Contractually Yours, Alpha by Giftemmy

Chapter Two Hundred and Seventeen

We drove in complete silence. I didn’t know where he was taking me to, but I didn’t care to ask.

“Aliyah, I’m sorry,” Ash says, sparing a glance at me. “It was dangerous of me to tell the Empress your location. They could have killed you, and it would’ve been entirely my fault. But I couldn’t bear to do nothing–not when I knew what he does to you.”

I couldn’t look at him.

“I’m really sorry, okay? I know I had no right to force all this on you.” He tried again, but when I remained silent, he gave up.

A few minutes passed in silence before I finally said, “You were right.”

His eyes snapped to mine.

“I shouldn’t have let him… feed from me. It was stupid. But after being locked in a castle and controlled for most of my life, I guess I craved something reckless–something fun. And maybe that’s what draws me to him.” I looked away. “I know he’s dangerous, but I’ve spent my whole life being kept away from danger. I want to know what it feels like to abandon caution. I miss him… And I miss him feeding from me. I guess the latter is just a side effect.”

“It will pass. He hadn’t been feeding long enough to cause permanent damage.‘

I nodded, not knowing what exactly to say to that–and then he stopped the car.

Both sides of the road were thick with forest, and the road itself stretched endlessly ahead.

are we

stepped out of the car and walked around to let

about

plants scraped my skin, and I stumbled more times than I could count, but eventually, we reached the stream. A small waterfall fed the pool.

little of the Lake of Youth–the one Julia showed me. Not particularly because they looked similar, but because they both had

When wet, his dirty blond hair looked closer to black, making

realized he was watching me–our eyes met for

neck–deep into the stream. The

“Ash?”

He hadn’t resurfaced.

louder, panic creeping

suddenly–he appeared right in front of me. I gave him a

“You scared me.”

****25 BONUS

Hundred and

He laughed. “Sorry.”

sudden feeling of déjà vu. It took only a split second to realize why. Daemon and I had done something similar. Strangely, having this moment with someone who wasn’t him- even

because he quickly