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I hated those memories, hated it more when they surfaced, and I couldn’t hold them back.
Pushing them from my mind, I pulled a chair close to the bed, watching over Blair. Sure, I could have left a note or asked Lark or Bianca to stay with her. But Drake, that stubborn fucker, wouldn’t allow it. He fought me hard enough that I gave in.
Funny, but he’d been silent in recent years. When I was on active duty, he thrived on the violence and chaos of battle, even when it was only simulated. I gained a reputation as a bloodthirsty, vicious killer overseas. They called me Creature for a reason. First, for becoming a monster when I made my first kill, taking the life of the man who murdered my mother in cold blood. Second, for being the most ruthless cadet in boot camp. Third, for my actions during active duty.
I saved more lives than I took, which got noticed, too. They wanted me to reenlist a second time, but I couldn’t do that to my father. I came home to help care for him, and that was where I had been for the last few years, rarely visiting Maddog in Las Vegas. He stayed in another stint after me, though, so he hadn’t been a Marine veteran for long.
So you understand. Mateo has to die.
The voice in my head didn’t belong to me alone. I knew after my ride into the desert that something had shifted. I felt a presence. A shadow of a monster that seemed to merge with Drake. They were part of me, yet still a separate entity.
Strange.
Blair’s arm flopped to the side as she rolled onto her back. I gently lifted her wrist, frowning when I noticed the raised, puffy scar. I didn’t see it before now. The hospital wristband concealed it. My thumb brushed over her skin, wondering what happened to make her want to take her own life.
My heart ached for her as I sucked in a breath. This changed everything.
Chapter 9 Blair
I awakened slowly, sitting up as the absolute silence in the room unnerved me, and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. How long had I been out?
It was still dark. I could tell from the gap in the curtains that hung over rectangular panes, allowing the twinkle of numerous stars to peep through the opening. I slid from the bed and slowly stood, testing my balance before I tried to walk. The dizziness from earlier was gone. I felt sore, and everything still ached, but I could move without difficulty.
When I reached the window, I pulled back the drapes, wondering how I had ended up in what appeared to be an old casino. Creature wasn’t in the room. I didn’t expect him to stay while I slept, but it still surprised me to wake up alone.
From what I had learned about him so far, I didn’t think it would be long before he checked on me.
A single wall lamp lit the room on the lowest setting, providing enough illumination to see the bathroom door ajar. I entered and flipped on the light, wincing as it temporarily blinded me. When I could easily open my eyes and they adjusted, I stared at my reflection.
Yikes.
Dried blood had crusted to my lip, where the split opened the skin, and the healing wound had reopened in my sleep. I had a tendency to grind my teeth and smash my face into my pillow. Funny, but alsonotfunny. My pale face was bruised in several places in colors of purple, red, and yellow. My left eye had reduced in swelling but had turned a mottled red, bloodshot from the hit I’d taken. I had to take careful breaths because of my sore ribs and the tender skin.
It was my hair that bothered me the most. I spent a lot of time styling and curling it, using expensive products to keep the strands shiny, healthy, and soft. It looked like a rat’s nest on my head right now. My breath was so bad I thought I’d pass out when I brought my palm up and breathed into it.
Nope. I couldn’t let Creature see me like this again.
