Page 177 of The Invite
The wounds I’ve suffered and the turmoil I’ve gone through, Augustus’s vow makes me feel protected. A ray of hope and light that I prayed for in the past, but never received. Not even from the ones who were supposed to give it unconditionally.
Some might say this is another version of Stockholm syndrome that I’m seeing a protector in my monster. However, they’d be wrong.
I know what true Stockholm syndrome is, and this is far from it.
“You shouldn’t talk about killing so callously, Augustus,” I finally reply, curling my fingers in his green tee.
“I meant every word.” Hooking an arm around my waist, he shifts me to his lap. His head tilts until our temples touch. Our lower halves flush against each other. I breathe in his scent, becoming drowsy like it’s a hypnotic drug. “You don’t need to ever worry about me crushing your soul, Nessa.”
“How can you be sure?”
“I don’t have a heart.”
“You do.” His hand on the curve of my waist stills its absentminded caressing. My lips graze his as I whisper, “I just can’t decide whether good or bad.”
A shudder racks through him, and he pulls back.
“Weakness.” A rough exhale ruffles my hair and he adds in a guttural tone, “Your big heart is a goddamn weakness if you believe that.”
He’s wrong.
I can tell him now, but I save it for another day. Then, I’ll prove to him just how much.
We stare into each other’s eyes, becoming lost.
Until he confesses, “I don’t have any regrets in my life. Walking away from you last night was the first.”
“Just last night?” My voice comes out small.
His goes deeper and darker. “Yes. You’re upset because I walked out, not for the countless orgasms I’ve stolen from you or the ruthless way I’ve chased you ever since we met.”
“What about not giving me a choice and terrifying me?” I counter, searching for a hint of remorse in his eyes. “Do you not regret that?”
“No. Because then you never would’ve been mine.” Inching closer, he possessively rumbles, “Do you want to know what it means when I say you belong to me, little prey?”
I turn my head but he captures my chin, forcing me to peer into his eyes.
“It’s not only your body that’s mine, it’severythingabout you. Your every waking thought, your fears, your smile, your touch, your secrets, your orgasms—they’reallmine. I’m stamping my name all over it. And your soul is no longer yours, it belongs to me. I protect it. I worship it. I own it. I’ll gut anyone who tries to crush it, includingmyself.”
The last sentence steals the oxygen straight from my lungs. I stare wide-eyed and absorb each gut-wrenching word. It’s a miracle that I’m even able to hear over the roaring beating of my heart.
“Do you understand now?”
I nod speechlessly.
By the time morning comes, his proclamation has sunk into my bloodstream.
CHAPTER – 45
Augustus
Calling Nessa my girlfriend.
Taking her on a ride to my favorite spot.
Then feeling a tightness inside my chest as I left her house after tucking her into bed this morning. I realize…I’m absolutely fucked.
I can’t tell who’s leading on who at this point. My behavior today was out of the norm. I don’t go out of my way to make somebody feel special. Yet that’s all I wanted to do for Nessa. Spoil her rotten. Soothe away her worries.
