Page 22 of Scream (Duchess & Devils #1)

"No," Maksim says, slamming shut his laptop, standing, buttoning his suit jacket, and then taking a final sip of the amber liquid in his glass tumbler, sucking his teeth as he swallows.

"I was just leaving,” he says. He brushes past Sabrina, he lands a chaste, whiskey-soaked kiss on her cheek.

"Have a safe trip, Princess ." He turns and strides past Raven and Jonas with nothing more than a head nod and steps out to the staircase.

She wipes the kiss away with the back of her fist, but I know it's not enough for her. She feels it like an imprint. That's what she told me touch does to her. It feels filthy until she can clean it off.

It's why I don't allow myself to touch her. I never want her to associate my touch with feeling dirty and still, I want to brand her skin with my kisses, my tongue, my touch, my cum. Whatever happened to her, I want to remove whatever essence happened and replace it with me.

I want her to be as consumed by me as I am by her.

"Excuse me," she says to us and goes to the bathroom and comes back out with a smile on her face.

No one believes it.

Raven and Sabrina fall asleep side by side, facing each other.

They look like a yin and yang symbol. It's the only way I can describe it.

Sabrina with her blonde hair under her pink blanket, and Raven with her dark hair under a purple blanket.

Raven, being empathetic to Sabrina's needs, wears little black lace gloves, and they're intertwined with Sabrina's pink ones.

It's a beautiful thing when my girl lets you in. I want in. I want all the way in. I want to breathe her in until my lungs feel full, feel her warmth, or give her mine when she's cold. I want every thought in that beautiful mind of hers.

I want all the things I shouldn't.

I want to own and consume her – heart, body, mind, and soul.

"You know, it's not too late to tell her how you feel," Jonas says from beside me.

I shake my head. "Contract's been signed."

He sighs. "I hate this for you, man."

“Yeah, I hate it for me, too.” I reply.

I've never seen her so stressed.

Granted I'm hardly allowed access to her private time, but she hardly had time to step foot in the gym or go running with me in the morning this week.

She's been eating like a bird, just grazing here and there.

Green eyes look empty, and the closer we get to her wedding date, the more she's been tapping her fingers to her thumbs, doubling up on her gloves, and every call she makes, whether it's friends or family, or the wedding planner, she gets off of it huffing and puffing.

Her nightly fits are back, worse than before. I've had to climb in behind her and soothe her. While I love the way her body fits next to mine, feeling like a puzzle piece put in the right place, all I could do was speak to her softly, biding my time until she stopped shaking or murmuring.

I find her in the kitchen two days before the wedding, sitting on the countertop reading her Kindle. The entire kitchen looks like a bakery threw up. That's another thing - she hasn't had time to bake. The only thing that keeps her from going insane, and she hasn't done it in a while.

There's burnt cupcakes sitting on the stove, and frosting on her cheek, including a stream of run-off mascara telling me she took the time to cry. She's not even reading she's staring blankly at the e-reader. Not a muscle in her body moves. I can't even see the rise and fall of her chest.

She looks… catatonic.

“Miss Winters?”

Nothing.

Fuck, she's scaring me.

“Brina?”

Nothing.

“Baby?”

She blinks. “Hmm?”

“Miss Winters.”

Her head pops up, and she looks at me, eyes finally focusing. “Hey.”

“You baking?”

Green eyes scan the room, then she shakes her head. “Uh, no. It was a failed mission,” she jokes but… it's not in her. There's no life in her. No emotion. “I really have to move in with him, don't I?”

“‘Fraid so.”

“I don't want that.”

Neither do I.

“It's one year, Miss Winters.”

Her eyes snap to mine, and God, she looks beautiful – dazed and a little lost, but nonetheless as beautiful as the first day I saw her. “It's a marriage contract, Savage. It's for life .”

I shake my head, having been thinking about this for the past six months. “One year. He gets his money plus ten percent. You don't owe him anything else.”

