The Prey: A Dark Enemies to Lovers Romance (Oakmount Elite Book 3)

His commanding voice greets me in the dark. I knew he would follow me as soon as I saw him walking toward Bel and me in the house. I was hoping he would take the hint and give me some time to cool off out here alone, but apparently, even a moment of peace and quiet is too much to spare.

I turn to stare at him, watching as he basks in the moonlight like a god cut from stone. His biceps are accentuated and hugged tight by the dark gray Oakmount T-shirt he’s wearing, and there’s something about a guy in gray sweatpants that does it for me. There’s a feral look in his eyes, his usually perfect hair mussed around his forehead.

Mussed because some bitch had been all over him. I have no right to be angry. He’s not mine, and I’m not his. I know that, but I can’t stop the jealousy from forming so I grit my teeth and fix my gaze somewhere off in the distance over his shoulder.

“Why do you care what I’m doing?”

“Because I do.”

Even though I’m angry, I don’t intend to play into his bullshit.

He walks all the way over to me, stopping with only a few inches separating us. With him this close I can feel the heat from his body wafting off him. Looking down, I spot a bottle of liquor in his hand. The guy has a drinking problem, but I know better than to tell him that. It never helped when I told my father, either.

“Don’t you have someone else to harass?”

“I do, but no one I get as much joy out of harassing as you.”

“Well, stop getting joy from it and go bother someone else.” I try not to sound as hate-filled as I feel.

“Nope, not going to happen.” He takes a swig from the bottle and wipes the excess alcohol from his lips with the back of his hand. “So are you going to tell me what the fuck you’re doing out here alone in the dark with Yanov lurking around? I believe we had a conversation once before regarding your safety.”

His words sting, and I scan the dark trees, suddenly feeling exposed and vulnerable. He’s right; Yanov is still out there. Waiting. Watching. It’s only a matter of time. I swallow around the knot of fear that forms in my throat at that reminder.

Sensing the darkness lingering on the fringes of my mind, Sebastian uses his free hand and tips my chin up, forcing me to look at him, bringing me back to the present.

“Relax. He’s not out here. I would have noticed.”

I’m still angry over seeing him with those girls. I want to hurt him and make him bleed. Why do I care so much? “Noticed? You’re kidding, right? How can you notice anything with your lap covered in girls while you down a bottle of alcohol?” I shake my head in disgust. I know I shouldn’t wear my emotions on my sleeve, but I can’t continue to hide how I feel.

His gaze narrows, and his grip on my chin tightens.”There are very few things related to you, Little Prey, that I don’t notice.”

I jerk my chin free from his grasp, and a breath shudders out of my lungs. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

We’ve been on this teeter-totter of emotions, going back and forth. The attitude I’m giving him is nothing like my usual self, but I feel like I’ve been pushed to the limit. I can’t keep living like this. Every time he enters a room, my lungs tighten, and I forget how to breathe, how to exist. I don’t know if it’s from fear or lust, but the more I try to ignore him, the more I crave him.

Seconds tick on, and I can feel his eyes on me. I can hear those stupid girls in the kitchen talking about their scars and asking how I got mine because God knows he’d never touch someone who looks like me. I let my anger lead me and thrust my arm out toward him.

The scar, still scabbed over from his knife, is visible in the moonlight. “What does this mean? That I’m just another one of your conquests? Did you fuck all those girls?” I don’t know why I’m asking him that when I already know the answer. Maybe I just want him to give me another reason to hate him.

“We both know I don’t owe you an explanation,” he whispers, his eyes on the mark like I’ve bared more than that skin up to my shoulder. He inches closer, and instinct tells me to retreat, but that’s not an option with the massive oak tree at my back.

“No, you’re right. You don’t owe me an explanation for fucking every girl on campus.” My tone is hard as I try to ignore my body’s reaction to his proximity.

Before I can make sense of what’s going on, he’s got me trapped, caged in, his arms resting on either side of my head. The bottle of liquor bumps against the bark, emitting a soft clink. I shouldn’t do it. I know I shouldn’t but I breathe deeply, letting his cologne fill my lungs. It’s then when all my senses seem to go out the window.

Clean. Home. That’s what he smells like.

My entire body lights up, from the tips of my toes to the tips of my fingers. My core aches, my arousal soaking the cotton of my panties. How am I already aching for him? I want his hands on me so much it takes immense effort not to tip my hips up into his.

“Careful, Little Prey. If I wasn’t so sure you hated my guts, I’d say that sounds a lot like jealousy. Or are you mad that it’s not real? That I didn’t fuck you before I marked you? Are you upset you didn’t get the complete experience?”

Asshole. I can’t hold his gaze when he’s talking so crudely, and I know all it would take is one look for him to know the truth. “I’m not jealous of them. You’re an adult; you can do what you want. Who you fuck has nothing to do with me.”

“Yeah, you say that, but it’s a bullshit response.” He slams his hand against the tree near my face, and I jump, startled by the sudden movement.

“What do you want me to say? That I want you to fuck me? Oh please, Sebastian.” I mock softly. “No, I think it’s pretty clear we can’t cross that bridge. Look what happened after the blow job. You can’t look at me or even be in the same room as me for longer than five minutes.” I trail off, shaking my head in disappointment because, once again, I’ve shown him how vulnerable he makes me.

When will I ever learn?

Never. Which is why I keep finding myself in these stupid situations. I lift my chin and prepare to escape the cage he’s trapped me in, but when my gaze catches on his, I see something there that I’ve never seen before. Guilt. Sadness. It’s only a brief glimpse, but it’s there, reflecting back onto me.

