Chapter 13
Elijah
Enzo’s going to kill me.
And maybe I deserve it.
How the fuck could I be so weak? I had one job—to protect her. Not to touch her. Not to taste her.
But the second her mouth brushed mine, I stopped being her brother’s best friend and became every goddamn thing I swore I’d never be.
I knew this would happen. I knew if I crossed that line, I’d end up here—drowning in guilt and need, too tangled to tell which one hurts more.
For eight fucking years I’ve kept control. Swallowed every look, every sound she made that scraped down my spine. And now? I’ve shattered it in a single breath.
Enzo will be ordered to kill me for this.
Maybe I could kill Leo first—keep him from bragging about his pathetic little kiss with her.
No. Fuck—I can’t.
I saw it in her eyes. She didn’t want him. She used him to break me—to pull me under until I couldn’t breathe. She knows exactly the kind of effect she has on men, and Leo only reacted the same way I did: want her, touch her—touch what was never his.
I won’t pretend I’m any better. If I die for this, I’ll at least go down with a shred of honour.
Maybe Enzo won’t find out. Maybe I’ll join the list of men stupid—or lucky—enough to survive one night in Aurelia’s orbit.
But what the hell is her problem?
Did she really think I’d resist her once she took her shirt off? Was that her plan—to make me break just so she could watch me burn for it?
She knows I’d kill for her.
So why does she need me to die for her too?
Her mind is so damn warped it’s impossible to break.
Her body—I get. Her movements—I’ve studied.
I understand her instincts better than anyone.
I could satisfy the obvious hunger she hides from the world.
But she’s made of stone and steel. She needs control.
She needs certainty. She thinks she wants love, but I don’t even know if she remembers how to want it anymore.
She used to. I know that.
And I know I fucked up. I pushed her straight into the arms of a monster who devoured her youth. That’s on me. She’s broken because I let her be, but I can’t be the one to put her back together.
Getting this close was a mistake.
I’ll have to pretend she doesn’t undo me. Find a distraction—someone who almost feels like her. Someone like Gen. Someone who can give me distance.
Of course, Aurelia used that distance to destroy herself.
But this time will be different.
This time, I’ll make sure I don’t end up killing the girl I use.