Chapter 30

My horrifying, sparkly shoes hung from the tips of my fingers as I walked back to the suite. The few hours we’d spent bowling were fun, but I was ready to take off this shining monstrosity and curl up with the guys.

My guys.

For however long I had them. I wanted them to peel me out of this dress, because they made me feel beautiful in anything, even when I wore nothing.

The house was quiet the way it used to be when I lived here because there were so few people here in the evening.

Trinity disappeared back into her vortex of work and no sleep, and Ocean went home, still unwilling to tell us what was wrong. But something was. I knew her well enough to know she was trying not to bother us, but I would figure it out eventually.

As I walked in, the suite was quiet too. No signs of life, or even the low hum of conversation. Where were they?

A piece of paper on the bed snagged my attention, handwriting scrawled on it.

Isolde—

When you get back, come down to the beach. Let’s look at that dress in the moonlight and see if it gets better.

A little smiley face ended the note, with no name. So I wasn’t sure which of them had left it.

I supposed it wouldn’t hurt me to keep the dress on a little while longer. Soaking it in the ocean and ruining it with salt would be a fitting end for it. Rin had been right. It wasn’t that bad. I felt like I’d stepped out of a prom photo from nearly forty years ago, but it wasn’t terrible, even with the hair.

Take this dress, change the style a bit, and maybe I’d even risk wearing it for real.

I tossed my shoes aside and left the suite, savoring the grass, and then the sand, under my toes. The sun had set in a blaze of glory while we drove back, so dusk was darkening the beach with the last traces of light slipping from the sky and the moon already rising.

Tide was low, so much more beach was visible than usual, and it the water was slowly beginning to come in again. Near the cliffs, the rocks that jutted up like towers were completely exposed at the bottom. When I was young, you would find the best shells hidden in the pockets of those rocks. I tried to climb them a few times, but given they were nearly as tall as the cliff itself, I never got far.

Even my favorite part was visible. A hollowed out arch in one of the rocks, worn smooth from years of water washing in and out. You could swim down beneath it during high tide. Or at least that’s what Ellie and Dad told me. I’d never done it myself.

But they weren’t here either. From what I could tell, the beach was entirely empty. The moon peeked over the darkening horizon, pale light making the dress shimmer in a very different way. The purples in the iridescent overlay were bright over the orange. Like fire wrapped in ice. This, I liked. Give me a dress this color, and I’d wear it in a heartbeat.

I decided to walk down the beach anyway. Maybe they’d gotten tired and gone back inside or something, but since I was already here, I might as well stay. The soft sound of the rising water soothed something deep in me. I hadn’t had a chance to be alone on the beach yet, just me and the water.

The shadows of the towering rocks painted me in darkness as I stepped behind them, heading to the other side. I’d walk down to the border of the private beach and then turn around.

I sensed movement though I didn’t see it. An arm snaked around my waist, another over my mouth, pulling me against a hard chest and dragging me across the sand and against the stone face. The hand swallowed my scream. “I think it’s time I unwrapped my present,” a dark voice growled.

Orange and sweetness surrounded me, soothing the panic of being grabbed. Vaughn.

Our conversation echoed in my head. Do you want me to chase you, Isolde?

A low sound vibrated through me, somewhere between a growl and a purr. “You’re too fucking tempting in a dress I can ruin with no consequences.”

My whole body shuddered, and Vaughn shifted, turning me to the rock and pinning me there with his hips while he gathered my hands in one of his, making my mind go absolutely blank with need and the visceral knowledge that he had me and could do whatever he wanted.

And I wanted to let him.

“If you want me to let you go, tell me now,” he growled. “If you don’t, tell me your safeword.”

I opened my mouth, and he tightened his hold.

“If you tell me your safeword, you need to know what it means. I’m going to chase you down, Isolde, and when I do, I’m going to take what I want from you. Fuck you any way I want. Fight back all you want. I can handle it. But you are mine. Even if you get away, I’ll find you and take you all over again until I decide we’re finished, understand? Now choose.”

His fingers released my mouth. I could scream. I could tell him to release me and go back inside. But the whispers in my soul were louder than the tiny bit of anxiety and fear. I’d always wanted to try it, and I didn’t know if I’d ever have another chance. What he said? I wanted it. Desperately. My voice sounded like I’d already been screaming. “Banana.”

Vaughn’s hand covered my mouth again, while his own mouth dragged up my neck to my ear. “Good girl. This dress isn’t the only thing that will be ruined by the time I’m done with you.”

I whined, arousal skimming over my skin like the tide rising. More than that, I felt what he’d described before—the deepest instincts I had coming to the surface, urging me to get away from the predator coming after me. To flee.

The hand over my mouth disappeared, instead gripping my hair and pulling my head back, exposing my neck. “Last chance to back out, Omega. When I let you go, I’ll give you a head start.” The softest of laughs. “Need to pretend it’s fair.”

There was no way I was backing out now, and more than that, my instincts were already taking over. His hand loosened in my hair, and I moved, twisting so sharply he had to let me go and shoving him while he was still off balance. I didn’t wait to see if he fell—I was too busy running.

Past the rock and away from the house. The now-risen moon glinted off the water, and Vaughn’s growl turned into laughter that made my hair stand on end.

I grabbed my skirt in my hands and pushed myself faster.