Hooked (Never After, #1)

by Emily McIntire

It feels different than I thought it would. Killing him.

Maybe people never change, and it’s only our perceptions that alter the view.

Fear has long since marinated in the bottom of my gut like a bubbling cauldron, waiting for me to master the brew so I can use it as poison.

“And if you’re a good girl, maybe I’ll show you the real reason why my mouth should be illegal.”

I realize she bears my prints around her throat like a collar.

“If I’m yours, then what are you to me?” Your worst nightmare. “I’m whatever you’ll allow me to be.”

And while my blood still runs red, any soul I once had has been eaten by the acid that runs through my veins.

Even as a boy, there was something about me that attracted the darkness in even the lightest of souls, drawing it to the surface until it cascaded from their bodies and drenched my skin, burning like black tar on a sunny day.

“You are always a vision, darling, but you look absolutely devastating while you touch yourself.”

It’s just hard to let go of someone, to let them drift away until they only exist in your memories.

“Just remember that whenever things feel bleak, all situations are temporary. It’s not your circumstance that determines your worth, it’s how you rise from the ashes after everything burns.”

“Do try to behave, darling. I’d hate to have to punish you.”

It slices into my veins and bleeds me dry, leaving me brittle like fallen leaves.

Most of the time, his personality is calm waters, still and sparkling and as clear as glass. But a single drop can disrupt the entire surface, and you never know when the rain will hit.

Because how can you live with someone, spend years breathing the same air, worshiping their every move, loving them with your whole heart, and not really know who they are?

The kiss is anything but sweet. It’s twisted and toxic, a poison masked in sugar, making you love the taste of death.

“You want to watch the world burn?” “Let me guess, you’ll set it on fire?” I ask. He chuckles, the sound vibrating through me and settling into my bones. “No, darling. I’ll hand you the match and stand at your back, watching you become queen of the ashes.”

“Darling, if I’m the dark, then you’re the stars.”