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There was no more factory or prison room. There was no more anger or rage about what I had done. I stole this woman to keep her safe because I claimed her the moment I saw her.

I dropped onto her chest, our breathing mirroring each other. I could feel her heart beating. Her skin was damp with sweat. I pulled my cock free and crawled up beside her on the couch. Taking her in my arms, I held her. “Is this what you pictured for your first time?” I asked.

“Not even close,” she said. “But in reality, who really has the first time of their dreams?”

“No one. Dreams and reality are totally different things. That's why I never dream.”

“You never had a dream before?”

“Oh, I've had dreams before. I just learned early on that reality can't be controlled. You are what you are. Wishes are just kid games. There's nothing you can do to stop fate. You were born to be something, and you can't change it.”

She snuggled herself against my chest and pulled the blanket over us. “I think you're wrong.”

“And why's that?”

“Because you broke the chain. You didn't do what you were supposed to do with me. You changed fate.”

I looked at her, thinking about her words. “No, I didn't. I changed our paths; it doesn't mean I altered our fate.”

“What is our fate then?” she asked.

“I don't know. I can't see the future.”

Poppy's eyes moved around my face, coming to a stop where she had cut me. “Does it hurt?” she asked as she reached her hand up and touched the wound.

“No,” I answered.

“I shouldn't have done that to you. I'm sorry.”

“Yes, you should have. You don't need to apologize. I would have done the same thing. You were blindsided and had no idea what was going on. It was actually pretty badass if you ask me.”

Poppy smiled as the pad of her finger traced the hard scab. “It's going to scar.”

“I don't care. It'll make me look even more dangerous. Who isn't afraid of a man with a gnarly scar on his face?”

She giggled as she laid her head on my chest. “Gnarly. That's a word I haven't heard in years.” She yawned as she spoke.

“Get some sleep,” I said.

Poppy blinked a few heavy blinks, and then her eyes shut. I felt her entire body relax as she drifted off. I stayed up just looking at her. She had no idea the lengths I would go through to protect her. My hunt had ended. I caught my prey, and I would never let her go.

Chapter Twelve

Poppy

Dreams and reality are similar, like mirrors reflecting a backward image. Vega might not think they're connected, but they are. They're chaos and control in one place. They're wishes and desires. They're the brightest and darkest of our souls. Filth and beauty go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other. It's like good and evil. Laughter and sadness. Anger and happiness. To appreciate one, you needed to have the other.

But what happens when reality and fiction bleed together? When you can't tell one from the other? When your dreams and reality mirror each other so closely, you question which is true? If you can't tell them apart, then it all becomes chaos. And chaos is a wheel that just keeps spinning.

My dreams had become vivid movies. Movies that felt so real I could feel the sheets beneath my back and the comforter around my chest. I could smell the fabric softener in the fibers of the blanket and the shampoo in my cold, wet hair.

I was a child again, waking up in bed at home. I was confused. Something was off. It didn't feel right. I remembered men and the sound of someone screaming. I remembered the last feelings I had were fear, pain, and sadness.

My father was sitting at my bedside, running his fingers through my hair. He smiled at me. “Hey, Pumpkin,” he said as he leaned in and kissed my forehead.

“How did I get here?” I asked as I looked around with wild eyes.

“What do you mean how did you get here?” His smile broadened as he placed his hands on his knees. “You've always been here, Pumpkin. It's morning; time for you to get up now.”