Jeremy lay sprawled on the marble floor, his jaw bent at a sickening angle, teeth scattered like bits of broken glass. Blood pooled slowly beneath his head. The others looked at him with some measure of pity, disgust, or relief. Melanie did not look at him at all.
Why should she? He was nothing. A nuisance at best, a pest at worst. His blood did not stir her, nor did his ruined face. The only thing of interest to her in this room, the only thing that mattered, sat across from her with his fists still slowly flexing, his knuckles mending as flesh knitted itself back together.
Her half-brother. Almost half her age. Words that should have made her skin crawl with revulsion only deepened her hunger. The sight of him standing over Jeremy, brutal and merciless, had made her pulse thrum with a fever she could barely contain.
She smiled faintly, a picture of composure. Her hands folded in her lap, her posture straight, her expression serene. It was an expression she had practiced countless times, a mask she wore better than anyone. No one here needed to see the truth simmering beneath her skin.
Her eyes slid, almost idly, over the others.
Aria, with her soft voice and gentle eyes, looked at Adam far too long. Luna, with her pale hair and crimson eyes, unsettled Melanie the most. At first, she thought the girl must be albino, but then she noticed the faint glimmer of madness hiding in those red depths. It was a madness she recognized, mirrored in her own heart. That made her wary.
Then there was Rachel. The monkey-eared girl leaned against the wall, her amber eyes fixed on Melanie like knives. Her ears twitched faintly, tail flicking with idle patience, as though she were peeling away the layers of Melanie's mask. The stare made Melanie's skin prickle.
She did not let it show. Her smile never faltered.
And Lily. Always watching. Always too quiet, too perceptive. Penny, too, even in her softness, lingered too close to Adam, her presence an irritation.
Why were they all here? Why was Adam surrounded by so many beautiful women, each of them orbiting him as though he were the sun?
The question gnawed at her.
She counted the men again. Greg, the brute who had knocked Jeremy unconscious, was too busy enjoying his own strength to be a threat. Ethan was a boy, naive and fumbling, hardly worth noticing. And the others, Leo and Morgan… Melanie's smile sharpened slightly. She could tell. They were girls. Pretty ones too.
So why only two men? Why so many women? Why did they all gather around Adam like moths drawn to a flame?
Her jaw ached beneath her smile. She forced her lips to relax.
He was not theirs. He was hers. He had always been hers. The thought of their hands on him, their voices speaking his name, was enough to make her vision blur with sudden heat. She pictured Aria's throat beneath her nails, Luna's pale skin stained red, Rachel's smirk broken into silence. The images came unbidden and vivid, satisfying for the briefest of moments.
Her smile softened again, her hands smoothing over the fabric of her skirt. They could not see. She would not let them see.
Adam's presence unraveled her control. Every time she glanced at him, the storm inside howled louder, clawing at her composure. She wanted to walk across the floor, push the others aside, take his face in her hands, and make him see her. She wanted to claim him here, now, in front of them all.
If she revealed herself too soon, he might turn away. He might recoil from her hunger. She could not let that happen. Patience was her only weapon, patience and the mask she had worn for so long.
Still, cracks formed. She could feel them. Rachel's stare was too sharp, Luna's presence too familiar, Lily's gaze too steady. They made her uneasy, made her wonder if the mask was not as perfect as it once had been.
No. That was impossible. She had worn it for years. No one had ever seen through it. Not her father. Not her colleagues. Not even Jeremy, useless parasite that he was. They had all believed her smiles, her laughter, her gentle tone. They had never glimpsed the monster beneath.
Adam spoke, his voice low, steady, and her chest ached. She leaned in slightly, unable to stop herself, savoring the sound. Every word, every movement, every flicker of his expression fed the hunger gnawing at her ribs. She could drown in him. She wanted to.
The voices in her mind pushed harder. Take him. Claim him. Tear the others away until only he remains.
She pressed her palms together, nails biting into her skin until it stung, grounding herself. The pain steadied her smile, softened her posture once more. Calm. Composed. Serene. That was what they would see.
She rose gracefully, her movements smooth, her voice even. "I think I will leave you all for a bit," she said pleasantly, her eyes lingering on Adam for a moment longer than they should have. "There is some paperwork I need to finish."
Jeremy's blood was still spreading slowly across the marble floor. She stepped around it without a second glance.
Her heart hammered against her ribs with every step away, her breath catching at the thought of his eyes on her back. She did not look. She did not need to. She could still feel him, could still taste the heat of his presence on her tongue, and it was enough to carry her from the lobby with her smile unbroken. Googlᴇ search N()velFire.net
She would let those pretty girls have their moment with him. It didn't matter in the end. No matter how they would plead, no matter the methods. Adam was going to be hers.