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CHAPTER 1

~SEAN~

No h sees—of what Avery saw, butout of her shell, finally denying thatI have her naed body pressed firine how hot she must look from the other side of the pane, but the fact that she even does it astounds me I put her on display as if I own every inch of her, and she lets me It’s almost as if she likes it, and I hope to God that she does

The way her body fits against mine is perfect I slip my pal the side of her neck There’s a spot thatand everything So to keep me away Other ti her senseless and doing anything I need

Avery breathes in and pushes back against asps The se to undo th to her back That sound purrs froain God, I love it when she does that That little breath sounds like ecstasy, shock, and desire all wrapped into one tiny perfect noise

I grab her hips, angling the her more, but I can’t Not when she’s like this Avery presses back into me and tells me how much she wants me inside of her

Her words undo me

Pressing my hands firmly to the sides of her hips, I asps again and claws at theArching her back, she presses her hps towardmy ck in deeper

She’s so fuing wet that I can’t think beyond the moment, which is rare I’m always ten steps ahead of everyone It’s part of who I am, but here—in this second—I’m lost A lifetime of pain vanishes with every thrust into her hot, slick core The past vanishes and I feel alive

I tangle our fingers together and don’t want to stop Pushing harder and deeper with every thrust, Avery takes s for more I didn’t think I’d have this chance

For years I’ve walked around feeling nothing, to the point that I’d become a monster I’m not some dipshit who can’t admit what he is—what he’s become I know da left to save, and yet, this wos me back to life I was a corpse, and co and et enough of her

I want more, she always makes me want more, and it’s not just her body—it’s her—it’s Avery There’s so about the quirky smile on her sinful lips and the way she speaks It’s the flash of her eyes when she sees so with life, even though when I met her, I wasn’t sure she wanted to be

The darkness within her called to htback for more

Every inch of my body is tense and I can’t stand it anymore I need to hear her lose it, and call outmy hands to her hips, I pummel into her harder and faster until she melts into me At least that’s my plan

I want Avery to forget all the shit that’s bothering her, I want those nightht, and I want to be the reason

I hope to God she needs ht, and darkness—everything I need Life without her would be uniinable

That’s when Avery lint in the darkness Before I have a chance to sate her, I pull us to the floor I’ worse because I didn’t see it Either way, I’ it

A second later, there’s a loud cracking noise, followed by the ing to bits Glass fragments blast past us I try to cover Avery, but I can’t look up to see how s fro, hot pain shoots through my shoulder and down my arm

Avery shakes beneathto wrap her ar her to move

The h time for ancient worries to reseed the up like weeds and vine faster than I can uproot them and toss them into the fire

That dreadful thought whispers in my mind, What if you can’t protect her? What if she dies?

That’s what does it No ht it, I’oddah ers, pale and cold with dark blood pooled under her snohite skin I stand there seeing htmare

Then I’ in the doorway to our old roo back The insides ofcrushed Aed for help, but I didn’t come

This is my fault

CHAPTER 2

~SEAN~

I stand there shaking froone, but I refuse to accept it I race to her side and pick up her cold, stiff hand, and that’s when I notice the baby covered in blood, lifeless and silent My daughter is so tiny and the way she lies silently by Aers and toes, kills me

Jaw treuish back, but it’s consu me Piece by piece, I feel my mind slip away

That moment destroyed me and it was my fault

When I blink, I feel Avery beneath hosts won’t release es fro in and out ofthe present with the past I can’t stop it

“Avery?” I ask her, shaking her slightly because she’s so still “Are you all right?” My voice is far from steady, and as I pull back to look at her, I see that she’s lying in a pool of scarlet A shiver takes hold of my soul and won’t releaseelse, but she doesn’t speak