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I grin. “There is the fighting girl I remember.”
She huffs. “She’s gone. Kai Miller drowned in the ocean.”
“So you’re Katherine now, then?” I ask, remembering the name she said her parents called her before she declared her name was Kai.
“No, I’m nobody. I don’t even exist.”
We breathe in unison, both needing air, but I’m not sure the room has enough for both of us. And what’s left of the air is pushing us together. We both try to resist, but somehow I’m leaning toward her, reaching my hand up to brush a strand of hair that has fallen into her face.
Kai brushes it away glaring at me before I can touch her. She hates me, of course, she doesn’t want me to touch her.
“The rules?” she asks.
“Same as before. We each get one guess to identify the truth from the lies correctly.”
She nods. “I win; I get my answers.”
“I win; I get you.” I expect her to ask questions. How long would I take her if she were to lose? What would she be expected to do if I take her?
She doesn’t ask. Being taken no longer scares or concerns her. She’s lost her life before, because of me. This is no different to her.
And I need to win for so many reasons. There is the attraction, the pull that begs me to take her, make her mine, fuck her and show her pleasure she’s never experienced before, while ruining her more than she already is. But I need to take her for more than just my own sexual desires. The power and life I’ve gained require her to stay hidden. I can only do that one of two ways. The same two choices I had before: kill her or take her.
“You can start.”
I sit back in my chair, sipping on my water like it’s scotch. I should have poured myself a drink, but I want to be acutely aware of her. Ready to tell when she’s lying or telling the truth before she even speaks. Last time we played, I was naive. I thought I had experience, and that she didn’t. Time has changed us both. Me into brawn, her into vengeance. We both have the skills needed to win the game, but hopefully, her brain is too clouded to think clearly.
Kai clears her throat as her head drops to her hands. She’s covering her face as she thinks about the lies and truths she will reveal, hoping that by hiding her face, I’ll be less attuned to her.
My lips curl—as if not feeling her was possible. I feel her more than I see her. Her icy breath pierces my burning heart with each exhale. And my blood pumps slower through my veins matching her slow, irregular beat. Even thousands of miles apart, I would occasionally feel a chill down my back or a sharpness in my side and think of her. We are connected, and right now I feel her pain, along with her determination.
Slowly, Kai reveals her face to me again; she reaches for the water takes a sip and then stares straight at me.
“I hate my father.
“I hate the ocean.
“I hate you.”
I smile loving the theme she chose this time. The last time we played she chose lust, temptation. She tricked me by making me believe she was more innocent than she was. This time, she’s chosen her strongest emotion—hate. It’s easiest for her to fuel into every sentence equally, making me believe every word out of her mouth.
She wants to play with the strongest emotions to win. Then I will too.
“I love my family.
“I love the ocean.
“I love money.”
“I didn’t think you were capable of love,” she snarls.
I shrug. “Everyone is capable of loving something.”
Her face darkens. She doesn’t think she’s capable of loving, not anymore.
I stare down on the deep purple colored bruise on the inside of her wrist, exposed as the sleeve pushes up her arm. Then to her bare feet where several of her toes bend the wrong way.
I doubt anyone who has been through what she’s been through is capable of loving anything anymore.
