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“Of course I looked,” he retorted. “Why did you move to Denver? You were so young—why didn’t your family protect you?”
“I thought I was in love,” I said. “He was a doctor, he offered to pay for school, get me into the right circles, and help me take over the world.” I closed my eyes. “Do you understand now why it kills me to hear you call yourself a demon? A monster? You’re not, Daniel.”
“I’m taking over for Ty as head of the Michaelson family.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Sara
For a split second, I thought Daniel was trying to be funny. Or just an asshole.
Then my entire world shattered as I opened my eyes. The muscles around Daniel’s eyes seemed to tighten as he gazed at me, but I knew he wasn’t lying. I let out a shaking breath and somehow got down, off the table and then crossed his living room, into the guest room, where I began to throw things in my suitcase.
My chest was heaving, my eyes were burning, but nothing was worse than the twist of despair and horror burrowing deeper and deeper into my gut. The heartbreak I could take.
But the thought of spending every day worrying about whether Daniel would live to see another—I wanted to scream and break every single thing in his apartment.
Then I sensed him in the room, hovering in the door and watching me.
“Don’t do this,” I heard someone say and I realized it was me. I was twisting a shirt in my hands and trying not to fall to my knees. “Please, Daniel.”
“I don’t have a choice, beautiful,” he said softly. “Ty wants to retire. And you’re right, Lia doesn’t belong in our world.”
“So, you have to sacrifice yourself?”
“Lia is pregnant.”
I sat down on the bed, pressing a shaking hand to my mouth—hating Daniel for a moment. This should have been joyous news but now it came with the price of Danny’s soul, and maybe his life.
“So, maybe I’m not a monster now,” he said. “But one day, I will be.” I looked up and he shrugged. “One can only hope.”
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“We can’t be together,” Daniel said, carefully looking away, and I sucked in a sharp breath. “We could never be more than a hookup.”
“Thanks for the clarification,” I said and shoved upright, then began to pile clothes in my suitcase. “You want to be a demon? Fine, Daniel. That’s fine.”
“I don’t have a choice,” Daniel said, moving closer.
“Youalwayshave achoice,” I almost screamed at him and slammed my bag so hard that it fell onto the floor. Tears hovered in my eyes as I whirled on him. “But you chose—you chose to be a demon. You don’t want to be the man I see—the man I could—”
I broke off as Daniel moved closer, the cords of his neck standing out, and his breathing uneven.
“You want to destroy yourself,” I said, my voice breaking as he got closer, and I pushed him away. “And you’re right, I can’t stay by your side and watch that happen.”
What did you expect?Hissed a voice in the back of my head.Did you think he’d stop being a gangster for you? That he’d leave this life behind? Foryou?My eyes closed.I shouldn’t have come here. I shouldn’t have stayed. Daniel was right—I was a fool to even consider forgiving him. We live in different worlds.
Heavy silence fell and I turned, then Daniel wrapped arms around me from the back, his lips at my neck. “Sara, please,” he rasped. “This is the last time we can ever be together. Stay.”
“No,” I said even as I went pliant against him, and his lips teased up my neck. His other hand slid under the hem of my pants, and I elbowed him in the gut, causing him to let go. “Not like this.”
“Fine,” Daniel said. “Go. Now. Before I change my mind.” He bent down and heaved my suitcase onto the bed, but a smaller bag fell out with a loud bang, and he cursed. “What the hell do you have in here?”
“Nothing,” I snapped. “Stop—don’t, just leave it.”
Daniel gave me a look and snatched it off the floor before I could, then held it out of reach, and unzipped it. “What is it—hard drives? Or—” He pulled out a large vibrator with a round head. “Well, well, well.” His eyes flicked over me. “Now I know you missed me.”
“No,” I fibbed and stepped back as Daniel’s eyes filled with a wicked purpose that I didn’t like, even as I pressed my legs together. “Why—put that down.”
