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He leads me to the golden edge. I gently lower my body as he stands above me. “Jesus, Jasmine. Are you okay?” His eyes narrow as he looks me over, making sure I haven’t been hurt. I’m taken aback and utterly confused.
“I-I’m fine. Really.” I reply as he turns me in a full circle to check out my whole body. He sighs, raking his long fingers through his blond hair. “Mark, what is going on?” I ask him as he sits on the edge of the fountain. I sit beside him, looking him over. He has a frown on his handsome face.
“Isn’t it obvious?” he bites out. I flinch. “Sorry. Shit. You have to understand something. I’m just as much the victim here as you are. I wasn’t asked to be born into this world, the same as you. But I have a role to play. I’m the next heir in line to take over the kingdom. I… I didn’t want this either.” I frown at him. Because I actually can relate. Which is the last thing I ever expected to do with one of my tormentors.
He turns to me, taking my hands, rubbing his thumbs over my palms. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve treated you. I’m really not a bad guy. I just… Look, if I don’t do as I’m asked, they’ll kill me.”
“But they need you,” I argue. He has a choice here.
His eyes grow sad. “No, they really don’t. I have many brothers and sisters waiting in line to replace me, if needed.”
Holly’s face flashes in my mind. The similarities I never saw before. “So, Holly…” I trail off.
He hangs his head. “Was my sister. She was sent in to infiltrate the family, to get closer to you. But instead, she was blinded by lust for Nixon and she paid the price in death. If you guys would not have killed her, my dad would, and I…” His voice grows rough. “I know Holly was the bad guy in your families’ story, but she was my best friend. And I honest to God don’t want to end up like her. It would serve no purpose for me to die as well. I have a plan.”
My heart grows weak as it breaks for the last person I ever thought it would—Mark Kelly. “So, I’m asking, and it’s rather selfish of me but, please do this. Our families will have an alliance. Their town will be peaceful. I can live.”
I grip his hand. “But is it really living if you can’t do as you please? I could never love you, Mark. I…” Did I love Easton? Yes. The sad truth is, I am completely gone when it comes to Easton McKnight. The thought has my heart breaking into a million tiny, sharp pieces, stabbing into my chest.
“I know,” he says sadly, looking at his shoes. “I’m not asking you to. I know you love him.” His blues connect with my greens, sorrow reflecting in their depths. “And I’m sorry you can’t be with him. I love him too, you know. He’s my best friend. Was. I’m sure he’s going to try to kill me now.” I squeeze his hand because he’s right, Easton is gunning for him.
My tormenter.
My protector.
My everything.
I know what I have to do. To keep my family safe. To protect my mom… if she ever wakes up. It is a no-brainer. I am to be sacrificed so my loved ones will be safe. We don’t need a war, whether we could win or not.
“I’ll take care of you. Love you to my full capabilities. Treat you right. Do what’s right by you. I just ask that you sacrifice your life to me, and in return, I to you,” Mark whispers, his voice broken.
“Okay.” I sniff.
His head shoots up. “Okay?” Disbelief coats his words.
“Yeah. I’ll do this, but I only ask for one thing.”
He grabs both of my hands, kissing them. “Anything.”
I look him dead in the eye, feeling my body turn numb. “My uncle must die. And I get to kill him.”
A smirk takes over his face. “Done.”
CHAPTER 16
EASTON
I am an uncaged animal, waiting to strike my opponent. Jasmine. Fucking Jasmine took the deal. She fucking took the deal to leave me. One minute she’s at therapy, the next, she’s in the Kelly mansion. Not giving anyone a chance of saying goodbye or to stop her. The call came in the next day while I paced her kitchen, her dad’s eyes heavy with bags due to lack of sleep. She told him she was safe and with the Kellys now. And then, she hung up.
She has officially shattered my black heart, and I am lethal.
I clench and unclench my hands. Growling as I pace the front steps of school. And then I see them. Mark is helping her out of his car, and they are smiling. Another growl breaks free. She is mine. All fucking mine. How dare he touch her? How dare she smile at him? My beast is rattling its cage.
They walk toward me. Making eye contact with me, she stops, pushing Mark behind her. Away from me. I snort. Good try, baby. I prowl toward them, a cruel smirk lifting the edge of my lips. Jasmine stands her ground, which causes a chuckle to slip past my lips. One filled with a promise to destroy, a serial killer’s laugh.
“You know, baby,” I say, shoving a joint in my mouth, lighting it. “If you wanted to piss me off and get back at me, it worked. Now let go of him and get your ass over here on my arm and I’ll think about not killing both of you.”
I wouldn’t kill her. Lock her up and extract punishing organisms out of her? Sure. Kill? Never. Her eyes narrow at me; I smirk. “This has nothing to do with you, Easton,” she sasses me.
