“This is our first Christmas together; I want you to be here with me. You and your mom can stay at my place and we can wake up together on Christmas morning,” he coaxes.

“No, this is the first time my dad has ever asked me to spend Christmas with him.”

“Then I’ll come too,” he says from behind gritted teeth.

“He has a two-bedroom apartment, there’s no room for you to come.”

“We can stay in a hotel, and you can spend your days with him and your nights with me.”

“My dad would not be okay with me staying in a hotel with you, Sebastian. Plus he lives in a really small town, and the only hotel closes for the holidays. You know this, because you suggested it yesterday and the day before that.” I’ve never been more grateful that my dad lives in the smallest, ugliest place in Maine, because I’m sure Sebastian would have followed me regardless of me telling him not to, if there was a decent hotel for him to stay in. Luckily my stalker isn’t down for spending Christmas alone in a roadside motel, which is the only place still open within thirty miles of my dad’s house.

“You’re not going,” he snaps, his voice laced with steel and unwavering determination.

“Yes I am.”

“No, you’re not. I fucking forbid it, Starling, you aren’t going to fucking Maine.”

“You can’t forbid me from going to see my dad,” I say as calmly as I can muster, my voice only cracking slightly as nerves pool low in my stomach.

“I’ll convince your mom to make you stay, she’s on the verge of doing it anyway.”

“My dad has joint custody of me, my mom can’t stop him from seeing me and neither can you. Why are you doing this?”

“Because you’re mine,” he roars angrily.

Every single one of my muscles tenses in response to his anger. I don’t think he’d physically hurt me, despite his manipulating and coercing, he’s never used his physicality to get me to do what he wants. Adrian crawling through the halls of GAA is enough of a reminder that Sebastian and the other Elites are ruthless rulers, and submitting to them is the only way.

“Sebastian,” I say calmly.

“I don’t want you to go,” he admits, his voice softening.

“It’s only for two weeks. Some downtime will be good for us both, and you can spend time with your friends and your family over the holidays. I’ll be back before you know it.”

PART 2

THE BEGINNING OF THE END.

10

STARLING

TWO AND A HALF YEARS LATER

“Are you sure about this, honey?” Dad asks me for the hundredth time this morning as I pull the zip closed on my case.

“It’s my only option, Dad, you know that,” I reply with a sigh. I’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve had this conversation in the last five months. “Not only is it the only school I got accepted to, but I got a full scholarship too.”