I pull my head back, shaking it once. “No. I just liked seeing you both uncomfortable, just like I was when I saw you two making out. It's how my odd mind works. I'm a calculated motherfucker, and everything I do has its reasons, whether it’s deranged or not, it makes perfect fucking sense to me.”
Her heavy-lidded eyes trace a searing path up my chest as she glides her palm over it. “Hmm, how?”
When her gaze swings to mine, I draw my face closer to hers.
“Will you do it again, my Little Dolly?” I question, my breath skating over her plump lips.
She studies my swirling orbs before giving a small smile and a head shake. My jaw clenches, and I grab her ass cheek, yanking her harder against me, “Exactly.”
“Just don't make a habit out of it,” she exhales, her blue eyes flicking to my mouth, “I only want you, Hell.”
My lips twitch, fighting a smirk, “Point proven.”
Her gaze softens as she presses her fingers into the back of my hair, “Sometimes I don't think you're the monster you think you are, Hell.” I just stare at her, my expression unreadable. “Yeah, you're a bit abnormal by society's standards, but who's to say the “normal” ones aren't the real crazies?” she protests, her tone carrying sincerity.
I grin slightly before looking down, “I wish I could tell you I'm not a monster, Noir, but I am. You know that and you don't need to try to find excuses for me.”
When my eyes meet hers, she analyses every feature of my face with a tender intensity. “But you can be so gentle with me,” she murmurs.
I lift a brow in question, “Can I?” I run my hand over her ass again, giving it a squeeze.
She continues with curiosity, “You can be. I have never met a monster who can switch like you can. You confuse me. I thought all monsters were pure evil toward everyone and everything.”
I think about her words, delving into the depths of her gaze. “We are, but it seems monsters are not always monsters to the things they deeply want, Noir,” I reply truthfully “Why would I push away the one thing I truly want to keep? I have never known the feeling of want before.” Her hand pauses onthe back of my hair, a silent acknowledgement of our shared understanding and I glide my palm up the curve of her body.
“I know sometimes what I am terrifies you, but even in the darkest depths, there's always a flicker of light that solely belongs to you. That's why I'm so fucking obsessed with you, pretty girl. You’re the only person who has ever stirred something inside me other than darkness. And I am addicted to it.” I confess, the words slipping out like a forbidden secret.
Smiling gently, she draws me down to her lips, “Point proven.”
Leaning against the headboard of my bed, I stare down at Dolly as she sleeps on my chest, her breathing soft and steady. As I become lost in my thoughts, I stroke her hair, the silky strands slipping through my tattooed fingers. The quiet is shattered when the door suddenly swings open and my eyes dart to Wrath as he stands at the threshold, not even fucking knocking. His gaze momentarily lingers on Noir before he looks at me, giving a silent head gesture for me to follow him.
As he leaves, I inhale deeply and when I sit forward, Dolly stirs, her eyes fluttering open. I lean down, giving her a kiss on her lips. “I'll be back,” I murmur. Her eyes are barely open, but she nods before snuggling deeper into my pillow.
I close my bedroom door behind me, heading down the stairs until I spot Soul and Wrath in the kitchen. I look between them both suspiciously as I stride forward, pulling a chair out to sit opposite Wrath.
“I found out what's wrong with that fucking guy she was here with. I got this emailed to me last night,” Soul says, his tone full of irritation. He sighs deeply, grabbing a file from the counter and tossing it onto the table in front of me.
“Eli Simmons, thirty-four from Florida,” Soul continues. Opening the file, it reveals his mugshot, his eyes staring up at me from the page. As I read through the details, Soul's voice cuts through the silence once more.
“Nonce,” he spits out the word with disgust, and my jaw tightens in response, sharply looking up at him.
“What?”
“He's a fucking paedophile, Hell. Got bailed out on a bond, but he absconded. Now he's on the run,” Soul explains, his words fuelling the rage building inside me. I stand abruptly, the file slipping from my fingers and hitting the table with a thud.
“I'll fucking kill him,” I growl through gritted teeth, my hands balling into fists at my sides.
“Kill who?” Dolly's gentle, sleepy voice interrupts the tension and my eyes close briefly as I lower my head. She approaches from behind and walks around my tense frame before stopping in front of me, her eyes drawn to the paperwork spread across the table.
My gaze can’t help but linger on the black sheet that is wrapped around her, held tightly with one hand concealing her naked body beneath, before tracing all the scars on her body. When my eyes flicker to her side profile, she reaches out for the file, but I quickly snatch her wrist, stopping her and her blue gaze meets mine with a questioning look.
“Nobody,” I tell the lie, my eyes boring into hers, worried about how she might take this. She pulls her wrist from my hand, confusion etched on her face.
“If it's nobody, then why can't I know?” she asks, raising an eyebrow, suspicion creeping into her voice. “It's not like we're not all murderers now, right?”
My teeth grind together, and I face aside. “Wrath, Soul, can you...” I trail off, but without needing to finish my sentence, they leave me and Dolly alone.
She stares down at the files, her fingers trembling slightly as she gently lifts a piece of paper. I examine her facial expressions as she reads, searching for any sign of recognition or shock.
