⇥ Aძɾίᥲᥒ ⇤

There are certain things in life we want that we can't have.

She was one of those things.

At first, the brunette blended in like any average college student, albeit a cute one with a particularly sweet laugh, but she did nothing to stand out. In fact, he wouldn't have singled her out at all if those jade eyes hadn't locked onto him, almost as if a target had been placed on the center of his forehead.

You could tell so much about a person from the way they looked at you.

In particular, adequate experience taught him when a woman wanted to hookup. They each had their own way of preening their feathers, of highlighting what they thought was their most desirable asset. He found it interesting to see what they assumed he might be attracted to, even though his interest was always drawn to their eyes.

Most importantly he'd learned to feel out their desire, whether they sought immediate gratification or had a greater need. He started to pick up on what kind of things they wanted, what turned them on and all the things they fantasized about. Things other men had obviously missed.

Yet when this girl studied him, he got the impression she'd want more than to be alone together in a dark room. As if she actually wanted to figure out who he was, instead of sharing a quick moment of mutual indulgence.

She looked at him like she saw something more, and that's why he wouldn't return her gaze.

Whoever she thought he was—whoever she assumed he might be—he wasn't.

They all found out some way or another.

But stubbornly, her eyes returned every time.
Every night they ended up at the same place, she'd spot him.

He wondered if she recognized him from somewhere, or somehow remembered his face from the news five years ago. The latter was unlikely, since he long outgrew his boyish features, but her attention unnerved him, so he started keeping a tab on her, developed the habit of sensing her before she noticed him and picked up little details along the way. Like how she wasn't keen on flaunting herself, the kind of girl who didn't notice all the attention she got from other guys, because she was too focused on everyone else, and how she liked to spend more time listening than talking.

Between glances at him, her eyes would search out her friends. She hardly drank, whether out of preference or forbearance he didn't know, but she had an uncanny ability to be where she was needed the moment others needed her. More often than not, she was the one who tended to others when they got drunk or needed a ride home.

Above all else she was kind, and deserved to be cared for as much as she cared for others.

So he left. His heart wasn't soft like hers; it was hard and jagged, and would only cut into those who touched it. A fair relationship wasn't something he could offer.

Better she moved on, because he wanted nothing to do with her. Or that's what he told himself.

He wanted everything to do with her.

Another trait stood out about her nature, and it was written all over those round doe eyes and sweet smile, even when her lips were painted in sinful plum.

No, especially then.

It was in the way she migrated to dominant energies without shying away, but keeping herself reserved. She was waiting, fully capable of taking control, but chose not to. In the bedroom she'd be a natural submissive.

She'd want to be tied up, to be put on display for her master like a pretty doll, and told what a good girl she was. Her pleasure lay in serving someone else as they drew out her hidden desires. She'd crave a little bitterness to balance out all that sweetness inside her.

And he was willing to bet she tasted as sweet as she looked, too.

But that wasn't for him to find out. He wasn't just a dose of bitter medicine, he was poison. The kind that took all the sweetness away from girls like her. There were more ways to lose innocence than kinky sex, dark corners of the world she didn't need to learn about.

The only reason he came to the Halloween party was to give Caspian, his ex-roommate turned friend-and-neighbor, a good kick in the ass to get over a fractured heart. Stepping away from the playboy life was one thing, but sulking over a girl who took him for granted was another. Caspian had become so pathetic that it was worth spending the night in Jace's frat house—the pretentious prick who got away with murder because his dad controlled sixty percent of the exports coming in from China. Luckily he'd managed to avoid the kid.

But like clockwork, she found him—cloaked in dark fabric that brought out her porcelain skin like a Halloween apparition complete with vibrant, glittering green eyes and lips that begged to be kissed and bitten. Her costume had easily become his favorite of the night.

But he needed to put an end to it, this growing curiosity that continued to draw them together.

The look of dejection on her sad witch's face as he handed her the business card clawed his heart, but only a little. A small scratch was nothing next to the older scars that marred his ability to care the way she could—the way she cared about him without even knowing.

Certainly it was nothing compared to how he'd feel if he hadn't taken this step now, if he'd waited until the sadness in her eyes spilled out in clear streams because he tried to be someone he wasn't.

Her tears would've hurt ten times more. So he made sure he'd never make her cry. Not even once.

His words may have stung, but made his point that she had to protect her heart from the beginning. Tonight she could still have a good time, go back to her friends to call him a jerk, then write him off for good. Ironic how the one time he made an exception to give out his number, he hoped it wouldn't be used.

She still hadn't moved, though. Her hands circled the red cup, strangling it much like the dark night that had slowly begun to swallow her up. Goosebumps pebbled her skin as her costume swayed in the breeze.

