“Why did you make me a Zero?”
“You could have been in the top ten straight away, but your deception had most of the adults refusing you entry. Except for my father. He was as curious about you as I was. The minute I saw your face, I knew I had to meet you, I had to have you. So, I made you a Zero, and decided to find out just how much of a liar you truly were. The thing is, you are so fucking honest, it became clear that you truly didn’t know anything about your legacy. It’s amazing how little you truly know about yourself.” He shakes his head at me, and I am just as confused as I was before. “I wondered if you would have the strength to make it into the ranks and then you saved Maddox, and I realized that not only are you honest, you’re also decent. It’s a weird concept for us Harkwrights, and it only piqued my curiosity even more.”
“Both you and your father have called me a legacy now, but I still don’t know what you mean,” I say, only just refraining from stomping my feet through frustration.
“I want to see if you can figure it out for yourself first. It’s no fun if I give all the secrets away,” he says and I wonder which version of him said that.
“You said I can choose who I give myself to, and that you don’t want to be my first. If that’s the case, why can’t Aeron touch me? He claimed me, so surely he can do whatever he wants to my body.” I watch as his jaw ticks and his eyes narrow. He breathes more deeply before he grips my hand and starts walking faster, dragging me further down the beach.
He doesn’t stop until we come across a hut, and he pulls me around to the side of it and slams me against the wall. The air whooshes out of me under the force, and my back aches slightly from the impact. One of his hands is resting on my collarbone, close enough to my neck that I can’t help but recall Emily’s tale of when he took her to his room. His other hand grips my ponytail in a tight grip as he pulls my head back until it tilts up and exposes my neck.
“I know what I’ve said, my Star. It doesn’t mean that my body doesn’t burn and my vision doesn’t turn red every time I think about one of those fuckers putting their hands on you. I can’t be with you until you’ve experienced more, and I know I said you could choose, but that doesn’t mean I want it to be Aeron.” His jaw is growing impossibly hard, and I keep expecting to see steam shooting out of his ears. “The idea of him touching you sends me into a blinding rage, and I can’t handle that. If he sinks inside you, he may never let you go, and then I’ll never get to claim you for myself. Because believe me, Luna, once I claim you, I will not relinquish my claim for anyone.”
I swallow hard as I look into his eyes, I can’t find any hint of my guy. This is one hundred percent Emmet, and I don’t know what to make of it.
“You are mine, Star. Let me remind you of that.” His mouth connects with mine, hard. His lips are bruising, and his kiss is scorching as his tongue delves into my mouth and takes full control.
My hands slide up his top and claw down his back, no doubt leaving marks in their wake. He growls into my mouth as he pulls harder on my hair, sending pain shooting through my skull, but it only adds to the excitement that the kiss is awakening in me. His teeth join in the game as he pulls my bottom lip into his mouth, biting down on my lip before licking the sting away. Over and over again he does this, and I can’t contain my moans or the way my body seems to move into his reactively.
He breaks the kiss and slides a hand down over my chest, across my stomach, and into the waistband of my shorts. His hand dips into my panties, and my teeth sink into my bottom lip as he runs a finger through my folds before pulling it back out and sucking my excitement off.
“Your body doesn’t lie. You might not be willing to admit you belong to me, but your body already knows. This is only the beginning, Star. I hope you’re ready.”
I join Aeron the moment I get back. He slides his arm around my waist, and I don’t even stop myself from stepping closer into him. He looks at me with a question in his eyes, but I can’t bring myself to say anything. I don’t belong to Emmet and I refuse to let that change, but I don’t know how to convince him of that. Maybe I should just fuck him and then he can move on to his next obsession. Maybe it will be easier if I just give in and give myself to whoever is willing to take it, but could I live with myself after?
Aeron tenses beside me, and I follow his gaze to see a woman immaculately dressed, but her style is a few years too young for her to effectively pull it off. Add that to the fact that it looks as though she owns shares in all the Botox companies, and she’s definitely not my kind of people. I don’t like this judgmental person I’ve become, but she’s a Harkwright, so maybe I can forgive myself just this once.
“Aeron, darling. This must be your little claimee, how cute. I do hope you aren’t planning on only having her though. You should aim higher if you’re looking for something more long term,” she says as she looks down her nose at me. What a bitch.
“Mother, you needn’t concern yourself with what I do within the Academy. I’ll be sure not to cause you any further embarrassment,” he replies coolly, and the air has dropped a few degrees, just from the ice in his tone.
“Now that would be a pleasant change, don’t forget that I require you to come to New York in a few months. I’d suggest you bring a ‘toy’ with you to keep you occupied, and relieve all this stress you seem to carry.” I don’t like the way she looks at me as she says ‘toy’.
“I won’t forget,” he replies bitterly, and she pats him twice on the cheek before tottering away on her ridiculous high heel.
“Are you okay?” I ask, looking up at him through my lashes, and I watch as he squeezes his eyes closed tight for a few moments before opening them to look at me.
“Not really, but I will be,” he replies and I don’t like the dark, haunted look that now fills his eyes. I want to help him feel better.
Although that thought gets moved to the side for a moment, when a flash of white passes in my peripheral. I spin around to search for the cause, when my eyes land on the back of a woman with the same color hair that I have. I can’t seem to form a cohesive thought as I take her in. Our body shapes even appear similar, although I can’t be certain unless she turns around.
“Come on, Little Zero, I need something a little stronger,” he declares as he tightens his arm and steers me away. I can’t take my eyes off the woman, as I silently plead for her to turn around and look at me. She doesn’t though, and we soon disappear inside the house.
He leads me down a set of stairs leading into the basement, but I guess they have turned it into some kind of den. Sam is here with Thirty-Eight, I guess Caitlyn didn’t make the cut. I wonder if she cares. Daria is sitting next to Bradley, but her shoulders are pulled up tight and her fingers seem to dig into her palms. He’s sitting there gazing at his phone. Jake is with April/Erin - I really need to find out what her name is - and Scott must have brought One with him because she’s doing everything but fucking him right now. Surely he can’t enjoy being pawed at like that?
“Your other guys aren’t down here yet. No doubt scouting around for some girl to help pass the time.” He chuckles darkly while dropping onto a loveseat, and pulling me down onto his lap.