Page 64 of Depraved Devotion

He nods. “The acrostic was rather easy.”

“M. I. N. E. Magnolias bloom, masking death’s decay. Illuminating the shadows, where I wait. Never let the flame that binds us fade. Every breath you take is mine to claim.” I roll my eyes. “So romantic.”

“I thought so,” he says with a grin. “Tell me what else you discovered.”

“Magnolia trees were often planted in cemeteries to cover the stench of death. You chose that scent to reference my parents being dead and buried. The ‘shadows where you wait’ is more literal. Case in point, you broke into my apartment. Shadows can also represent the darkness that covers your mind. As for the flame that binds?” I purse my lips in thought. “You believe we share a connection that you consistently refer to as the fire inside me.”

He leans forward. “And lastly?”

“My breath is yours to claim… That line makes it sound as if you want all of me, from the inessential to the vital.”

“Very good, Dr. Andrews. A-plus.”

“Now what?”

He quirks a brow. “Hmm?”

“You said I’m out of time. What the fuck do you want from me, Ghost?”

He gives me a wicked smile. “What do I want from you?” He shakes his head slowly, the motion controlled, his gaze never leaving mine. “I think you know the answer to that, Dr. Andrews. I’ve told you before.”

I tighten my grip on the back of the chair. “No, I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.”

He takes a step closer, bringing his face within inches of the glass. The air around him is charged, like a storm about to break. His eyes are bright, the hazel molten gold.

“I want you.”

The words spark something, igniting a heat that rushes through me. I suck in a breath, unable to tear my gaze away from him.

Ghost smiles, his teeth gleaming in the fluorescent light. “I want all of you. Everything.”

“Forget it.”

His gaze drops to my mouth, lingering there for a moment before rising again to meet mine. “I’m going to give you a choice.”

I frown. “What are you talking about?”

“Give me your sanity or your desire.”

CHAPTER 29

GENEVA

My blood races through my veins. “What does that mean?”

Ghost reaches up and drags his fingers along the glass with his gaze locked on mine. The gesture is slow, his fingertips moving in a gentle caress right where my face is.

“Sanity or desire,” he repeats, his voice like a whisper against my skin. “One keeps you safe, the other sets you free. Your sanity is the wall you hide behind, the rules and protocols that you think will protect you from me. But we both know that’s not going to work.”

He tilts his head, studying me. “Your desire, though? That’s raw. Unfiltered. It’s the part of you you’re too afraid to acknowledge.” His voice softens. “Letting me in will set you free. But keeping me out? That’s madness.”

I stay silent, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a response, but his words slice into me like a scalpel. Is he right about me? Or is this just another manipulation tactic meant to confuse me further?

“What happens when your sanity unravels from the strain of resisting me, Dr. Andrews?”

“You’re delusional.” My voice trembles despite my best efforts to steady it. “This isn’t about sanity or desire. It’s about control.”

Ghost’s lips curl into a slow, knowing smile. “Control, yes. But not in the way you think. This isn’t about me taking control of you. It’s about you giving it to me. Willingly.”