Page 10 of Submission

My insides are turning cold. I cover Hunter’s hand with my own, a mixture of possessiveness and fear running side by side within me.

“We have to go,” I say. “Come on, Hunter.”

My tone is hard as I entwine my fingers with his, pulling him along, but Rachel steps in my path.

“What’s your rush, sis’?” She stares at her hands and then back at me. “You just got here, and you haven’t even introduced us properly.”

Alone, Rachel’s threats are quite effective because I fall back into my old emotional patterns, but with Hunter standing beside me, his presence serves as a massive security blanket. The fact that I know he has my back gives me the kind of confidence that I’ve never had before.

“That’s because he’s none of your business,” I say sharply. “And I’m not sure how you found my phone number, but don’t ever contact me again.”

A shutter falls over Rachel’s expression, and her eyes flash at me in a warning. “Don’t be silly, Megan. We’re sisters, and you’re really hurting my feelings.”

“That sounds like a personal problem.” I bare my teeth at her. “Now get out of my way.”

I pull an oddly compliant Hunter past her, and she calls out, “I’ll call you later after I do a bit of sightseeing. I need a place to stay.”

“The fuck you do,” I hiss to myself, enraged and upset.

As soon as we exit the Café, Hunter says, “The car is there.”

“I want to walk!” I basically bark as I take large strides along the pavement, my hand still holding onto his as if for dear life.

“Walk where?” he asks mildly.

“Anywhere,” I mutter, wanting to get rid of this disgusting feeling inside of me. I feel tainted for some reason. A little bit of me feels like the old Megan.

“Megan.”

Hunter pulls at my hand, abruptly yanking me to a stop and whirling me around in one heartbeat. I crash into his chest, and he looks down at me calmly. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

“No,” I bury my face in his chest, struggling to draw in air, trying to get rid of this rage and frustration inside of me.

“What do you need?” His voice is a low whisper while also sounding quite commanding. “What can I do?”

“I want to set the world on fire.” I hate how my voice breaks. “I want everything to burn to ashes.”

“I can make that happen.” He slowly lifts my chin and carefully pushes a few stray curls behind my ear. “I’ll burn down whatever the fuck you want me to, Megan. Just say the word.”

Chapter 4

You’re My Weakness

Megan

The dark promise in Hunter’s voice breaks through the suffocating cloud of unease surrounding me, and I shiver at the words that come out of his mouth next.

“You want me to take care of your sister for you? I promise she’ll never bother you again.”

“Stay away from her,” I say with a tense expression. “If Rachel approaches you, just turn the other way. I don’t want you two anywhere near each other.”

When I look into Hunter’s eyes, I can see a fury swirling inside of his pupils, even though his face is expressionless.

“What do you think would happen if she came near me?”

“I’m not saying anything would happen. I just don’t want you two interacting with each other.”

“I didn’t take you for the possessive type, Megan.” He cracks a small smile.

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