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He came for me.There was a silver lining to his anger: It meant he cared.

Surprise flashed over his terrible countenance. Madonna! He was pissed.

“Did it work?” I asked, fidgeting with my uniform.

Markos grabbed me, pulling me down the sidewalk with a bruising grip until we were concealed by an alley. I tripped to keep up with his long strides. His breaths were rough and ragged, stopping just short of a snarl.

No words came out.

“What the hell crawled up your ass?” I spat, attempting to twist away from him. “I’m not escaping, if that’s what you think.”

He pushed me against the wall. His chest heaved.

“I did exactly what you said, boss. I planted the bug,” I snapped. “I played the part beautifully, and I did it right under his nose. Why are you so angry?”

“Because—” Markos released me and swiped his hand through his hair in a violent, desperate gesture of frustration.

A sane person would have retreated from the enraged beast. I stepped into him, feeling the electric thrill of pushing him, seeing just how far I could go.

“The Skorpios scum had his hands all over you,” Markos finally admitted. His eyes blazed bright and dangerous, filled with a fury that was chaotic and exhilarating.

I was right in front of him, so close I could feel the heat pouring off him, but I didn’t touch. “And that bothers you, why?”

Let me hear you say it.I took a staggered breath. The scent of sandalwood and sea filled me. Another deep breath grounded me. I was tempting fate. What if he didn’t feel this thing between us? What if it was all in my head? As it had been twice before. I was sure there was something this time. The need to prove that I wasn’t the silly girl with crushes drove me to pursue this, even though the sinister, jaded part warned me that Markos wasn’t a beast capable of feeling.

But the look on his face....Let me hear you admit it. Let me hear the words I’ve been waiting for.

Markos clenched his jaw tight. I saw the battle in his eyes, the stubborn ass. He wasn’t going to say it.

“Why, Markos? Why does it bother you?” I knew the answer, but I wanted to force it from him. “It was part of the job. I handled it well, after all.” I held his terrible gaze, daring him, taunting him, not about to let him off the hook.

“Because you’re mine, Serena.” His mouth crashed against mine a moment later. It was an explosion of release, of madness, of claiming. It was everything I’d wanted and more—it was admission and possession, and it sent a thrill through me that was terrifying in its intensity.

My mind spun with the dizzying realization: I was right. I’d been right all along. Beneath the fear and anger, beneath the deception and danger, it was there, and now there was no denying it. I was his—if only for a maddening, tumultuous moment. A wild, reckless happiness surged through me, and I kissed him back hard, hoping the timing wasn’t too good to be true.

Markos broke away with a curse. “No, no!”

He slapped the wall.

The sound reverberated through my soul. A raw pain formed where my heart split. I wasn’t enough.

Drawing in a stilted inhale, I gave him a nod. “It’s over, Markos. Don’t worry about it.”

I stepped around him. The sidewalk blurred as I made my way back to where the van loitered in a no parking zone. I would not cry. The pirate wasn’t worth my tears. I was a stupid girl, capable of summer romances, castles in the sky, and crushes. Nothing more.

Dreams didn’t come true.

I was doomed to forever be the lonely princess, stuck in the castle tower.

As I ripped the door handle open, I glanced back at the bus station. The truth was glaringly obvious. I needed to leave. Staying here would only break my heart.

“Well, that was entertaining,” the unnamed man in the back of the van observed with an amused laugh.

I gasped, clutching at my chest. “Merda! You scared me.”

The sound of the other man's voice jolted me so much that I dropped into the seat with a thud. I hadn’t expected someone else to be in the van, and his sudden comment was like a splash of cold water.

He chuckled again. “Sorry, sweetheart.”