Pretty Poisoned Novel by Elle Mitchell

“Why do you stay?” I ask. “For the same reason you were going to before they came back for you. Everyone needs a place and purpose. I don’t know how to exist anywhere else.” “You can exist with me. I’ll be your purpose.” He laughs just a little. “You really are crazy, aren’t you, Teagan?”…

“Blake—come on. It’s time to take those rollers out,” Lauren says. “I remember what you said at the bar, Teagan,” Blakely says. “I’m already sorry. I didn’t like hearing the way Ashlyn talked to you; I realized that’s how I talk to you, too. I won’t do it anymore.” “Thank you.” “I’m glad you’re here,”…

“I’m sorry, Teagan,” he says. He takes my hand in his and presses his lips to my forearm—not the one with the tulip tattoo but the one he’d written on in blood before. “I did miss you. I followed you down here to the beach earlier, and I watched you cut the bows off the…

I shake my head. “No. I’d go anywhere as long as I get to be with you and Luca.” He traces my jawline with his fingertips. “Even if it’s forever, and you can never go back?” “Yeah,” I tell him. “I’m ready. I just want to go to the wedding first if I can.” “Let’s…

“You need to relax, Teag,” Luca says, unzipping the back of my dress. “You want one of my pills, baby?” “Nah, she doesn’t need that,” Declan says. He stands and then pulls me to my feet. “You know you’re okay, don’t you, Teagan?” Declan pushes the straps from my shoulders, and the little black dress…

“You want to share a cigarette with me?” “No,” Luca says, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into him. “She wants to stay here with me.” Declan props his head up onto his elbow and looks down at me, running his thumb over my nipple. “Do you?” “Uh-huh.” “Okay, sweetheart,” he says. Declan…

“Get her out of here!” Declan shouts as the two of them struggle. The man in the mask, too short to be Sebastian, slices at the air in front of Declan with a machete as he moves toward the back of the room. Declan grabs the lamp beside the television, pulls its cord from the…

“You can’t take care of her,” Declan says. “You can’t let her go because she’s supposed to be dead. You can’t trust her to stay hidden or not to harm herself because she’s going to be angry with you. You can’t move her with you because she’s supposed to be dead. You can’t keep her…

Another agent runs the handheld metal detector wand over my body, taking his time over my right shoulder. “Clear,” he announces. “You can go.” “Thanks.” By the time we get to the gate, our flight is already boarding, and Blakely is losing her shit. Half of the flight is filled with the wedding party and…

“It was my grandmother’s name.” “What was she like?” He laughs. “Very smart,” he says. “But very mean. She was a tough woman—you look tough, too. No one ever messed with her; she’d kill them.” “Really?” I ask. “She killed people?” “No, not really,” he says, appalled. “You think my grandmother was actually a murderer?…