Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 176345 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 882(@200wpm)___ 705(@250wpm)___ 588(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 176345 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 882(@200wpm)___ 705(@250wpm)___ 588(@300wpm)
Jason’s stammering. “Wha—”
“The girlfriend I gave the most amazing orgasms to when you couldn’t even bother to look at her and see what she truly craved?”
Jason’s eyes turn murderous. “You … You’re the one who’s been toying with her?”
“Kai,” I mutter, but he pushes me behind him.
“You’re the one who took those fucking pictures of her?” Jason growls.
“I didn’t do shit. But you sure as hell won’t take one step closer,” Kai warns. “She’s not yours. She never was.”
“Lana, if this is the guy you needed help from, tell me now or—”
“Or what? You want to fight me?” Kai pushes the knife even farther between Jason’s eyes.
A droplet of blood rolls down his nose.
“Are you sure about that? There is a reason I lost one eye, and it wasn’t an accident. Choose your battles carefully, Foley. I have very little to lose.”
I swallow the lump in my throat while Jason’s whole body quakes.
Kai leans in to whisper, “She belongs to me.”
“Phantom scum,” Jason says, making a fist. “You’ll pay for this.”
A wicked smile forms on Kai’s face. “Bring. It.”
Jason takes a step back, and he homes in on Lana. “You want this fucker?”
I don’t answer, not because I don’t want to but because I can’t.
I don’t even know what I want anymore.
But judging from the way Kai’s protecting me, he’s already chosen for me. And I don’t think I have the will in me to resist.
“You’re making a big mistake, Lana,” Jason says.
“Speak one word to her brother about this, and I will put your head on a stake outside the Skull & Serpent Society,” Kai warns.
Jason’s face turns white as snow.
Kai tilts his head. “Now are we good?” He brings the knife to his lips and licks the blade, along with the droplets of blood. “Or do you need some convincing?”
Jason swiftly shakes his head and promptly runs off.
“Come talk to her again, and I’ll be waiting to rip out your tongue,” Kai yells after him.
When Jason’s finally gone, I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Is that the friend you were talking to?” Kai grits, his back still toward me, probably to make sure Jason doesn’t come back.
“No … I was actually alone,” I admit. “I just lied to you.”
He throws me a glance over his shoulder. “Why?”
“Because I was angry.”
“He was following you … And you had a knife,” Kai states, turning to face me. “Why didn’t you use it?”
“I …” I avert my eyes. I almost feel ashamed that I didn’t. “I didn’t want to hurt him. I couldn’t, he’s my brother’s friend,” I say as tears well up in my eyes. “But now he knows everything.”
“Hey.” He pulls me into his embrace, and I’m smashed against his chest, completely stunned. “I’m here. I will always be here.”
I’m overwhelmed by the sudden affection and don’t know what to do or say.
“I won’t let him hurt you.”
I push him away. “But you’re the one who caused it.” I point at his chest. “If you and your friends hadn’t stalked and used me, he wouldn’t have known a thing. You just told him everything.”
“He won’t tell your brother,” he says, as his tongue darts out to wet his lips. “Unless he has a kink for dying.”
“What if he does? Then what?” I’m panicking, pacing around to calm myself, but it’s not working. “This is everything I wanted to avoid. If people find out we’re fucking, I’ll be ruined.”
“You won’t be.”
“You’re a Phantom,” I shout. “I’m the sister of the goddamn leader of the Skull & Serpent Society. You two are literal enemies.”
“I don’t care,” he says.
“Don’t you understand?” I say. “My brother will kill me.”
“You think I’d let him?” he scoffs. “He won’t come anywhere near you, and neither will Jason.” He grabs my arm and forces me to stop. “Lana. Look at me.” When I don’t, he cups my chin. “I’m not afraid to fight for you.”
I swallow, the glimmer in his white eye drawing me in, making me feel things I’m not supposed to feel for my stalker, a killer.
“Now tell me how he knew about the pictures.”
I sigh. So he heard. “At my father’s dinner, he stole my phone and saw the picture Nathan tried to threaten me with.” I frown at the memory. “But he tried to blame me for it. Said he couldn’t support me so I told him to fuck off.”
His eyes narrow and his hand tightens around his blade. “Do you want me to kill him?”
My eyes widen. “What?”
His jaw clenches. “That useless son of a bitch wasn’t there when you needed him. I knew I should’ve just executed him.”
I suck in a breath but no amount of breathing can ever draw in enough oxygen. “You’d kill him for me?”
He cups my face, caressing my cheek as tiny specks of snow fall all around us. “I would kill every goddamn fucking human on this fucking planet for you.”