You Are Mine Little Sister (by Syra Tucker) novel Chapter 213

"Great!" I answered too fast.

She gave me a long, knowing look.

"What? It's all I've ever wanted. He just...forced this whole stuff on me."

I I folded my hands in my lap and turned to the window. I tried to picture him with someone else. I imagined him holding her the way he did me; imagined him bonding and fucking her the same way he did me in bed. The images...well, it stung a little.

"Seriously, Zerali? You still believe you're with the Torturer because he forced himself on you? You told me how quickly it was for you to love him as Dominic. You didn't know he was the Torturer then, and you fell willingly. Shouldn't that tell you you actually love this guy on your own, not just because he forced himself on you initially?"

Images of him as Dominic played behind my eyes. I remembered how pure and interesting our friendship had been, remembered how he brought me out of my shell and made me do things I didn't think I'd be able to do again.

She was right on that one; I'd loved him on my own as Dominic without being forced in any way. It was the fastest I'd ever fallen for a man.

Still, it stung. I sounded a little angry as I faced her.

"Why are you even defending him? Shouldn't you be my mother? A mother's not supposed to defend someone like him."

That didn't seem to affect her the bit. Instead, as we stopped at another red light, she smiled.

"Zerali dear, you should know by now that I won't pretend to be a saint. The world we live in is a dangerous one where good people mostly get hurt. You stay in a world like this, you need someone dangerous by your side. If you really want to marry someone else and not him, I promise I'll stand by you and fight with the last drop of my blood. But you do know a 'normal' man could love you so much and abandon you when the house's on fire, right?" She looked at me. "That's just an example. But the point is, I've seen the way the Torturer loves you. He loves you like you the only time that matters. If it came down to giving his life for you, he'd do it without a second thought, and that's not even an exaggeration. Take it from a woman who's had her own fair share of men; the Torturer loves you in ways men don't love anymore."

Cars honked around us. That was when we realized the light had turned green.

She resumed driving, and for the rest of the drive, I was dumb, her words sewing through the cracks of my mind.

****†****†

The sun was already gone, dragged beneath the horizon. The night was cool and calm

I walked into the house to find him and his trio having what appeared to be a meeting at the dining. The sight only left me wondering what they could be plotting this time.

From the moment I opened the door and walked into the living room, Void didn't take his eyes off me for one second.

I couldn't hear what they were saying, but suddenly, he stood up, tapped the table twice, and his trio stood up as well. Meeting dismissed.

"Hey, beautiful," Erik winked at me. "I knew you'd show up before I left. Always knew you had a thing for me."

I was already laughing before he finished.

He suddenly stopped smiling, and slowly, turned to glance back at Void. The look he found there drained every ounce of humor from his face. Erik lifted both hands in surrender.

"I was just quoting a line I saw in a movie, boss. I promise I wasn't talking to her."

"You sure?" Katya chimed in sweetly. "'Cause I was just about to hand him my gun."

"Katya, please. You're always in for the destruction of me. People only pray because of people like you."

They reached me at the doorway. me.

"Hey," Miles tipped his chin at me, emotionless as always.

"Hi." I tipped my chin back.

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