Page 81 of Illusory

“I don’t need to put a leash on anything when it comes to Jemma. She’smyfucking soulmate,” growled Trace like a feral animal being challenged for his catch. “Mine.When areyou going to get that through your thick head?”

“She may be your soulmate, but she’s not yours yet,” answered Dominic, his own voice coming out low and measured. “I still decide when and how much you get to have of her, and I’ve decided you’re done.”

Trace laughed, but there was no amusement behind it. “You don’t decide shit.”

“And yet I just did.”

Trace’s back went ramrod straight, his dimples making a brief appearance as he gnashed his teeth together, flexing his jaw as he took a slow step forward. “Tell yourself whatever you need to, but we both know she’s going to spend the rest of her life withme. Your days here are numbered, plain and simple.”

Dominic’s eyes darkened to flint as a vicious smile curled his lips. “Are you suggesting I make them count, then?” he asked, matching his advance.

“I’m suggesting you take a hint and get the fuck out of here.”

“Stop,” I croaked, my throat achy and bone-dry as I tried to step up between them on shaky, jellyfish legs. “Please, both of you.Just stop.”

I hated seeing them like this—so hurt and angry and jealous and completely at each other’s throats. We should never have done this. I should never have allowed it. I hadn’t thought it through enough.

“He’s the one that needs to stop getting in my fucking way,” argued Trace, clearly not calming down, orstopping.

But Dominic wasn’t in the way, and I didn’t know how to tell him that without making him angrier.

“This isn’t his fault, Trace. It’s mine. This right here—” I said gesturing to the three of us and our sordid triangle of hell— “This is my fault. I’m the one that did this. I’m the one that fell in love with both of you. Don’t you see that? If you want tobe mad at someone,be mad at me.”

“You wouldn’t have fallen in love with him if he would’ve left you the fuck alone instead of weaseling his way in every time he saw an opening.”

“And a great many there were.” Dominic scoffed. “I suppose someone had to be there for her while you busied yourself worrying about the witch’s feelings instead of hers. Then again, you’ve never been one to put her needs before your own, have you?”

Oh, my god.

“Dominic!” I screeched, panic completely seizing me. “Both of you need to stop right now!”

“What did you just say to me?” snarled Trace, ignoring me.

“As a matter of fact, you ought to be thanking me for keeping her alive when you were clearly incapable of doing it yourself.” Dominic’s lip curled into a vicious sneer. “You aren’tworthyof her. If not for your soulmate bond, you wouldn’t even be a contender here—”

“STOP IT!” I screamed, unable to hear another second of it—of them tearing into each other and blaming each other for something that neither of them were responsible for. For something thatIwas responsible for. “Both of you please just fucking stop!”

The basement lights were already flickering violently, and I knew it was my spiraling emotions manifesting themselves through the electricity. Dominic and Trace looked up at the ceiling lights and then at me, their knowing eyes assessing me. There were so many things I wanted to say to them then. So many apologies I wanted to make. But I didn’t know where to begin. I didn’t know which words would fix this. The web I had weaved was so wickedly tangled that I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to free either of us again.

“I hate this. I hate all of this so fucking much,” I said, tears blurring my vision as I shoved my way between the two of them and bolted for the stairs.

What we had done was wrong.Wewere wrong. And I hated it. All of it.

But mostly, I just really hated myself.

26. LOVE IN ITS DYING BREATH

Tears spilled down my cheeks as I ran away from the basement and the mess I had made, and I kept on going until I was all the way upstairs, standing in front of the wrong bedroom door. I’d meant to go to my room and hide away like the drama-causing, boy-switching harlot that I was, but somehow found myself standing at Tessa’s door instead.

I needed a break from bloodsharing and protocols and fighting and all the horrible things it was making me feel, and I really just needed my sister.

“Tessa?” I whispered as I knocked softly against the door and then put my ear to the wood to listen for any signs of life on the other side.

Hearing nothing, I turned the door handle and then peeked my head inside.

The dark red walls were the first thing I saw. Pretty sure they were new, although I couldn’t technically remember the last time I’d been in my sister’s room or what color her walls had been then so they very well could have been this color since the day she moved in.

In my defense, her door had generally remained closed and locked in her absence anyway and since this wasn’t our childhood home, I had no need to open it up and stroll through an empty memory lane.

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