His Trouble Maker

GRAYSON

Fuck.

She was mine. She chose me. She was supposed to be mine.

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I slam my fist into the desk. The wood splinters under me, but I don’t stop. I grab the edge and tear at it like I can rip this feeling out of my skin, like I can pull the bond back with my bare hands if I just break something hard enough.

But it doesn’t work. It doesn’t go away.

I don’t know what to do anymore. I don’t know where to put all of this–this heat, this weight, this fucking ache

that won’t burn out of me.

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I went home because I thought there had to be another way. I thought maybe I could fight my father. Maybe I could twist his conditions, force him to call this off, give me something–anything–to fix this.

There had to be a way.

But when I got there–when I walked into his office–he was already moving on. Calm. Cold. Smiling like this was all part of the plan.

He wasn’t waiting for me.

He was arranging my marriage.

With Aria. Like Jessica never happened. Like none of this fucking mattered.

1 freeze in the middle of the room, my hands shaking, and for a second, I don’t even know what to feel first. Rage or grief.

Probably both.

Aria. Not Jessica.Never Jessica.

I shove the lamp off the table. It crashes against the wall, shards spinning across the floor, but the sound’s not enough. I throw the chair next. I break the desk. I tear through the room like I can wreck his plans if I just keep moving, but the bond’s still there, thin and fraying and pulling toward him.

And the sickest thing–the thing I can’t get out of my head–the thought that just keeps coming back no matter how hard I try to crush it–is that I want to kill him.

I’ve never been this twisted. I’ve never been this violent. But when it comes to her–when it’s about Jessica–I would burn the whole fucking world just to have her. All of her.

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Chapter 84

I’ve never wanted anything like this. Not until her. And now I can’t let it go. I can’t pull back. I can’t stand here and let Riot have her. I can’t stand here and feel the bond slipping out of my hands and just let it happen. I can’t. I fucking can’t.

But I can’t go back, either.

Because if I walk back into that room–if I see her in his arms–if I see her let him touch her, let him own her–I

know what I’ll

“Grayson..”

Aria. I can smell her before I see

She freezes like she’s just

crawls up my throat.

watch her take in the broken desk, the blood on my knuckles, the walls

sent her. Of course he did. She’s part

never makes

was never safe. Jessica was claws and heat

she’s still hoping she can pull me

forward. She stops talking. I keep walking until she’s pressed back against the doorframe, my hand

to her head. I

can replace her?” I

doesn’t answer. She’s trying to keep

my father it’s not happening,” I say, my mouth dragging close to her ear, low, flat, certain. “Tell him it was never going to

smells like lavender soap. Jessica always smelled like sweat and heat

cracks. “Does it have

has to

think I’d want

Fucking slut.

cruel, because Aria’s still standing here like she thinks she can fix

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Chapter 84

she wants to

I drag my palm down my face, blood

but I don’t

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behind her, crowding her, pressing my chest against her

Her breath stutters.

you getting out of this, huh?” I tighten my grip just a little,

do you just want the name? The

I squeeze harder.

the shell of it. “Tell me. Tell me how bad

anyone touch you like this

I squeeze tighter.

huh?” My voice dips low, dark, sharp. “You want me to ruin you? You want me to

and make you mine,

grab my wrist, weak, trembling, not

Fucking knew it.

let me do anything to you just so you could wear my name.

not her,” I snarl, my nose dragging along her jaw,

1

her, hard enough to make her

you’d let me fuck you just to