“What?” His eyes widen.

I take his chin in my hand and stand on tiptoe to kiss him, a quick tempting brush of my mouth on his. “You’re going to chase me.”

And then I run.

I plunge into the maze, straight ahead for a couple seconds, then a right. Then a left. I run full out, eyes open, an exhilarated glee pumping through my blood. It feels so incredibly good, after everything, to just let go. I don’t even care that my sandals weren’t made for this and that I might have a blister or two tomorrow. My feet are winged, light as air, and I let myself laugh out loud because there’s no one around to hear—except for the vampire chasing me.

I hear him before I see him—a thrum of quick steps, the ripple of a growl. Goose bumps rise on my skin and I leap forward, propelled by an instinct old as time.

He’s right behind me, steps pounding nearer, his breaths heavy with predatory intent. Somehow I sense the moment he pounces, and I skid aside into a right-hand path. He crashes into the corner of the hedge and I laugh again, breathless, redoubling my pace.

Another second, and then I break into an open space with a fountain. I run halfway around it and turn, just in time to see Jay stalking out of the maze. His fangs and claws are out, and fear flickers behind my excitement. What am I doing, tempting the beast? I’m not super familiar with his vampire side yet. And I know it’s possible for vampires to lose themselves in bloodlust. What if this game was a very, very stupid mistake?

Jay’s tongue glides over his teeth. He starts to circle the fountain, and I move in tandem, keeping it between us. The spray is a glittering veil across his prowling figure. As the fountain lights change color, he sparkles in shades of pink, yellow, and green.

“You’re playing a very dangerous game, Daisy,” he croons.

“Maybe I like danger.”

“I don’t remember you being a thrill-seeker.”

“Maybe I picked it up from Jordan.”

“Maybe you need to think more carefully about how this could end.” His tone carries the weight of real concern. He’s talking about more than this game. This is a throwback to our earlier conversation about the future.

“That’s what your mood was all about tonight,” I say. “You’re worried being around you puts me in danger.”

“You could have been killed during that whole Myrtle showdown. You were hurt, for sure. I’ll bet that lump on your head is still sore. And then today, you had to feed your blood to my friend. I wasn’t thinking clearly when I pulled you into this, Daisy. I was being selfish, and that has to stop. I have to set you free of this mess while I still can.”

My whole body rebels at the thought of freedom being anything but this. Freedom is the hectic heat coursing through my veins, the violent rhythm of my heart, the way I feel so exquisitely alive. It’s the warm, ticklish thrills between my legs, the greedy ache in my soul, the wild abandonment of every inhibition. “That’s not your choice to make anymore,” I tell him. “It’s mine. And honestly, I’d rather be with a guy who loves me enough to let me go, instead of the guy who cheated on me and still thinks I belong to him.”

“Who said I love you?” Jay gives me a crooked grin.

My pulse jumps. “It was heavily implied.”

“And here I thought I was hiding it so well.” He’s walking faster now, and I have to pick up the pace to keep the fountain between us. I’m going to have to run for it soon.

“Remember when we used to play tag at the park with the fish slide?” I ask. “We used to circle the merry-go-round just like this.”

“And you were usually the winner.”

“Not always. You were all legs back then. Still are, just with a little extra muscle.”

“Your legs are longer than I remember.” He trails his gaze up my body, and my skin heats. “And you’ve got more in other places, too. Curves that are positively delicious.” His claws drag against the stone edge of the fountain. “I think the stakes are a little higher than a kids’ game of tag. Have you thought about what happens when I catch you?”

I’m burning up, my heart pounding faster. You’ll fuck me. Fuck me hard, make me scream when I come… But I just flash him a smile, then run straight for the opening of the maze behind me.

I only get a few paces along the passage before his body collides with mine, bearing me down to the grassy path. My breath leaves my lungs in a half laugh, half shriek. I’m on my stomach, with him half on top of me, bracing himself on both arms. I stay there for a moment, relishing the press of his hardness into my bottom, savoring the thrills racing through my lower belly.

I can hear him panting heavily above me, each breath thickened with a growl, and for a second I tremble with anticipation of what I’ll see when I roll over to face him. This isn’t a fairy tale. The beast doesn’t turn into a prince through the power of love—it’s the other way around.

I always preferred the beast anyway.

With a quick inhale, I twist, rolling over beneath him until I’m face up, staring into his brown eyes. They’re shot through with white, and they blaze with triumph and desire. He ducks his face against mine, nosing along my cheekbone and temple, and I go perfectly still except for my frantic breaths. A louder growl grates from his throat, and there’s the lightest scrape of a fang against my cheek. His claws travel along my collarbone, over my shoulder, snagging the thin strap of the dress.

