Page 104 of Colton

Back to where I belong.

Chapter 10

LUELLA

The emptiness of my apartment mocks me as I pace, my bare feet silent against the cold floor. Each step feeds the rage building inside me, a familiar darkness that mirrors his own.

Abandoned.

My fingers trace the marks he left on my skin, proof that I wasn’t imagining the hunger in his eyes, the possession in his touch. The monster I saw lurking beneath his carefully constructed facade.

“Fuck you, Colton,” I whisper, but the words taste like ash in my mouth.

I catch my reflection in the window and pause, studying the woman staring back at me. Wild eyes, swollen lips, skin marked by his claiming. Is this what scared him away? The evidence of how perfectly matched our monsters are?

My phone sits on the coffee table, taunting me. One text could bring him back—I know exactly what words would make him break, what buttons to push to fully unleash the darkness I glimpsed tonight.

But I won’t. Not this time.

Instead, I grab the bottle of whiskey from my kitchen counter, not bothering with a glass. The liquid burns on its way down, but it’s nothing compared to the fire he ignited inside me.

“What are you so afraid of?” I ask the empty room, remembering the way he looked at me before he left—like he was fighting something inside himself. Something that recognized the darkness in me and wanted to devour it whole.

The bartender’s face flashes in my mind, and a bitter laugh escapes me. Poor bastard had no idea he was just a pawn in our game. But the way Colton’s eyes darkened when I smiled at him...Christ, I thought he might kill him right there.

Maybethat’swhat I wanted.

The whiskey isn’t helping anymore. Nothing helps except the exquisite pain only Colton knows how to inflict. The perfect balance of pleasure and punishment that makes me feel alive.

“You can’t run forever,” I murmur, pressing my forehead against the cool glass of my window. If I focus, I can almost convince myself I see his car out there in the darkness, watching, waiting.

But he’s gone.

For now.

The monster inside me stretches, hungry and restless. It knows what I know; this isn't over. Not by a long shot.

He’ll be back.

And next time, I won’t let him leave.

The knockat my door is hard, impatient. I know who it is before I even reach the door. My heart thuds in my chest, matching the urgency in his fist.

I tug open the door, and there he is.

Colton.

His eyes wild, breaths ragged, every muscle in his body tense. He’s the dark thunder in the storm, and I’m the fucking lightning.

“You came back,” I say, stepping aside to let him in, knowing I’m inviting the devil himself into my home.

He paces like a caged animal, his eyes never leaving mine. “You knew I would.”

I shrug, feigning nonchalance. “Did I? You left.”

His jaw clenches, and he takes a step closer. “Wanna know why?”

“Because you’re a coward?” I taunt, watching as his hands curl into fists. “Or because you can’t handle what we are?”