Page 56 of Burn for Me

“I told you, I’m not a good man, Jasmine. So it shouldn’t come as a shock when I say I don’t regret it.”

“Do you regret anything?” I whisper, and his brows furrow as he pushes a damp strand of hair off my neck.

“No.” his fingers glide lightly around my throat, but he doesn’t press down. Instead, he brushes his thumb over my pulse point. “Every action I’ve taken has led me to where I’m meant to be.”

My silence becomes heavy, and he raises an eyebrow.

“I, um…” I lie back down and look at the sky, prompting him to withdraw his touch.

“When the Chaos War began, my father established his empire. My mother stood proudly by his side, and my little sister and I grew up comfortably.” I clear my throat, trying to ease the tension in my shoulders. The urge to lie conflicts with the need for truth, so I do what I do best and avoid both.

“Then I was found by you, and that was it.”

“Arrested.” he corrects me, but I don’t reply as I keep my gaze fixed on the sky above.

“What put you in… you know.” I trail off.

“I won't talk about it.”

“Why not?”

“When you go through the things I went through to become who I am, you lose control.”

My brows furrow as I try to understand, but I can’t because he contradicts himself.

“You’re afraid of losing control, but you like it?”

“I like things I can predict. I know how much blood I can draw with a certain stab wound or what a scream will sound like when robbing someone of air. I like being in control of taking or saving a life... I don't like not being able to stop myself.”

I shouldn’t let myself know him like this, but now that I'm getting every little detail, I can’t help but hold on like they are the most precious things in the world.

“It was only supposed to be one person, but things started to blur together. One body turned into two, then four, then seven, until I finally took the one I wanted.” His breathing quickens,and I feel the urge to place my hands on his chest to slow it down.

“You asked four questions, by the way,” he murmurs, running his hand through his hair again.

“I know,” I reply, but I’m stuck staring at the side of his head, searching for a way into his hell.

“Why didn't you run tonight?” he huffs, breathing heavily. “While we were out there.”

“I didn’t want you to die. ‘Till death do us part,’ right?” I smile, trying to ease the tension in the conversation.

“You say that, but you constantly remind me that this isn't real,” he grumbles. My smile fades as he finally looks back at me with the same expression he wore the first time he kissed me.

“I know. I just can’t tell if it’s real or not anymore.”

“I’ve told you, I’ve never once lied to you. So, what do you think?”

I bite my lip, and he leans back, supporting his weight on his elbow, pulling my lip back with his thumb.

“It's always been real, little devil. Trust me.”

“What if… what if I've done something wrong and you can’t forgive me? I bet you wouldn’t want it to be real then.”

He grins and stands, waving his hand over his shoulder to motion for me to follow. I look up at the stars before relenting and carefully stepping behind him. The large city below is illuminated by lights lining the skyscrapers, and cars buzz around as if no one ever sleeps. He kicks at the small ledge that barely comes up to his knees, and my stomach drops as I realize just how high we are.

“That’s an unnecessary question because you should know the answer. Try something different.” Sam murmurs, but he doesn't look back, even when I grip his wrist, terrified he’ll fall over the side with one wrong move.

“How did they hurt you?” I could have asked for something more logical but I want to delve into the darkness.

---