The Rush (The Siren Series) - By Rachel Higginson Page 0,45

if he was the best thing for me, I was definitely the worst thing for him…. probably ever.

“Speak of the devil,” I mumbled with a smirk twisting my lips.

“And he shall appear,” Nix finished the phrase from the doorway. A chill slid down my spine at his reference and I couldn’t help but picture his dark mess of hair with red horns and his perfectly sculpted hands holding a pitch fork. “It’s hard to enjoy the party when you’re hiding back here ladies.” He smiled casually at first, slowly, as if he were in on our private joke, but then his expression grew more serious and he hit us with the intense severity of his dark eyes that only Nix was capable of. “Your mothers are all looking for you.”

We responded without talking, jumping to our feet in trained obedience. I tried to get to the door first, hating the idea of being the last one in the room with him. Not that I was abandoning my friends, but either of them would be safe. Nix wouldn’t try to detain them. Not yet anyway….

He caught my eye though and with an infinitesimal shake of his head I knew I had been trapped regardless of my efforts. I moved to the side and let my friends through the door. They gave me a discreetly sympathetic look before slipping into the hallway in search of their mothers.

“Ivy,” Nix greeted smoothly, piercing me with his concentrated gaze, like a knife in the gut. His expression sliced open my belly hemorrhaging heavily my insecurities and fears.

“Hey, Nix,” I replied smoothly, confidently, casually and with any other positive adverb I could convey. I forced myself to remain the picture of aloof ease, proud and relaxed. With my chin tilted just a fraction higher and my shoulders held back I faced the monster in front of me silently pleading he would believe my act.

“I thought I made it clear at dinner last night my intentions for you,” his voice was velvet and silk, assertive and authoritative, enthralling and tempting. It took an expert to notice the thinly veiled threat and strain of pure evil pulsing with each syllable.

“You did,” I smiled up at him, letting the hint of confusion show through my carefully constructed mask.

“I want you by my side, Ivy. That means tonight. That means every night,” Nix growled out, letting all pretense drop away.

Forget acting 101, my heartbeat took off in a rapid flutter of nerves, my palms began to sweat and my careful mask of control shattered in front of him. I took a step back, my ballet flats sliding against the polished wood floors with a swoosh sound that cut through the silence of the room like a knife. I hated that my fear showed through, that Nix’s face lit up with satisfaction and predatory delight, but I couldn’t stop the reaction. Even me, a girl who had been raised in this world since birth couldn’t stop the innate fear from rising up like a revolt against my actions when Nix was around. “I-“

“Don’t,” he cut me off not even allowing an excuse. I should have known better than to believe I could deceive Nix. He leaned against the door jam, tucking his hands into the pockets of his perfectly cut black trousers. “I’m not in the mood for your games. I’d be a fool not to see how you feel about this…. lifestyle. But I’d be an even bigger fool to let you go. You’re mine, Ivy. I’m not expecting you to embrace the idea, but I’m not going to do anything about it either. I will break you over time, I’m not concerned. And until then I plan on enjoying every bit of your free spirit.”

I opened and then closed my mouth, only to open and close it again. I had never really been under the impression that I was fooling Nix, but to hear everything laid out so honestly, so openly was more than a I could deal with.

He continued so I wouldn’t have to flounder. “I don’t expect you to feel good about anything I just said. When you’re as determined as you are, words like mine can only damage your pride. That feeling will fade, I promise. You just need to trust me. And if I were you I would leave your friends out of whatever rebellion you’re planning. They will be the ones getting hurt, not you. You will only be the one left to carry