Empire of Hate (Empire #3) by Rina Kent

“In your dreams. I’m just worried about my health.”

“Not terribly worried if you didn’t bring condoms for your fucking session with Chris.” He sounds disapproving, angry even.

“I told you that was not my plan. Do you at least use protection with the others?”

“Why? Worried I’ll become a teen dad?”

“One, that would be awful for Aunt Nora. She doesn’t deserve your trouble. Two, I’m worried for myself.”

“You won’t get anything.”

I narrow my eyes. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. What I’m not sure about, however, is whether or not you’ll become a teen mum.”

“I’m on birth control! You’re the last person whose spawn I would want inside me.”

He twists his lips with apparent displeasure or exasperation, I’m not sure.

“And who’s the first on your list?”

“None of your business. Maybe I don’t want kids for the next ten years. Wait a minute, why am I talking about kids with you?”

“Because you secretly want me to be your baby daddy. I’m rich, smart, charming, and most importantly of all, I have the right equipment.”

His cock brushes against my thigh, and a frisson jolts through me. He’s looking at me like he’ll fuck me hard and fast again.

Like he’ll make me scream his name while he does it.

“No…no way, Daniel.”

“Why not? You’re trembling for it.”

“Are you a sex addict?”

“You make me a sex maniac, Peaches, and I’ll devour you for it. I’ll fuck you until neither of us can stand anymore.”

“Don’t you…hate me?”

“I can still want you.”

“That’s all?”

His eyes meet mine, but it’s brief before he lowers his head and sinks his teeth into the space between my collarbone and shoulder, then speaks against it, “Believe me, you don’t want anything else from me.”

“Why…not?”

“Because the world is beneath you, Nicole. Me included.”

I shudder, and it’s not only because his teeth are back to that sensitive place, biting and sucking like he needs to engrave something on my flesh.

A memory.

A memento.

Or a detail much more nefarious.

My body melts against his as I scramble for words to tell him he was never beneath me.

He was and will always be my darkest, most forbidden fantasy.

“Daniel, I—”

“Fire!” Someone bangs on the door as commotion filters through from outside.

Daniel and I look at each other and then he’s pulling me out of the bathroom and into the room. We hastily dry ourselves and Daniel puts himself together in no time.

Then he sighs when he sees me fussing with my dress’s ribbons.

“Give it.”

He doesn’t wait for me. He snatches the dress from between my fingers and puts it on me with staggering efficiency. I have no underwear on and my wet hair drips onto the dress, but that doesn’t matter as Daniel grabs me by the wrist and drags me out.

A commotion greets us in the hallway. People running, others screaming, and fire extinguishers being used in the most amateurish way.

I’m slightly overwhelmed by all the chaos, the smell of smoke, and the shouts.

Daniel, however, seems more focused than me. He moves forward, pushing everyone out of his way as he keeps me firmly behind him with his warm hand wrapped tightly around my wrist.

And just like that, the whole turbulence loses meaning. The dread from the fire is now nonexistent.

He then brings out his phone and holds it to his ear.

“Pick up, Astrid. Come on.”

I bite my lower lip the more his brows draw together when she doesn’t answer.

As soon as we get outside, it’s chaos. The left wing of the house is completely in flames. Students are taking videos, others are running or screaming or being loud for no apparent reason.

“Nicole!”

“What?” I realize Daniel is speaking to me when he snaps his fingers in front of my face.

“Do you have your car?”

“Yeah.”

“Can you drive?”

“No. I feel a bit drunk.”

“Fuck. Just wait here.”

“What…where are you going?”

“I need to find Astrid. She’s not answering her phone.”

I grab onto his arm with both hands, and for the first time since I’ve known him, I say, “No, go back with me.”

It doesn’t matter that I already asked Mum to pick me up, I want him to be the one who does it.

His brow furrows and when he doesn’t make a move, I do something else I’ve never done. I beg, “Please.”

His eyes clash with mine for a second, and I can see his walls tumbling, but before I can peek at what’s behind them, he pulls them right back up.

Daniel removes my hand from his arm. “I’ll find Astrid and be right back.”

And then he’s running through the house again.

I fall to a sitting position on the steps, my heart hammering and my chest wounded.

It’s dripping blood on the concrete; no one can see it, but it’s right there.

Dark.

Red.

Lethal.