Marked by Masks and Secrets (Everlasting Possession, #1)

by Maggie Sunseri

“I love you too.” Tears pooled in my eyes. “I don’t want to, but I do.” Kylo smiled. “That’s a lie. I think you want to love me very badly.” “Mena and Idris are the only people who I’ve ever let in,” I said softly, scraping the words out despite every protest from my body. Something loosened and shattered irreversibly. A dam broke, and more words poured through. “I’m in love with you, but I don’t want to be, because the people who were born to love me unconditionally, whose sole purpose was to protect me from harm…” I faltered, tears spilling free. Kylo frowned deeply, catching the tears with his thumbs. “They didn’t. They didn’t love me,” I said, a sob building in the back of my throat. “They didn’t protect me. All they did was use me. All they did was throw me and Idris to the wolves. So yes, I apologize for my own existence because that was what I was taught. That love is something strived after endlessly, never freely given. And if I put my trust in someone to protect me, they’re just going to betray me and crush my heart beyond repair.”