“The rumors have already spread around the club. People are saying that I cheated on you with Sera. They’re calling her a home wrecking whore.”
“Vincent.” I shook my head, genuinely bewildered. And they called me the crazy one? “You did cheat on me with Seraphina.”
“I didn't mean to. It just happened. I never meant to hurt you.” His blue eyes finally focused on me. “But you’re hurting me. You’re ruining me, Susie. You’re trying to kill me.” He stepped closer, and I backed up against the wall behind me. “Is this it? Is this you, trying to finish what you started? I loved you.” He reached out towards me, ice-blue eyes locked on mine. “We had a good thing going, and you destroyed it.” His hand gripped my throat. “This is all your fault. You could have kept your mouth shut.”
For a long moment, I was too shocked to even blink. Never in a million years did I suspect that the man I lived with for almost twenty years was this delusional, this self-absorbed, this selfish.
Vincent leaned closer, putting his lips close to mine, breathing whiskey fumes into my face. “Maybe I should try to kill you now,” he whispered. “Even up the score a little. Then, all my problems will go away.”
I almost laughed out loud. Only three minutes ago, I had told Cecil that Vincent would never hurt me. Bada bing, bada boom—Susan’s wrong again.
It didn’t sting anymore, though. I was allowed to be wrong. What was Cress’s motto again? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, you better run.
I tilted my head. “You really are that stupid, aren't you?”
“What?” The hand on my throat clenched, holding me tighter against the wall.
I let the indignation stoke the flames in my belly. A little power sank into my muscles. It wasn’t much, but then again, Vincent wasn’t a troll or a battle mage. “I’m not sure if I should even waste my breath trying to explain this to you; you’re too much of a pathetic moron for it to sink in. But I’ll have a go, anyway.”
Slowly, I reached up and peeled his hand away from my throat, bending his fingers back in an unnatural way.
He yelped, his bloodshot eyes widening in pain.
I didn’t let go. “I’ll have to spell it out for you, Vincent. You were cheating on me. You were fucking your intern and lying about it, and when I caught you, my heart shattered into a million pieces. I didn’t mean to lash out and smash the room around you, and I’m genuinely sorry that you got hurt. But you used it as an excuse to have me arrested, put in jail, and then committed to a psychiatric hospital. For two whole years!” I twisted his hand. Bones crunched. He let out a scream.
I pushed him to his knees, glaring down at him. “You lied, you cheated, you lied some more, you killed my best friend, you were actively involved in having me committed, when I never did anything wrong.”
“No! No, I—”
I squeezed his hand again; the sound of crushing bones was almost sickening. “Say it.”
“I never meant to!”
“You did. You did every single one of those things coldly and deliberately, and you lied to my face.” I squeezed a little harder, the bones in his hand grinding under my palm. “Admit it, Vincent. The truth will set you free.”
“Fine!” he screamed. “I did it! I cheated on you, and I lied about it. I had Rusty put down.”
I shoved him. He fell down the steps and landed in a heap on the sidewalk, letting out a groan of pain.
Only then did I realize there was someone standing out there, watching us.
Donovan.
Vincent let out a strangled sob and struggled to his feet, cradling his injured hand. He lurched towards me again. “You fucking bi—”
“I would rethink your actions, if I were you.” Donovan held him back by his jacket. “It is nothing to me, but I think your beautiful ex-wife could crush your skull without exerting herself too much. I only hold you back now because I know she would regret it later on.”
Vincent took one last look at me; fear suddenly bloomed in his eyes. He took off at a shambling run, sobbing wildly, clutching his broken hand. Soon, he was out of sight.
I stared down at Donovan. He looked back up at me. “How long have you been standing there?”
“The whole time.”
“And you didn’t interfere?”
The hint of a smile played on his lips. “I was hoping for more bloodshed.”
“I’m a little worn out.” I sighed. “The best I can do is a handful of broken fingers.” Oh, God, the sight of him took my breath away—the line of his sculpted jaw with a hint of stubble, those lips refusing to curve into a smile, his deep emerald eyes, hooded and dark in the dim streetlights. He looked like a young demigod in a Burberry suit. I took a deep breath and licked my lips. “Donovan…”
He walked up the steps, moving in close, and my feet stepped forward to meet him. He reached out and cupped my cheek with his palm, resting his thumb on my lips.
“A mountain of words lay between us, unspoken.” His voice rumbled through me, setting the heat in my belly to a low simmer. “We have so much to talk about. But there are more important things we must do with our mouths.”
“What do you—”
He leaned in and kissed me.
Lightning struck when his lips touched mine. A zing of electricity thrummed through me, so shockingly intense, it was almost divine. For a long moment, stars exploded in my mind. I couldn’t think; I could only feel.
Oh, and what a feeling! It was almost too much to bear. Soft lips, rough stubble, silky hair, hard muscles, strong arms…
What was this? It couldn’t be a kiss. I’d been kissed before, many times, and it didn’t feel like this—so giddy and ecstatic, slow and sensual, otherworldly, magical, and so real. His arms tightened around me, one hand at the back of my head, fingers entwined in my hair. The firm press of his lips on mine, his cool breath in my mouth, it was ecstasy—pure, unadulterated pleasure. I gave in, letting it consume me completely. For a long, long while, all my fears fell away, all my doubts vanished, and I kissed my fae prince…
And wished I could do it forever.
Epilogue
The Devourer