Her brows scrunch together. “I won't owe him anything else.” She repeats.

I'm called from the second floor by a panicking Tildy, dressed in a pale pink gown. "What is it? "

"She's asking for you," Tildy says. They're all outside of the bridal room, and Raven looks anxious – a little helpless when her eyes connect to mine. She's wearing her maid of honor dress, a pale, pink slinky thing that fits her well.

"What happened?" I ask her and her hands fly up too quickly.

They finished her hair and makeup, and it was time to put on her dress but she... froze. She's paralyzed. I've never seen her like this before. I don't know how to help her. I'm so worried. She asked for you, almost screaming your name. You have to help her. Raven sniffs.

I give her a nod as I knock on the door, stride in without waiting for an answer, and shut it behind me. She's standing behind a chair, the top of it reaching her waist, in a white, satin robe. Her hands grip the antique wood, breathing erratically.

"Brina?” But that doesn't bring her back to me. “Baby?" I whisper.

She looks up, red-rimmed eyes locking on mine, and I swear – I swear – my heart stops beating as she stands to her full height.

"Savage," she says my name like a plea, and I run to her – my blushing bride.

But this blush isn't due to happiness, and she's not mine. I catch her in my arms as she falters, and a sob escapes her chest, but there are no tears. God she’s fucking shaking so hard, like she’s been caught in a blizzard for days.

"Say it for me because I don't think I can. "

I know what she's asking for, but I can't bring myself to do it, not while she's letting me hold her. Not when she's finally in my arms. My heart is breaking, because I know it's me who should be on that altar, and I can't bring myself to give her away. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.

I’ll share her before I ever let her go. I’d rather own half of her heart than none at all.

Her breathing grows more labored, and I put her hand on my chest, reveling in the way it's so smooth, so soft, so small in mine before I flatten it. “You feel me? Breathe with me, baby. Follow it. I'm here.”

“I c- I c-c-can't br…breathe.”

"You're the most beautiful bride I've ever seen," I choke out to distract her from her panic attack, pressing a soft kiss to her lips, and I don't tear away from her.

"You're gonna wow them all, and you're gonna fucking say those vows, and you're gonna kill it.

" Another kiss, and I keep my lips close to hers, not breaking away because if I do, I know I'll never get another chance.

"You give me one look baby, and I'll take you away.

I swear it. I'll find a way out of this.

But for now, you're gonna be my fighter. "

"Savage, I can't. "

"You can , baby. You have to." I run my fingers through the silk of her hair and clutch her tighter as each shard of her heart plunges into mine. But I’ll take that pain and swallow it whole.

"It's just one year, remember? Then you can walk away.

He'll have his money, and I'll take you away. Far, far away from here."

"You promise?"

"On my life. I'll keep you safe. I'm not leaving. I have your back. I’ve always got your back, baby girl."

"Say it, Parker. You have to because I can't." She sobs silently.

My heart contracts, and I swallow down my heartache. With tears threatening to release, I rasp out, " It's showtime."

The skirt of her ball gown glitters and shimmers in the light, and though her veil covers her face and shoulders, I can feel her trembling beside me. I walk her from the bridal suite, down to the bottom floor where her bastard of a father waits for her. "One foot in front of the other, Bri."

She lets go of me with a whimper.

The music begins, a cello version of Can't Help Falling in Love, Raven is playing, along with a pianist. Her father takes her from me, and my blood rushes to my ears. She makes it down the aisle, holding her bouquet full of flowers meant for prosperity, love, strength... and baby's breath.

There goes my girl, a glittering train in her wake, taking wobbly steps towards the man that's taking her from me – the only one that has a real chance of stealing her heart from my grasp.

And I'll have front row tickets.

The music stops, Raven resumes her place on the altar, and when Maksim raises the veil, I know. I know with the look that slashes across his face, he'll never let her go.

My soul leaves my body and disintegrates at my feet.