The Invitation

What the fuck?

My attention went from the knife in her hand to Tobias. Was this just part of his game or something more sinister?

It was Lacey who was meant to be the player here, but what if I was too? Wasn’t I always playing by Tobias’s rules, anyway?

When he pulled a hidden gun from the waist of his pants, I froze. “Run,” he said, cocking it. “Both of you.” There was nothing on his face, zero emotion, and I had no doubt he was more than capable of pulling that trigger.

When neither of us moved, he rammed the barrel against Lacey’s temple. Within her terrified expression, I could see the realization settling over her. She hadn’t sold herself for sex. She’d sold her soul to a demon.

“I suggest you run, Preston. Or she can’t chase you. And then pity—you’ll both be dead.”

A mixture of fear and excitement wormed through my chest at the thought of her fighting. Not that I wanted to kill her, but I delighted in the thought of her thinking she was the hunter when she would soon become the hunted.

Tobias fired the gun in the air. She may not be able to kill me, but he could.

Twigs snapped beneath our feet as we wove between tall pines.

I got a few yards in front of her, then shifted behind a tree, and hid within the shadows as I waited for her to get closer. She slowed beside the trunk and I stepped out, a smirk on my face. “Are you really going to stab me, Lacey? Are you a murderer?”

“I didn’t sign up for this.” The knife trembled in her hand. “I don’t want him to kill me, but I don’t want to kill you.”

“Then don’t.”

Tears fell down her cheeks. Her attention went from me to the knife. “Are you really a murderer?”

“Yes.” There was something liberating about voicing it without hesitation. “The question is, Lacey, are you?”

She took an unsteady step back. I fully expected her to turn tail and run, but then another gunshot sounded not too far away. I saw the moment she made a choice between her life or mine, and she chose herself.

She shrieked before launching at me like a cornered animal. Only I wasn’t cornering her, Tobias was.

As one of my hands went to her throat, the other reached for her wrist, but not fast enough. She drove the blade toward my chest.

I sucked in a breath, braced for the sting of metal slicing through skin, but there was nothing. No ripping or tearing, no blinding burn. Just the soft thud of the hilt touching my chest.

When I glanced down, there was no blood. She screamed, then stabbed me again—only she didn’t.

I watched the blade retract into the handle. It was prop.

Oh, Tobias. A smile pulled at my lips as I dug my fingers into her soft throat. “You tried to kill me, Lacey.” I slammed her onto the ground, then fell on top of her.

“Please.” Her nails clawed at my hand. “I didn’t—He said…”

“Shh.” I squeezed her throat until she had no choice but to shut the fuck up. I brushed my mouth against her parted lips as she gasped for breath.

Twigs snapped behind me, and I tensed, instinctively knowing Tobias had found us.

“The contract specifically stated no physical harm that could intentionally result in death would occur.” He tsked. “Now look at you.”

I glanced over my shoulder as he stepped into a pool of silvery moonlight shining through the tree limbs. “So shooting her would be a breach of your precious contract?” Lucky her.

Lacey choked beneath me, reminding me of her fleeting oxygen levels.

“I don’t know. Would it?” He took another step forward. “I gave her a fake knife. My gun has blanks, but your hands…” A deep chuckle broke through the silent night. “Your hands are very much taking her life away, second by second. Just like Leah…”

I narrowed my eyes. “This one tried to kill me with your fake knife. Leah was an accident.”

Tobias stepped forward, crouching beside me. “Is this accidental?” He swept a hand over my hard dick, and my violence became tinged with lust.

I gritted my teeth, annoyed at the entire situation. “Would you like me to release her, Tobias?”

“Oh, no.” He pushed to his feet, then stripped out of his jacket. “I wouldn’t.”

With each piece of clothing Tobias took off, my grip loosened. Enough for Lacey to catch a breath. Even though she tried to stab me, I needed her to witness Tobias in all his perfection. I needed her to want him, despite knowing he would kill her. I wanted her to be oh so weak for him, just as I was.

Finally, Tobias stepped out of his boxers, the moonlight highlighting the length of his hard dick. A hard dick I wanted to drag my tongue over.