When the bell rings, Vanessa walks out with her boyfriend, and the moment I spot them hand in hand, my nose already begins to twitch. I hate looking at them, hugging each other, being all lovey-dovey. It makes me want to barf. I should barf down his shirt sometime … Would make a good show.

They’re standing near the wall of the building; he’s leaning against her with his hands all over places he shouldn’t be, and it’s pissing me off. The way he’s talking to her, like she’s some kind of candy he can chew on, makes me want to go over there and punch him in the face.

Actually, I guess I’ll go do just that.

Especially when I notice him lean in to kiss her.

She pulls back, but he keeps insisting. He keeps trying to put his lips on her, despite her pushing him away.

I storm toward them and jerk on his shirt. “Hey! Get your fucking hands off her,” I growl.

Apparently, the guy has such little backbone that my shove makes him fall on his back.

“Dude! What the fuck?” he says, as he looks up.

“Miles!” Vanessa says, her face looking like thunder in the skies. “What the hell are you doing?”

“He was trying to kiss you,” I say.

“Yeah, so?” She folds her arms, raising an eyebrow as if I’m the one losing my mind instead of the other way around.

“You clearly didn’t want him to,” I say, making a face. “Stop lying to yourself.”

She gets in my face, and then out of nowhere, she pushes me back. “Stop butting into my life, asshole.”

“What?” I wince. “Are you serious? I’m trying to protect you here.”

“Stop trying! I don’t need any protection,” she says, shoving me again. Making fists, she pushes me in the stomach and forces me to step back. Her fists don’t hurt, but her words do.

“I don’t understand you,” I say. “Why are you mad at me, when he’s the one who tried to kiss you when you didn’t want him to?”

“Why are you trying to ruin things for me?” she says, as she helps Phillip up from the ground.

Her words cut into me like a blade. I can feel it hurt, but I won’t let it go skin-deep. Not any further.

“Fine,” I snap. “Have it your way.”

And then I turn around and walk away from her. “He’s all yours.”

She wants that guy? She can have him.

Maybe it’s for the best. We weren’t right for each other anyway. Our puzzle pieces don’t align. Too bad we had to find out this way.

***

Present

Did she really marry Phillip to save me? Or is she just lying to make me go easy on her?

I wonder because I do recall her loathing gazes each time she had to see him. Then again, she did marry him herself, and she stayed.

Who did she want to protect me from anyway? Her mother? Laughable. That woman wouldn’t have been able to come close without me snapping her neck first. But I guess rich families like hers use others to do their dirty work for them.

Maybe that witch did want to have my head on a pike. It’s not surprising, as my anger spreads like wildfire, and it burns everyone who dares to come close. Of course they’d be mad if I hung out with their daughter.

I can’t help but wonder … what if what she said was true?

If only I hadn’t given up on claiming her. Maybe then she wouldn’t have betrayed me the way she did. We both lost our fucking way, but that doesn’t mean we have to continue being liars. Maybe I can literally fuck some sense into her.

I turn around and rush back up, skipping some stairs as I go. The moment I open the door, her head turns to me and her eyes widen. I slam the door and go to her. Then I rip the tape off her mouth, her skin glowing red. So fucking pretty.

“You’re back,” she mutters.

“Didn’t expect me?” I say. “Well, too bad, because I’m about to fuck you up.”

She shakes her head. “As if you haven’t fucked me up already.”

“Oh, I can do plenty more things to you, sweet cheeks.” A grin spreads to my cheeks. “And about half of them involve having you scream my name.”

She makes a face. “Is that all you can think of? Sex?”

“With you, it is,” I growl. “Somehow, every fucking time I look at you, you make me insane with lust.”

It’s true; I’m not going to deny it. Her body is still as sexy as ever, and her lips are so fucking kissable. Part of me hates it and part of me loves it, especially the fact that she’s all mine right now. I’m not able to fucking resist it, and I don’t fucking care anymore.

I hate her for what she did to me, but damn, I can’t stop thinking about having her all to myself. Seeing her cooped up in that cage gets me all riled up, knowing that I can do anything I want with her. Anything my heart needs … anything my cock desires. And from the flushed look on her face, I know that she wants it, too.

Why kill her when I can fuck her day in and day out without retribution? When I have all the freedom and time in the world, why spend it on hatred when I can spend it on fucking her senseless? It’s all I ever wanted … all I ever needed, even if she wouldn’t give herself to me. That’s what pissed me off to begin with, that she never fucking chose me. But here’s the thing; she doesn’t have a choice now.

I am in control, and I will make her want me; I will make her need me to the point of her begging me to stay. The princess locked up in a tower, captured by the monster … and he has an appetite for pretty girls. This is too good to pass up on.

As I walk around her cage, I hear her sniff. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing,” she says, holding onto her legs, clamping what little is left of her dress.

“Let me guess.” I narrow my eyes. “You’re upset because you found out Arthur actually doesn’t give a shit about you and only wanted your money.”

“Not just that.” She looks up at me with those doe-like eyes that could murder a man, if I didn’t know better. “You’re just here to use me. Just like the rest of them. Arthur. Phillip. My parents.”

“Hmm … you want to compare me to them?” I say, cocking my head as I come near the cage. “I’m not like them. At. All.”

“You are. You just don’t want to admit it. All you people do is use and abuse,” she says.

“And you do it too, so how does that make you any different?” I smile. “Just because you’re trying to get back at them doesn’t make you any better.”

“Says the guy who keeps the object of his revenge locked up in a cage.”

“Touché.” I wink. “But I never denied being a piece of shit.”

“True. You really are a piece of shit.”

I take my knife from my pocket and wave it at her. “Just because I say it doesn’t mean you can say it so keep that to yourself.”

“Why? Will it make you feel better about doing this to me?” She makes a face. “Because whether I say it or not doesn’t matter. You’re still a piece of shit.”

“Yeah, well, this fucking piece of shit is keeping your assistant captive, and if you want to keep her alive, you’d better do as he says.”

She gasps. “She’s alive?”

“Hey, I might be a killer, but I’m not stupid. I know a bargaining chip when I see one.”

“Yeah, right.” She rolls her eyes, but I know I’m right.

“Besides, it’s not like I can let her go.”

“But you’re not going to hurt her? Right?” Her tone is louder, almost as if she’s trying to make me.

“That depends on how well you behave …” I murmur.

She frowns. “You wanna fuck me …”

“That’s right, Princess. I will fuck you and blow my load in all your holes, whether you like it or not.”

“And that’s going to save Paige?”

“Maybe,” I muse, smiling a little when I see her annoyed face.

“How would I know for sure? If you fuck me, you could still hurt her afterward.”

“I guess you’ll just have to trust me on my word,” I say.

“Your word means shit to me,” she spits.

“Oh, Vanessa … haven’t I proven myself already? When I say I’m going to do something, I’m going to fucking make it happen. Whether it’s killing people or chasing after you.”