Twisted (Never After, #4)

by Emily McIntire

For the people pleasers. Sometimes, it’s okay to be a little selfish.

“The girl and everything that comes with her are mine,” I say, my eyes flaring.

It’s rude for him to have a voice like that and a face like he does when his soul is so rotten.

It’s amazing what we’re capable of overlooking— what we’re willing to do— when it comes to those we love.

It’s a tenuous game we play, being masters of the universe, but it’s one I enjoy.

Her eyes open again, locking onto mine immediately, like we’re two sides of a magnet drawn together by force.

Only now, she’s burned into my brain. And I’m not sure how to get her out.

“What do you want?” He smiles, his grip tightening until it stings. “You.”

Every second I can spend in my father’s presence I want to greedily grab up like treasure, because I don’t know how many seconds we have left.

“I love capturing memories. Emotion that’s usually fleeting being frozen forever in time. The wisdom in the gaze of a person who’s lived a full life. The look in someone’s eyes when they realize they’re in love. The joy in their face when they’re laughing at a joke. Photographs help us remember things we’d otherwise forget.”

“Maybe I like a bit of danger.”

“Besides, she’s temporary,” I remind us both. The words are bitter on my tongue.

“I want to reach into your chest and hold your heart in my hands, making sure it only beats for me,” I rasp. “But I don’t want your firsts, Yasmin. I want your forever.”

“I’m in love with you, Julian Faraci. And I would burn the world myself if it meant I could keep you by my side.”

And really, I have Aidan to thank. If it wasn’t for him loving me, I wouldn’t know the difference. Because my love for Aidan is like a warm sunny day, and my love for Julian is a blazing inferno.

“You are so fucking perfect. And so fucking mine.”

I would rather light myself on fire than allow her to experience another ounce of pain because of my selfishness and greed.

“I’m not sorry for loving you. I’m only sorry it took me so long to realize that I did.” My heart squeezes, and I know without him even explaining the will that he never would have gone through with it. Not after everything we’ve shared. Not that it really matters now anyway.

“Remember what I told you? My love for you is dangerous, amore mio.”

“You think I’d allow death to come for me when I knew you were out there with another man?”

“I don’t want to live if it isn’t with you.”

She grins, pressing her lips against mine one more time. “To a new world then.” “Our new world.”