Page 5 of Lucifer's Mirror

Beside me, Zayne snorts. “The princess is too good to marry the likes of me,” he says.

I think he’s joking. At least Ihopehe’s joking. He knows I don’t think of him that way. “I don’t actually remember you asking.”

“And if I did?”

Shock flashes through me. I search his face, looking for some sign that he’s just messing with me, but his eyes are serious. Except he can’t be. We’re both nineteen. No money. No jobs. Even if we wanted to, it would be impossible. Why is he being so difficult? He knows how important this is to me.

“Don’t be silly,” I snap. “You don’t think of me like that.” He’s never even tried to kiss me. Never looked at me like he wants to. Though I know he’s beaten up a few guys who were getting too familiar.

“You don’t know how I feel, Princess.”

I always thought I did. But everything is changing. And suddenly I’m scared. It’s all too much for me. Pressure has been building in my head all night, like fingers trying to pry inside my brain. I need to get out of here. Go somewhere far away.

I don’t bother with the tree; I just use my hands to launch myself from the garage roof. I land lightly.

“What the hell, Amber!” Zayne yells.

I hear the shock in his voice. This is something else I’ve never done in front of anyone before.

“Hey, where are you going? Come back, Amber. It’s after midnight.”

I race through the open gate and down the road. I have no clue where I’m going. Or why. I just know that I need to move. I head down the road; the night is dark, but the street lamps light the way.

Suddenly, that prickle runs down my spine again, and the pain in my head explodes. One by one, the lights snuff out, leaving me in darkness, and my feet slow. I’ve never been afraid of the dark before. Now, my blood thunders in my veins, and my heart beats loud enough to hear. I stand, my chest heaving from my run, my pulse racing from whatever is happening.

A blackout?

The prickle comes again, and I turn slowly. I wince through the pain in my head as I peer into the night. Pinpricks of crimson glow in the shadows, and something darker than the night slithers closer.

As I whirl and launch myself forward, something rustles behind me, and the pain in my head intensifies. I speed up, running faster than I’ve ever run before, as though I can outrun the agony slicing through my mind.

What’s happening?

I have no idea, except it’s nothing good, and I race through the darkness until... wham!

I crash into something solid, something that wraps iron arms around me, and I scream.

Chapter 3

He Might be Hot but He’s also Annoying

“Shutthefuckup,”a harsh male voice snarls at me.

I take no notice. In fact, I scream louder. A hand slams across my mouth, cutting off the sound as I’m dragged to the side of the road and into the trees.

Acting on pure instinct, I jam my elbow into his groin. He curses, but his grip loosens for a second, and I whirl, kicking out in one fluid motion, my foot connecting with something solid.

Where did I get that move? As far as I know, I’ve never been in a fight in my life.

But I don’t have time to be impressed as a hand grabs my ankle and twists me off balance, then grasps me around the waist and pulls me against a rock-hard body. I struggle, but whoever is holding me has a grip like iron, and I can’t break his hold. The hand is back across my mouth, and I bite down hard, the sharp metallic taste of blood flooding my mouth. He growls another curse, but the hand doesn’t loosen, and I’m dragged farther into the trees. Finally, he comes to a halt, his back against the trunk of a big oak, one arm wrapped around my middle, his other hand still around my face so I can hardly breathe.

“Stay quiet if you want to live,” he whispers. “And stop goddamn wriggling.”

I go still at his words because—guess what—I do want to live. But the pain is still drilling into my skull, and I struggle to concentrate.

Just breathe.

Which is sort of difficult with a huge hand smothering my face. I tell myself that I’m alive. That’s all that matters right now. If this person wanted me dead, I’d be dead already. While I have no clue what he looks like, I know he’s much bigger than me, and I’m guessing strong enough to snap my neck. I’m hoping that’s not on the agenda right now. But what does he want and why did he stop me?