“Jay,” I whisper.

“Daisy.” His lips press lightly against my neck, right over my pulse point.

I’m trembling, not with terror but with the frenzied hunger tearing through my blood. I need him. I need him so badly I think I might scream. I’ve needed him for years, for ages…forever.

One claw hooks into the strap, and—pop! Jay rips through it. His claws slide across my chest to the other strap and slit that as well. Then he drags the bodice of the dress down, inch by inch, looking into my eyes the entire time. My heart thunders through my ribs and my skin is incandescent with heat. It’s all I can do not to lunge for Jay, not to writhe and arch to get my body against his—but a primal part of me recognizes the predator in him, awake in this moment, and I stay still, so very still, because any movement could make him snap.

Maybe I want him to snap.

I’m not wearing a bra under the maxi dress, and when Jay rakes the material down to my waist, his gaze drops to my breasts. A low moan issues from his lips. “Fuck,” he whispers. “God, Daisy, you’re beautiful.”

His fangs skate along my skin, and my nipples tighten to eager nubs. Jay chuckles, low and breathless. “I love the way you react to me. I could tell, you know. Right from that moment under the magnolia. You’ve been wet for me ever since.”

My body clenches in response, and my hips surge upward, an involuntary movement.

This is different from anything else we’ve done so far. My need for him goes deeper this time—it’s ferocious, visceral. Even if someone came to interrupt us, I wouldn’t want to stop. I’d let them watch while I fucked him anyway.

“Come here,” I hiss at him. “Stop playing around.”

He grins, a glittering vision of fangs, and my breath stops. But the next second his fangs recede, and the swirling white of his irises alters to black again. His lips look fuller, swollen and flushed, as he ducks his head and mouths my breast, teasing the nipple with his tongue.

With an urgent whimper, I sink my fingers into his hair, drag his face up to mine, and yield to the bliss that is kissing him. His fragrance soaks into my consciousness—pine, leather, and a fresh hint of basil. His crisp shirt presses against my bare skin, and I can feel him burning, burning through his clothes, his body hard with tension. He’s as feral for me as I am for him.

The evening air breathes over us, stirs my hair as Jay slips his tongue into my mouth. He’s cautious about it at first, until I tighten my grip on his hair and thrash my tongue against his, releasing a hoarse whimper into his mouth. I want him so badly I can hardly think. The sweet soreness in my pussy is so much worse—I ache to have him there. I can’t wait another second.

“I want you inside me,” I gasp. “I want you deep, as deep as you can get. I want you to fucking break me, Jay.”

“In a minute,” he whispers. “Just…give me a minute.” His fingers glide over my bare skin, flexing, caressing my flesh as if he wants to memorize the feel of me. I shove my hands under his shirt, running them up his sides and around to the muscled expanse of his back.

Shifting his position, he rakes the maxi dress up my thighs and his fingers nestle at my core, probing my soaked underwear. The claws return, their sharp points dancing along the hollow of my hip, and then there’s a raw rip of material as Jay destroys the panties.

I gasp with momentary terror that he might plunge those sharp nails into me—but I know he won’t, because it’s Jay. He stops kissing me for a moment while he focuses on retracting the claws—and then his fingers are back, sliding through my folds, swirling and circling. I arch into the touch, struggling to get the pressure I need, but he just keeps teasing, relishing my neediness.

“I’ve wanted to do this to you for so long,” he whispers. “To watch you come undone for me, Daisy. I loved making you come in the VR room and on my bed, but this is even better. I can see you now, all the tiny changes, the expressions of your sweet face as I touch your clit, as I stroke your pussy right through here, and then down here…ah, you like that better, don’t you?”

I can’t form coherent words, but I lace my fingers at the back of his neck and pull him down to me. I crush his mouth to mine, swirling my tongue between his teeth. When he relaxes against me, bracing his hands on either side and settling his hips against my center, I reach down between us and graze my fingers along his length, through his jeans. I capture his throaty gasp with my lips, savoring it.

“Take these off before I bite you myself,” I whisper.

He climbs off me long enough to shuck off his clothes and expose his entire lean, beautiful body to my sight. I prop myself on my elbows to get a better look at him. “Jay Gatsby, you are goddamn gorgeous.”

Jay grins, his eyeteeth glinting. That feral smile of his prompts a naughty impulse, and I rise, sliding off the maxi dress so I’m entirely naked, just like him.