Page 2 of Loving the Tormentor

And as much as I thought the toxins would stay localized, and that I had a chance of surviving him, Achilles took satisfaction in keeping on injecting his venom into my veins.

How is one meant to survive a sadistic predator who wants nothing but to keep watching you suffer for him?

So, I drank the chalice full of painful lies. I buzzed with the thrill of deadly love. I threw my head back and danced to the addictive song of pleasure.

Last night, I laid next to him, the man who put me through hell and back, and whom I'll never stop loving. The man who taught me betrayal can come from both ways, and that I was just as fucked up as he is. I felt my poisoned blood bubble from his control, and I stared into the storm of his eyes while he promised my heart would always belong to him. Not the other way around. He declared that something supposed to be mine was in hiscomplete possession. Because that's what Achilles thrives on. The knowledge that he can do whatever he wants with me and that I'll come back for more. Like a drug addict whose heart always sings at the sound of his voice.

Now the man with a million enemies is dead, and I'm the one who’s going to go down for his murder.

This is his one lastfuck youafter months of torture.

Chapter One

NYX

Eyelids – Ryan Ooakes, WesGhost

Five months earlier…

I've always believed, deep inside my heart, that the North Shore of Silver Falls is a place where dreams die.

It's unfortunate that I was born here.

What I believe even more is that if I don't leave this place, I'll die along with my dreams.

That's what tears a long huff from me as I enter the diner where I work. It's called The Basement because it's underground. No windows, a damp smell that's barely hidden by the scent of frying oil coming from the kitchen, and the type of food that’s going to make us all have heart attacks before forty.

During the summer break, when I take day-long shifts, I get here right after sunrise, and sometimes leave when it's already set, but I don't care, because I'm certain the sun doesn't shine as bright on the North Shore as it does in other places anyway.

Stephen and Laurie, the two cooks and owners, are already chopping and listening to the same album they listen to everymorning, so loudly they have to shout instructions at each other. Bobbing my head to "Believe" by Cher, I head to the staff room. Well, staff closet. I pull out my black apron, throw my backpack in my locker, and wrap the two strings around my waist. A quick look in the mirror as I pull my hair in a ponytail and arrange my fringe, and I'm out on the main floor.

My best friend, Lena, is already setting up the cutlery, so I grab the coffee mugs and follow her.

"Morning, pretty girl," I say through a yawn, still feeling how little sleep I got last night.

Lena loves the summer because it means I'll be here for all her morning shifts. During the college term, I only work weekends. The woman works three jobs to support her younger brother and sister. She's the only adult they have, and college wasn't an option for her.

Her amber eyes widen. "Nyx," she gasps, looking like she can barely breathe. It really should be no surprise that I’m here.

"What?" My heart kicks. Something bad must have happened. There's always something awful happening in this shitty town.

She drops all the cutlery she was holding, grabs my wrist, and pulls me behind the counter, reaching across to point at something.

An envelope.

"This arrived. It's for you."

The logo embossed on the paper makes me feel like I swallowed a snake that’s currently uncoiling in my stomach. It’s the profile of the goddess Athena in her armor, a laurel crown, and the mottoWisdom & Power.

I always get my important mail delivered to work because my dad can't be trusted. The trailer park is easily accessible, and that man owes money to too many people, making our place one of the least safe in town. I'm not going to risk such an importantletter arriving there when strange men have tried to burn it down a few times.

"You know what this is," Lena insists.

She's kind. The kindest person I know, but she's been raising two people for years, and her voice always sounds a little like you're being told off.

Reaching for the envelope, I turn it around with a shaky hand.

If undelivered, please return to Silver Falls University, Admission Services.