Page 68 of Cruel Possession

“I can’t.” I step over to her and hug her tight. “I’m done being someone else’s puppet, and if that means that I’m going to die, then so be it. At least I died for something I chose.”

With a deep breath, I leave her sitting there in the restaurant, heading for the door.

People start to filter out behind me, all of them going to cars parked along the street in front of the restaurant.

I hop onto the motorcycle I borrowed, and for the first time in a long time, I feel free.

It’s going to end as soon as I get back to Aiden’s house, but maybe things are going to be better going forward.

Maybe he and I can have a future together.

Though, he’s never going to forgive me if he finds out all the things I’ve been hiding.

I can’t worry about that right now. I have to keep moving forward.

Living for myself is the only choice I have left, even if I end up dead in a couple of weeks.

I swallow hard and settle the helmet over my head, gunning the bike to life. If this is the way I die, then so be it.

Chapter Twenty-One

ZOE

Blood rushes in my ears,my grip on the handlebars so tight that I’m sure my bones are going to rip through my skin.

I have to get away, though.

I need distance.

Time to process the fact that I’ve essentially signed my death warrant.

I don’t think I can ride fast enough to get out of the city before Aiden’s men have a chance to catch up with me. I'm sure they were racing for cars the moment I hopped on the bike.

A quick glance over my shoulder shows Morgana’s sports car weaving through the streets behind me. I should’ve known that she wasn’t going to let this go. Should’ve seen the signs that she wasn’t going to support me in this a long time ago.

Not that I can blame her. Tying herself to me is likely going to get her killed. There’s a part of me that’s amazed she hasn’t been killed already.

I whip the bike off the road and into the parking lot of an abandoned warehouse. Her car pulls into the lot behind me as I cut the engine and wait.

The sooner this is over with, the sooner I can go back to the life I wish I had. The kind of life where my family isn’t trying to kill me. Where we actually care about each other, even if we do fight.

Morgana slams the car door.

I take off my helmet and tuck it beneath one arm, getting off the bike and stalking over to her. With each step I take, my stomach tosses faster.

Maybe she’s going to kill me right now. Make the boss’s job easier.

“You’re going to die if you do this.” Her voice is hollow, her fingers hovering near her thighs, though she’s likely got a weapon stashed on her somewhere.

“I know.”

“I don’t want to see you dead. Or be the one to kill you.” Morgana takes a deep breath and blows it out, rocking on her heels. “I can’t be the one to protect you either.”

“Not asking you to.” I force the words past the lump in my throat. “I know what I’m risking by doing this, but it’s a choice I have to make for myself. I can’t keep living the same way and being a puppet. I hoped you would understand that.”

“I do. I’ve known you for most of our lives.” Morgana steps forward and pulls me into a tight hug. “I hope a day comes when we can be friends again.”

Looping one arm around her waist, I hold her tight, tears stinging my eyes even as I fight to hold them back.