“Fuck. Haven’t you realized by now that it’s not because I can’t stand to fucking look at you, Ely?”

Oh God. This is when he destroys me for the last time. When he cuts out my still beating heart and tosses it at my feet. I turn my face away from him because I don’t want to see his eyes when he lands that final blow. But nothing is ever simple with this man, and as soon as I turn away from him, he reaches for me, his fingers against my chin, dragging my gaze back to his.

“No, look at me. Fucking look at me.” There’s so much command in his voice I can’t help but do so. I try to wipe my face clean of all emotion, but I can’t. I’m not like him. Almost like he knows this, he frowns. “Ely. It’s not anything that you’re thinking. I can’t be in a room with you or fucking look at you because it takes every ounce of self-control I have not to strip away your clothing with my knife and fuck you against the nearest surface until all you know is me. Until all you feel is my cock inside you, my weight above you, my cum dripping out of you.”

I don’t know what to think. How to react. It’s like I’m having an out of body experience. All this time, he’s been avoiding me because he’s afraid of losing control?

“But… I thought. You’ve told me so many times that I’m nothing to you, and now you’re saying you’ve wanted me this whole time?” The words fall from my lips with a bite of rage.

“Oh, Ely. I don’t think you understand. You’re this beautiful fucking parasite, eating away at all the darkness around my heart. I’ve had to tell myself you’re nothing in hopes I could make myself believe it, but I can’t. I never have. You’re under my skin and in every fucking breath I take. You’ve destroyed me, and I fear there’s no going back to where we were before. “

Wait, what? I part my lips, ready to explode on him, but my brain short-circuits the words, preventing them from coming out because Sebastian’s firm, full, warm-as-hell lips press down on mine. I can barely comprehend what is happening right now, but what I do know is that I don’t want this moment to end. Weeks of anger and resentment make me crave something I shouldn’t, something I know is bound to only end in heartbreak.

Yet even with that warning in my mind, I press closer, not wanting a single inch of space between us. Our tongues tangle, and the taste of bourbon explodes in my mouth, and fuck, it’s like coming home after being gone for months.

As usual, Sebastian takes complete control, one hand cradling my cheek, the other dropping the bottle of liquor so he can cup the other side of my face. He angles me in such a way that allows him to deepen the kiss, his thumb coming under my chin to tip my mouth back just right. I clutch onto his arms, my body melting into his, my knees trembling, threatening to give out on me. Who knew a kiss could have such an impact? Then again, this isn’t just any kiss.

This is hate, want, desire, and lust all packed into one.

Laughter carries from somewhere off in the distance, and I jolt back into my body like a lightning strike. Wait…we can’t do this. We shouldn’t. I don’t want to be another mark on his bedpost. I want to be special. More. Releasing my hold on his arms, I move my hands to his muscular chest and give him a shove to break the connection.

He breaks the kiss, pulling away just enough to stare down at me in the dark, his erratic breathing matching my own.

“Don’t tell me you don’t feel it?” Desire drips from his voice.

There’s more laughter, and I hear someone’s lilting voice. “Sebastian, why don’t you come play with us?”

No. I’m just another tally, another girl he’s claimed, minus the actual fucking, which I guess makes me less than them. The reality of that feels like being punched in the throat. I have to get away from him. I can’t bear to be seen as nothing more than a stone when I know damn well that I’m a diamond, even if he doesn’t see it. Tears prick my eyes, and I blink them away, because I do not want to cry in front of him. Titling my face away from him, I shove at his chest again, harder, but he barely moves, not even an inch.

“What’s wrong?” His voice echoes in my mind.

“Everything.” I shake my head. “Everything is wrong. This. Us. I’m not a toy. You can’t just kiss me and play with me when you want, then toss me aside when you’ve had your fill. I’m not that type of girl, and I won’t be treated like one. Hell, you’ve barely spoken to me lately, and when you do, it’s filled with nothing but anger and hate.”

“I don’t hate you, Elyse.”

I turn my face to look at him. “You do. I know hate when I see it. I was raised by a man who hates me, who can’t even look at me without reminding me that I’m the reason for my mother’s death. I know what hate looks like, Sebastian.”

“I. Don’t. Hate. You. Ely.” He enunciates each word like that will make me believe him more. Stupidly, I scan his features for any proof that he’s lying, but his face doesn’t give much away.

“Even if you don’t hate me, you’ve been acting like you do. You went from ignoring my existence to showing concern to acting like you don’t care about me. It’s a lot of hot and cold, and I can’t handle it anymore.”

“You’re something else,” he mutters under his breath.

“Just tell me what you want, Sebastian. Tell me what you want from me so I can stop second-guessing every interaction we have,” I ask, needing to hear the answer.

He’s given me part of it, but I need more.

When it comes to him, I’m so conflicted. I don’t know what to do or believe.

“That’s such a loaded question, and I have a million answers for it, but my biggest want, need, and desire is for you to shut that pretty fucking mouth of yours”—he strokes my cheek gently—“and let me kiss you.”

All I can do is blink, and when he smirks at me, I swear my heart soars out of my chest. Leaning in, his lips brush against mine sensually, our breaths mingling together, and all there is, is him. His scent and taste threaten to drown me and consume me from the outside in. “I never lied when I said you were my property. You’ve belonged to me since the night I found you, and not just because of your father’s debt. You’re mine because I say you’re mine, and in every single way, Ely. Every. Fucking. Way.”