Page 22 of Reaper Flame

I tried to speak, but West pushed his hand down over my face, almost smothering me with his giant fingers to drown out the sound.

“I’m going to move my hand,” West murmured, “but you have to promise not to scream.”

He pulled his hand away.

“I need to see Vixen,” I panted. “Now.”

“Have you listened to a single fucking word I’ve said?” West hissed, his jaw setting in fury. “Do you remember how to get to the servant’s entrance?”

“Of course I do,” I snapped, but none of that was relevant now. We were losing time. “Mieko is downstairs with Hiram. You need to get him away from her. I know you hate me, but you need to help her. Right fucking now.”

I reached behind to feel for the door handle, but West caught my wrist.

“Leave Hiram to us.” West’s brow set in a determined line as his grip on me tightened. “But you have to listen to me, Pinkie. There’s no time to explain. You need to do exactly as I say. You need to fucking trust me, okay?”

My mouth went dry at his use of my old pet name.

“Look at what happened the last time I trusted the Sevens,” I hissed. “How can I trust a single thing that comes out of your mouth?”

West looked pointedly down at my chest. “You’re still wearing your necklace.”

“As a reminder of the biggest mistake I made,” I spat.

“You came to kill him, didn’t you?” West sighed. “You came to kill Zander.”

I don’t bother denying it.What’s the point?

“Did you come to kill me, too?” West pressed. “What about Vixen and Mieko?”

I crossed my arms. “Only if you get in my way.”

West laughed, the fine lines around his eyes crinkling. “You haven’t changed at all.”

“We’re wasting time, West,” I said. “You need to tell me where the fuck Vixen is, or do I have to use force?”

West’s eyes darkened as his beast rose to the surface. In a flash, his hands wrapped around my throat. The last time I played with the beast, he’d fucked me so hard he left bruises... but this time was different. He knew I planned to kill Zander. What was stopping him from choking the life outta me with his bare hands?

“I said, leave Hiram to me,” West snarled.

My heart rate quickened as he squeezed, causing the blood to rush to my cheeks. I spoke in short, breathless bursts. “How are you going to explain killing me to Hiram?”

His face was so close to mine that his hot breath tickled my cheeks. “You think I’m going to kill you?”

Suddenly, his lips crashed against mine in a brutal assault. The smell and heat of his body enveloped me as his erection pressed hard into my stomach. I kept my lips sealed shut, but the tightening of his hands on my throat made me gasp for air. West took advantage of the opportunity, forcing his tongue into my mouth to take what the beast wanted. To taste me.

After a few seconds, he stopped and pulled away, leaving my mouth feeling like it’d been set on fire. His hands dropped to his sides. Guilt and disbelief were written all over his face, dumbfounded at his own lack of control. I don’t know what the hell happened, but if he wanted to fuck with my head, then he succeeded.

“It looks like you haven’t changed either,” I said, massaging my neck. When Hiram saw the marks he left, there would be another fucking funeral.

“Fuck,” West groaned. His tone shifted to pleading desperation as his words got caught in the back of his throat. “For once in your stubborn fucking life, you need to listen to what I’m staying. I’ll handle Hiram but you need to go.”

“Go?” I repeated. West had always been on the edge of unstable, but Rocky’s death must have tipped him over. “Go where?”

“Remember what Zander told you,” West said as he opened the door to let me out of the room. “Please, Candy. Leave Hiram to me. I’ll make sure Mieko is safe, but you need to go! Now!”

I burst out and fled. My feet ran before my thoughts could catch up. West’s footsteps thudded away in the opposite direction. Why did he kiss me? Why didn’t he kill me when he had the chance? As much as my head screamed to go back downstairs and accept my fate, I trusted West when he said that he would protect Mieko. He had no reason to lie about that, but hedidhave a reason to lure me to a secret part of the manor. Whatever it was, I wanted to find out. He may be sending me to a trap, but I needed to satisfy my curiosity. Plus, if Zander was waiting, I’d be ready to face him.

I opened the door to the old servant’s entrance that Zander showed me months before. The vacant room was filled with nothing but boxes.

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