“Yeah? Well, I never got them,” she says with a shrug, the shifter glued to her back grumbling at being jostled and burying his face in her hair again.
Fucking hell. No wonder she’s spent the last six months picturing my head on a spike.
My phone chirps, and I almost don’t answer it. But a sense of foreboding convinces me to check, and I damn near crush it as I open the email, white-knuckling my phone.
A ghost and a wraith walk into a bar, but only one walks out. Tik tok, Knight, you’re not the only havoc in Mercy Ridge anymore, and I don’t have time to waste. The future Mrs. Carnage is waiting for me to make a dishonest woman out of her.
My heart stops beating at the thinly veiled threat. He doesn’t just know that my mate is here, he plans to use her as a pawn to utterly destroy me. If he were to get his hands on her…
No. I’ll never let that happen.
“I’m so sorry, Kiara, I’ll explain later, but we have to go.You’re not safe here. So while you pack a bag, since I can only mist one person at a time, I’ll get your…friend, moved to the guild hall and situated first, then return for you. Once you’re safe, we’ll hash everything out. No more miscommunications.
Her eyes flash. “Let me make myself perfectly clear. I’mnotleaving Mercy Ridge.”
My nostrils flare.Patience, Vic.“There’s one man I haven’t been able to eliminate, and he’s the biggest threat of all. There have been rumors he’s infiltrated the town’s wards, which means he knows about you. He’s targeting you because you’re my mate, Kiara. Do you have any idea what the hell this man would do if he got his hands on you? This is the same psycho that torched a man alive and locked him in a room with fifty pounds of popcorn kernels to see how many would pop before the fire department could break through the door he welded shut.”
“What’d the guy do?”
“I’m sorry,what?”
“The guy he set on fire,” she clarifies. “Because honestly, that sounds like something Arson would do. And he may be crazy, but he only goes after people that deserve it.”
I pause, mulling it over. I remember being pissed off because I was an hour too late; Carnage stole my target first and made sure it’d hit the news with a splash. Everyone knows that chaos isn’t my M.O. and that I had my target stolen out from under me.
“He…” I sift through the memory, grimacing as I remember, “assaulted a woman in a movie theater. Her brother was the one that put the bounty on his head for revenge.”
Kiara raises an eyebrow in a silent, ‘see?’
I grind my teeth. “Point made. Regardless, he’s clearly unhinged, and his interest is currently on you, so we need to move you until I can deal with him.”
“You’ve been trying to track this guy down for longer than you’ve known me. If we run, it’s only going to start the chase all over again, and I refuse to spend the rest of my life trapped in a game of cat and mouse, unable to build a life because I’m always moving around. You’re a professional assassin, right? You know he’s after me and that he’s close by, use that to your advantage to kill him first and be done with it.”
“I’m not using you asbait,” I snarl.
“And I’m not going to throw away everything I’ve built for a man that couldn’t even be bothered to say goodbye. Miscommunications are one thing, basic consideration and respect are another. All I’ve heard is, ‘I’ll take care of everything,’ ‘you need to do this,’ ‘get a bag, I’ve decided we’re fleeing town.’ Not once have you asked whatIwant or my opinion on the situation.”
“That’s not-”
“A wise man once told me the key to a happy relationship is being a team against the problem, not each other. And right now, I’m not sure I want you on my team.”
My heart plummets to my stomach. “You’re mymate, of course we’re a team.”
“Not when you’re treating me like an asset that needs protecting more than your mate that’s in danger. I’m not a job, Havoc. I’ll take precautions now that I know someone’s out there looking for me, but handle your shit and leave me out of it. You have an entire guild of assassins under your command, right? If that’s not enough to take this guy out, then no amount of running is going to help anyway.”
I clench my fists in frustration. Not against the situation, but with myself. Because she drove a spike right into the heart of what I’ve always feared.
No matter how strong I become or the alliances I forge, when push comes to shove, it won’t be enough to protect the people I love.
“I fucked up, I’m not denying that, but like hell am I leaving you. Hate me if that’s what you need right now; I can take it. But I’m not going anywhere, darling.”
“You are tonight,” she says firmly, leaving no room for argument.
Ready to commit murder, I shove down every one of my domineering impulses and reluctantly agree. For now. But I’ll be back tomorrow, even if she slams the door in my face. And I’ll be here the day after that. I’ll show up every single day until she realizes that I’m not going anywhere; not without her.
One day, she’ll understand that my desire for control isn’t to hinder her, it’s because she’s the most important person in my life and I covet her surrender. That ultimate level of trust that she knows I’ll take care of everything, so she’s free to do whatever makes her happy. All sunshine and smiles, because I can keep the darkness and cruelty in the world from ever touching her. But that trust has to be earned, and thus far? The only gift I’ve given her has been disappointment.
Never again.
