“You do. There’s not only lust and desire burning in your veins, but revenge, cherie. Confess to me your darkest thoughts. Wish away the evil of lovers past and whoever has wronged you.”
My mind goes to James, and it angers me that instead of basking in the gorgeous man in front of me, I’m thinking about him. All the hate burns like a wildfire inside me. I hate him for what he did to me. Or maybe I hate myself for allowing it. I just want him to pay for the pain he caused. Suffer the same way I suffered. Destroy him so he can never hurt me again.
“So loud are your thoughts. I fear I may have miscalculated you from the beginning. You’re not a little bird at all, but a fierce warrior, ready to slay her demons.”
I’m not going to bother asking him how he knows what I’m thinking. Drugs still flowing through my system sounds more realistic, and I’d rather play ignorant to the misconceptions of real and unreal. I’m just going to go with the flow and not question the unquestionable.
“Maybe that’s true. Maybe I’ve been the evil one the whole time hiding behind this mask of innocence.”
Always so cool, his eyes spark with fiery desire. “Go on,” he says. His thumb caresses my inner thigh as we slow dance to a soundless rhythm over a grave. He twirls me around in the darkness, the dew from the grass tickling at the bare skin around my heels.
“Okay, what would you say if I told you I wish for very bad things to happen to someone—someone who’s not a good person, who’s taken a lot from me, a part of me I’ll never get back?”
He spins me with ease, my feet leaving the ground as he takes the lead. “I would tell you to confess all. Let me make your demons disappear.”
At that, I laugh. “Whatever you say, Romeo.”
“Ah, so you’re claiming me as your lover?”
My cheeks grow brightly flushed. “Well, you did claim we were star-crossed lovers—as were Romeo and Juliet. So, I’m just curious, are you willing to sacrifice your life in order for me to get my happily ever after?”
His grin is anything but innocent. It’s wicked and sinful and creates an electric wave of desire to flow through me.
“Fine, glad you find my evilness so attractive, here it is: I wish my ex would go swimming with the alligators in the Everglades and never return. He humiliated me in so many ways, I just want him to suffer the same pain. Hope they chomp off his penis, then work on each finger and toe. I want him to know how it feels to have everything ripped away from him. And I want his last thoughts to be of me, knowing I was the best thing to ever happen to him.” I blow out a breath of air. As terrible as that sounded, it felt exhilarating to admit.
My back is suddenly pressed against the trunk of a tree. He’s so close, his lips a sliver away from mine. My heart pounds in anticipation of another kiss. I watch in fascination as they part. “Is that your final wish, love?”
I can’t fight the way his consuming stare ignites this power inside me. He’s feeding me the strength I need to finally stand up for myself and fight my battle. “Hate runs deep, and clearly so does my need for revenge. I mean every word.”
He drops his lips to mine, yet doesn’t kiss me. His torment is almost worse than anything James has ever done to me. I beg and plead to all that’s holy for him to kiss me again. “Be careful what you wish for, wicked one. It may come true.”
When I wake up from this strange night, I’ll blame it all on the drugs and go on living my mundane life. Do I believe what I just confessed will come true? Wishful thinking. But right now, I want to ride the unknown. Lose myself to my curiosity. Confess all my evil thoughts. My desires. Offer myself to him without restraint.
I press my chest out, my breasts snuggling perfectly against his pecs. “Same goes for you. Make sure when taunting the wicked you can handle what she brings.”
The ground beneath me rumbles. A light flares behind his eyes. At the beginning of the night, it may have scared me away, but now, it challenges me to push him harder.
“You’re going to wake the dead with your thoughts, cherie.”
I lick my bottom lip, capturing it between my teeth. “Then maybe you should do something about that. You should know exactly what I want to keep me quiet, mind reader.”
There’s a sudden shift in the air as his body becomes stone against mine. My skin vibrates where his palms grip my waist, and for a moment, I fear I’ve pushed him too far. There’s no longer any trace of the gentle man he’s been presenting himself to portray. In front of me, I see a lion, ready to slay. “Offer yourself to me,” he growls.
“Excuse me?”
His voice is laced with urgency as he demands again. “Offer yourself to me. Grant me permission to have you.”
I stare back at him, willing to sacrifice my entire being just to have his lips back on mine. “I grant you permission to have me. All of me.”
He steps back and releases me. I lose my balance and stumble forward, my eyes scanning the darkness in search of him. Suddenly, everything begins to glow around me. Fireflies spark to life, creating a luminescent path through the cemetery, leading to a large, above-ground mausoleum.
Macareus reappears and captures my hand, guiding us along the path. The night air is thick. My skin prickles with excitement. I’m dizzy with each breath I take, and without hesitancy, I enter the burial chamber. The tomb is dark and invitingly cool. My eyes search the stone walls until torches appear alongside,
