Voracious (The Edge of Darkness, #2)

by Leigh Rivers

I’m not a fucking toy – but in order to protect those I love, I need to pretend to be one.

drew what I assumed our daughter would look like – my most prized possession.

“One of these days, I hope whatever you drug me with kills me. Then I’ll be free of you.” He rushes forward, grabs my book and launches it out the open window, glaring at me. “I’ll still fuck your corpse.”

I thought I was broken, that my emotions were limited, but I just hadn’t met you yet.”

With help from my bitch of a grandmother, he hid for weeks and stalked my mother – until he couldn’t watch her anymore. Then he kidnapped her and locked her in a dog crate in an abandoned animal shelter in the middle of the woods. Yep, a dog crate. Her and her best friend Gabriella were padlocked into them.

keep reminding myself that I’m doing all of this to protect her. Because not only is she my weakness,

but she’s also my strength – my main reason for continuing, the air to my fucking lungs.

We don’t have sex or get intimate, which is totally fine with me. Holding her and having her smile at me is more than enough. I’d wait forever for her to be comfortable with being physical.

No wonder Dad lost his mind over love. It sucks the life out of you.

If I die, at least I’ll get to be with my angel.

But if I get my hands on Chris? Everything my dad has done in his life will pale in comparison.

I roll onto my back, hold my breath and lurch to my feet – only to fall again. So I crawl. I’ll crawl the entire fucking way to Stacey if I need to.

My therapist said to talk – always talk. Staying silent and in your head just invites the bad thoughts inside, with no one to keep you on the right path.

“We have an emergency announcement. Reports say that Tobias Mitchell has escaped his institution this afternoon and is currently at large. The murderer and psychopath was given a life sentence over twenty years ago.”

“I should’ve told Kade what was happening. He would have protected our child – that’s on me. But I can’t wait until Kade gets his revenge on you. You took his daughter from him, and even if he doesn’t care about me anymore, he’ll torture you for that. I hope he puts you through hell.” “Let’s assume Kade does get his hands on me,” he says as he follows me with our bags. “Would you help him, Stacey?” I throw my head back and laugh. “He’s the son of Tobias Mitchell. He doesn’t need help.”

As much as he broke my heart in numerous ways, I’m going to do everything I can to help him.

My bedside unit had a picture of us. I looked at it every night before I fell asleep. It was a little obsessive, considering we were done and all, but I’ve never really been able to move on.

What is forever if it’s not with him?

“You know what? I hope she gets you, and then Kade deals with whatever’s left of your pathetic body.” His eyes light up. “If she gets me, then she gets you. I wonder what she’ll make us do together?”

I waited for so long – you were so young and small and innocent; I didn’t want to hurt you. But when I found out you’d already been broken in, there was no more reason to wait. You will learn to love me, Stacey. And as soon as you do, I’ll be good. I promise.”

Then she slaps me across the face, the sting nearly as bad as Chris’s blows. “While you’re lying in your owner’s bed tonight, spreading your legs like you always do, I want you to think of this moment. The last few minutes of your freedom.”