the corner, him only a foot away.

“Want to wager on that, darlin’? I’m betting there’s still a whole lot more damage I can cause. In fact, I know there is.”

“What are you trying to prove, Rhenn? That you’re somehow better than I am? Because let’s face it, deep down, you’re just a sad little boy who craves everyone’s attention.”

“Choose your next words carefully,” he hisses through gritted teeth.