Page 10 of Goldsin

The clicking sound of her heels beckons me closer. I could close my eyes and I’d still be able to find her.

There’s nowhere for you to run.

She continues to walk until she abruptly stops, leaning against the wall. Her chest heaves as she takes in deep breaths.

I hesitate for a moment, not sure if I want to interrupt this view in front of me.

She looks just like she did the night she straddled my hips.

But I didn’t keep her from leaving then. I was too immature to know I had to trap my prey before sinking my teeth into it.

But now . . .

All bets are off.

You’re mine now, golden one.

CHAPTER THREE

AURELIA

He doesn’t know.

He can’t know.

No one knows.

If Adrian knew, why didn’t he throw it in my face? Why act so damn vague?

If all those years of dating served as anything, I know he would have at least used this as leverage to get us back together. Anything. He would have done anything.

But he didn’t.

I slip into the dimly lit corridor and walk as quickly as I can with these heels on. I need someplace quiet, where I can clear my mind and uncoil my nerves.

Yet the more distance I put between myself and the ballroom, the louder Adrian’s words echo between the walls.

I can almost see his piercing eyes when I close mine. How he dug past my carefully constructed façade, reading every tiny secret I was hiding.

As much as I want to believe he was trying to rattleme, I can’t lie to myself. He’s never been the type to waste his time—not in all the years I’ve dated him.

If Adrian does something, there’s a good chance he has a valid reason for it.

The realization twists my gut.I’m fucked.

Maybe I’m losing control of my plan. I’ve only killed one person and I already feel like I can’t manage.

Valentine taught me how to kill. I know how to use a gun without getting a black eye or falling over from its force. I know how to stab someone, to thrust through bone, without panting afterward. I know where the arteries are, so I know not to stab those, making it painfully slow for the victim to die.

But all the strategy that comes with it? There’s only so much the internet can teach.

I can take a life, but can I stop it from taking mine?

Adrian’s a cunning little shit and Lucian’s favorite son, but he still knows how to act dirty when it doesn’t involve pleasing his old man.

So if he hasn’t shown his cards yet, it’s because he has none.

I snort at the irony of the situation.

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