She'd catch a cold like that. Finally her eyes dislodged from the chair he'd left, and her face lit up with a faint glow from her phone.

Watching from inside the house, he pretended to sip his beer and kept her in his peripheral vision. The first one had already worn off, but he'd lost all desire to drink. The party might as well be over.

A group of three loud Beta Rho boys interrupted the scene and sauntered into the kitchen. He scowled as Jace walked by, showing off in nothing on but a robe and some flashy jewelry, which he assumed was supposed to be a costume. Jace' father must be so proud to have that as heir to the dragon empire. Good thing Jun, the older brother, was more adequate as a representative.

The boys jostled past without acknowledging him and went out onto the porch. Looked like they just wanted to pass around a joint, but he didn't trust them. Not by themselves, and certainly not with her.

Yet she still didn't get up to leave, too caught up typing on her phone.

He cracked his knuckles, trying to feign an air of indifference as they started up a conversation. Maybe he should let it go. Turn and walk away.

Two of the boys stepped over to smoke by the hot tub, but Jace couldn't keep his damn eyes off her.

He set the beer down, no longer concerned with whether or not it was his place to supervise. Call it overbearing, but he'd spent too many years watching over his mother and sister to not notice a predator when he saw one.

The way Jace looked at her disgusted him, like she was some kind of trivial possession whose only purpose was to feed his entitlement. Worse, the moment her lips tipped down, Jace's curled into a smile.

She stood and crossed her arms. Her eyes flashed, and despite gnawing irritation at the scene, a glow of admiration pricked his thoughts. A little flare in her did wonders.

She kept inching toward the house, but Jace met her step for step. Then he leaned in close—too fucking close—and reached over to fiddle with the edge of her purple cloak. The fire in her eyes blazed, and she swatted away his hand, but it only seemed to egg him on as he brought it back to caress her face with a laugh.

Adrian took a step toward them, hand hovering by the handle of the glass door. She'd been doing a decent job of standing up for herself, but it was time for her to leave. If they dare try and follow, they had another thing coming.

He almost wanted them to.

A broken nose and a black eye would be a start, if he was feeling nice.

He wasn't feeling nice.

Waiting for her to come inside, he watched Jace's smile grow into a smirk, and then he murmured something low. She crippled. That sweet, delicate face fell even more than before, and her flames diminished to smoky defeat.

That was the last straw.

Yanking the door open, he clenched his hand into a fist and squared his shoulders, coming up to stand beside her like an emissary of destructive karma. Her eyes flicked over him and widened.

"What happened to that smile of yours, sweetheart?" he asked, locking eyes with Jace. "Did he steal it? Should I take it back for you?"

A small sound left her lips, a little gasp of surprise and a hint of a low laugh. "Didn't think you cared."

"I care much less about his smile than yours."

"Come on, bro," Jace interjected, lips curved in that irritating shit-eating grin of his. "I didn't do anything, we were just catching up. Besides," he shifted his attention back to her, "we're friends. I can get Ivory to smile for me anytime."

She stiffened, and the tension in her muscles sliced through him like the edge of a knife. It was an exaggerated version of the way she tensed when he blew smoke in her face—testing if she'd call him out, but she hadn't. Now when it counted, she wouldn't call this bastard out, either.

"Is that true?" he asked, directing the question to her.

She shook her head, the brim of her hat hiding her eyes. "I'm just waiting for a ride."

Of course it fucking wasn't true. This pathetic waste of particles couldn't make anyone smile, but the rejection meant more coming from her mouth.

Then she whispered, "We aren't friends, either."

Jace laughed. "Come on. Are you really about to do this? Call me a mistake after—"

"You weren't a mistake," she interjected, flames rekindling. Her head lifted, eyes locked onto Jace's with the same perseverance he'd seen in her night after night. "You're a joke."

Jace sneered, and anger flashed behind his eyes. He took a step closer, positioning his body over hers like a threat—as if he'd really be able to get away with hurting her more. Adrian stepped in front of her.

"That's how it is?" Jace hissed, glaring at Ivory. "I think it's much more hilarious that this good-girl thing you've got going on is a fucking lie." He stretched his fingers, balling them into fists and turned to Adrian. "I'll tell you the truth. She's a whor—"

Yeah, no way was he about to finish that sentence.

Thank you for reading! I know Adrian can be a jerk, but we forgive him a little bit, yeah?

I hope you enjoyed the sample. The full book will published Fall 2024 in Amazon KU, and availble in both both physical and ebook formats. Links can be found on my website (beacons.ai/siberia).

💝 Siberia