Page 148 of Merciless

Why?

And why am I about to cave in?

CHAPTER 52

EDEN

I creep down the dark hallway, using my fingers as a guide against the wall. My heartbeat thunders in my ears. I inch closer to the end of the hall, where moonlight beams through the windows and lights up the living room.

I’m so close to the front door. I could leave and never turn back.

What’s the point of sticking around when I’ll get bullied even worse? Elijah can say his reputation will be my shield, but their reputations are at stake as well.

I creep farther down the hall.

Fuck everyone and everything. Fuck my clothes. They can stay behind. The only thing I need is the clothes I’m wearing after crawling out of bed. After the guys fucked me ten ways to Sunday, we cuddled—or more like the guys sandwiched me and couldn’t stop touching me. Their breathing evened out in their sleep, and their arms went slack around me.

I’m still heartbroken about Lavender. I don’t know where she disappeared to. My only hope is that she found somewhere safe and no one killed her.

My fingers reach the end of the wall, and I glance at the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room. The full moon sits in the sky, clear and blue. I turn my head toward the front door.

It’s right there, only fifteen feet away.

If I keep my steps light and catch the door before it slams shut, the guys won’t hear a thing. They’ll continue to sleep, completely unaware of me leaving. They’ll find me missing in the morning, and by then, I’ll be long gone.

I step forward, then stop.

Biting my bottom lip, I clench my fingers into fists at my sides.

“They’re monsters,” I whisper. “Don’t hesitate, because they never did.”

I take another step forward.

“They don’t actually love you,” I murmur.

Step.

“They made me into a joke.”

Step.

“It was a bet for them.”

Step.

“I can’t stick around, even if they have big dicks and know how to⁠—”

I shake my head.

What the hell is wrong with me?

I peek over my shoulder and suck in a startled breath.

Asher grins. He towers right behind me, practically breathing down my neck.

“Keep going, little ghost. Even if we have big dicks and know how to what?”

I stumble away from him and hold out my hand to keep him away. “How long have you been behind me?”