Insatiable (The Edge of Darkness, #1)(5)

“You should’ve told Luciella no,” I eventually say, loud enough so he can hear me over the music.

Kade’s jaw tenses as he speeds up.

I huff, resting my elbow on the window, palm to the side of my head. “I would’ve waited for an Uber or walked.”

He doesn’t answer me, just like I knew he wouldn’t.

Kade takes the cigarette from behind his ear, sparks it, then tosses his lighter into the divider between us.

He licks his lips, his sleepy eyes on the road, and I watch his mouth as he takes another draw.

You’re nothing. You’re fucking dead to me .

His voice echoes in my mind, a memory of the last time we spoke. Words he threw in my face; words I’d rather forget. I look away from him, keeping my burning eyes on the outside world as he drives into my housing estate.

The security is tight – all the houses need codes to enter the grounds. Nora asked me when I was growing up if I wanted to have sleepovers for my birthday, celebratory parties or anything that got my friends here, but I always said no.

I didn’t want any of them near the monster that lives inside those walls.

Kade stops at the biggest house – three floors of white brick and unused horse stables at the back. An empty pool and overgrown weeds make it look eerie.

He turns his engine off and flicks the cigarette out the window without turning to look at me. He taps his finger on his lap, the muscle in his jaw straining.

Say something, I want to shout. Yell at me. Anything!

I drag my gaze away from him, letting out a sigh as I grab my heels. I don’t say anything as I unclip my belt, and I stay quiet as I open the door and leave the car.

I reach the gate, ready to push in my code, when I hear the engine start again. I peer over my shoulder, and our eyes meet like a clash of thunder. Goosebumps erupt over my skin, a thrill of electricity rushing in my veins. His eyes are as electric as I remember, but there’s something else behind them.

Something dark that wasn’t there before.

“Thank you,” I whisper. “For driving me home.”

For a split second, I think he might actually say something back. But instead, he looks me up and down slowly, taking in my aftersex appearance, and draws his gaze away from me with a shake of his head.

He’s disappointed.

Kade lights another cigarette and turns his rock music up loud enough to wake my stepfamily before speeding off without giving me another glance.

Yep. He still despises me.

And after what I did to him, he has every reason to.



I quickly make my way to my bedroom on the top floor of the manor, letting out a breath of relief when I shut the door behind me. My back presses to the wood, and I close my eyes.

My eyes burn, fighting tears I refuse to let fall.

The first time I ever felt this way, this overwhelming feeling, was when we met. He’d interrupted me by the pool at his manor.

I remember the way he looked at me, and how it made a warmth build in my chest. His eyes were so full of life. We’d smoked a cigarette together in blissful, comfortable silence, before he turned into an asshole.

I’d tried to ignore him for years. But being around my best friend’s twin brother was too much – there was too strong a pull between us.

Until that night, when everything changed.

Kade Mitchell has been the broken shadow in my life ever since, and it’s all my fault .

My heels drop to the floor, and I lick my lips, remembering a time when I’d do it and be able to taste mint and faint tobacco.

I shake my head, pushing away the lone tears sliding down my cheek.

Without turning the light on, I pull my dress off and unclip my bra, ready to remove my underwear. But before I can do anything else, a firm grip wraps around my throat, causing a strangled gasp to catch in my chest as the person backs me away from the door and slams me into the mattress.

Air rushes out of my lungs from the impact in a choked-out cough. Pressure builds behind my eyes as they fly open in fear to see Chris – my evil and deluded stepbrother – above me.

I try to slap his arms as hard as I can, so he’ll release his painful hold, but it only causes him to tighten it and lower himself onto me, crushing my nearly naked body between him and the bed.

“Who the fuck was that?”





2




STACEY

Ilove dancing in the dark.

When I’m surrounded by carnage, which is often, it’s peaceful – an escape. I enjoy mentally vanishing from existence, even if it’s only for a moment.

Sometimes, I close my eyes and block out everything as my body moves around the hoop, or as the silks wrap around my limbs while I hang mid-air. Usually, halfway through my routine, I’ll free flow, head lolling to the beat, imagining a silent audience that can’t take their eyes off me.

Music will play, the genre completely dependent on my mood. I’ll tell myself that anxiety and unnecessary voices don’t exist. That they’re nothing but void thoughts desperate to destroy my calm. As each chord strikes, the black tendrils around my heart will shrivel away.

There was a time when one person was able to make me ignore that side of myself. I helped him with his own darkness, and he made me feel alive, sustaining me with tender touches and words, stolen kisses and nights in his bed when no one knew. I was happy.