Page 4 of Unhinged Obsession

I see his jaw tighten. The muscles flex beneath his skin, and his eyes darken with something that looks a lot like disgust. Whoever I’m paired with will put the ring from the chain on their neck on my finger. I’ll kiss their neck, leaving my lipstick print, and then it’s done. I’ll be owned, and the only thing left is the tradition of the chase. My Saint’s mask will stay on, and I’ll be given a head start. My stomach rolls at the thought of losing my virginity to someone like Jonathan in that way. "I haven't even..." My voice catches embarrassingly in my throat. "I haven't even kissed someone. I’m starting to regret following the rules."

“I know you haven’t.” Elijah’s words land between us with a quiet finality that makes me blink, like I’ve misheard him. It’s true he’s the closest person to me, but I’ve never told him about my love life.

“What?” I ask, because it doesn’t make sense—because there’s no way he could possibly know that. Confusion washes over me in a slow, disorienting wave. My brows knit together as I search his face for anything that explains it. “How?” I finally manage, the word slipping out softer than I intended.

The corner of Elijah’s mouth twitches, but there's nothing playful about it. "Because it was my doing. I've made damn sure every guy who's ever wanted to..." He exhales sharply, dragging one hand through his dark hair before looking back at me, a petulant scowl fixed on his handsome face. "And there have been a lot, Blair."

He what?

Elijah doesn’t pause long enough for me to ask any questions. He sounds so annoyed at the thought of anyone wanting to kiss me that I almost laugh. "No one wanted to see what I’d do if they even thought about touching your pretty lips."

I stare at him, completely stunned, my mind struggling to catch up with what he’s just admitted. “You what?” I ask, my voice coming so high that I'm embarrassed.

“I.” He leans closer. “Threatened.” His hand comes up, and his thumb swipes across my bottom lip. “Their.” He pulls me close to his hard body and his lips purse into a pout. “Insignificant.” His hand slides down my back and rests directly on my ass. “Lives.”

“Elijah,” I say only his name, and it comes out so breathlessly that he smirks, clearly impressed with the effect he’s having on me.

"I would've killed them if they tried to touch you," he tells me as his fingers flex into the globe of my ass. “Fuck, Blair,” he groans my name.

My heart is beating so loudly now that I wouldn’t be surprised if he can hear it.

Elijah studies me for another long moment, his gaze drifting from my eyes to my mouth before slowly finding its way back again. I feel the weight of his gaze over my entire body, like he's memorizing me, and suddenly breathing feels far more difficult than it should.

He speaks quietly, like the words are meant only for me, like the rest of the world doesn’t deserve to hear them. “No one is going to steal your first kiss…” His fingers slide up a little farther around my waist, tightening just enough to anchor me in place against him. “…except me.”

Elijah lowers his head so slowly that I have more than enough time to pull away, to turn my face, to stop what’s coming before it starts. Every instinct I have should be screaming at me to move, to breathe, to think. I don’t. I can’t.

The first brush of his mouth against mine is so impossibly soft that I almost wonder if I imagined it, but then his lips graze mine again, lingering this time, and the smallest gasp escapes me before I can stop it.

Elijah smiles into the kiss. I actually feel him smile. And that alone makes me want to kick my feet and giggle.

The sound I make must encourage him because his arm tightens around my waist, drawing me fully against him until every inch of me fits against his taller frame like we've always belonged this way. One of my hands instinctively curls against the front of his T-shirt, bunching the fabric between my fingers as warmth blooms through my entire body.

Elijah and I have been through so many things in the time we’ve known each other, but none of the history, none of the years, none of the moments stitched between us—has ever felt like this.

Just as I'm beginning to melt into him, just as my eyes drift closed and I stop thinking about Black Crown, the Choosing Ceremony, and every impossible thing waiting for us back at St. Augustine, a scream tears through the air.

The scream is so sharp and filled with terror that my skin prickles with dread. Then comes the thud, and a loud crack that could only be someone's skull smacking against the rocks.

A heartbeat later, there’s the unmistakable sound of something striking the water far below us, followed by a harsh, echoing splash.

I turn toward the source of the sound just as Elijah’s hand closes around mine, firm and instinctive, pulling me slightly closer without a word. His grip is protective in a way that no longer feels soft or romantic. There’s an urgency like he’s bracing for impact.

“Don’t come over here,” Ben calls to us. “It’s not good.”

It’s with those words that I realize that every one of our lives is about to be divided into two parts.

Everything before tonight.

And everything that comes after.

ELIJAH

CHAPTER THREE

ST. AUGUSTINE UNIVERSITY – SEVERAL MONTHS LATER

The puck drops.