Page 106 of Colton

His mouth finds mine again, swallowing my moans and pleas.

“You’re mine, Luella,” he whispers against my skin, his voice raw and ragged. “You have to accept me as I am. I can’t change, but I’d do anything for you.”

My fingers tangle in his hair, pulling hard, forcing his head back so I can look into his eyes. “You made me this way,” I say, my voice barely a whisper. “You made me into this monster.”

His smile is slow, sinister, filled with a pride that should be sickening but isn’t. Not to me. Not coming from him. “Yes, I did,” he admits, thrusting deeper, harder, drawing a scream from my lips. “And aren’t you just fucking perfect?”

My orgasm hits me like a freight train, my body convulsing around him, my teeth sinking into his shoulder. I taste blood, and it’s sweet, coppery, perfect. I scream his name, that I hate him, and I love him.

And then I’m crying.

Sobs wrack my body as the intensity of our connection overwhelms me. Colton holds me tightly, his strong arms wrapped around me, keeping me from shattering into a million pieces. He says nothing, just holds me as I cry into his chest, my tears mingling with the sweat and blood on his skin.

I can’t take his security, his safety. It makes me want to stay in his arms forever, even as a part of me screams to run. It’s a confusing tunnel of emotions—the fear that courses through me when I see the darkness in his eyes, the terror that makes my heart pound like a drum in my chest. Yet, at the same time, there’s a comfort, a warmth that envelops me when he’s near. His strength is a shield, a fortress that makes me feel protected,untouchable. It’s a conflicting mix of dread and desire, a chaotic whirlwind that leaves me breathless and yearning for more.

How can someone who terrifies me also make me feel so incredibly safe? It’s a puzzle I can’t solve, a riddle that keeps me coming back, craving his touch, his presence, his adoration—no matter how dangerous it may be.

Eventually, he scoops me up, carrying me effortlessly to the bedroom. He lays me down on the bed, climbing in beside me and pulling me back into his arms. I bury my face in his chest, inhaling his scent, letting it ground me as the storm of emotion slowly subsides.

His fingers stroke my hair gently, the only movement in the otherwise still room. The darkness outside seems to press against the windows, as if trying to get in, to join us in our twisted embrace.

“Maybe we hate each other,” I murmur, my voice hoarse from screaming and crying. “But our monsters...they’re in love.”

Colton’s arms tighten around me, his heart beating steady and strong against my cheek. He doesn’t reply, just holds me tighter, as if trying to meld our bodies into one. And that’s how I fall asleep, wrapped in his arms, our monsters content, our love a dark and twisted language that only we understand.

And maybe this is our ending. There isn’t anything happy about it at all.

It just is.

Thank you for reading this story.

If you loved it, please consider leaving a review anywhere! It really helps the book get seen by more readers.

This is the last book in the Archer High Series.

If you liked this, check out the rest of the series, starting with Wolfe.

Or my thriller romance, Hard Game.