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“I understand we had more long-term plans involving the Governor but none of that matters anymore. Informing you two is simply a courtesy.” I adjust my cufflinks and roll my shoulders like I’m already mentally preparing for a fight. “I’m killing him no matter what. You don’t need to get involved if you don’t want to. This is personal, not business.” I slide my gaze to Bastian. “Find his weakness and routines. I want to know when to strike and it better be soon.”
He nods, stands up and leaves.
Byzantine stays silent until we’re left alone, his eyes hard and serious. But then an evil smile slowly appears on his face.
“Let the fun begin,” he says.
It’s past midnight, and I find Lenix outside near the pool, staring at the stars. I changed into nothing but gray sweatpants before seeking her out. The moon is full tonight, illuminating her striking features. Her hair is curly, looking fresh out of the shower, a large black hoodie swallowing her up whole. There’s just enough light for me to see her size me up, her eyes lingering on my bare feet before fixing her gaze back up to the sky.
My first instinct is to crack a joke—a jab about her watching porn out here like last time, but something stops me. I just sit next to her instead, waiting for her to break the silence.
“Do you believe in God?” she asks, her knees curled up to her chest, arms wrapped tight around them. She presses her cheek against her legs, turning to me, waiting for an answer.
I’m still fighting the urge to cut the tension by laughing but stay serious.
“A sinner like me can’t believe in God, darling.”
“Why not?” The innocence I hear in her tone slices into me. And I’m rendered speechless. “You believe that Byzantine and Sunny’s souls are somehow connected, don’t you?”
“What does that have to do with God?” I answer.
The moonlight dances in her eyes, her gaze studying me before finally looking back up to the sky on a long exhale.
“I guess you’re right,” she mutters.
I know she’s circling around the point and I bite my cheek mulling over what to say before breaking the silence.
“You grew up in a fucked up cult, with fucked up beliefs, where your father tried to rape you in the name of yourfucked upGod.” My voice cracks, that same rage as before feeding into my veins, but I clear my throat and continue, “You protected yourself, Lenix. You saved yourself when no one else ever bothered to. Your soul doesn’t belong to God.”
The urge to tell her it belongs tomeburns my tongue but instead I say, “It belongs to you. No one else.”
Guilt has never been an emotion I ever really paid attention to, but it damn near swallows me whole knowing she was stuck in that place.
There was no way for me to know. How could I?
But the guilt doesn’t lessen. It only fuels the fire burning in my chest. The promise that now that Idoknow… well, those fuckers are going to wish their fucking God would smite them where they stand, instead of suffering through what’s coming to them by my hand.
I stand up, but she doesn’t move, her eyebrows slightly creased looking like she’s still busy wondering if her soul is eternally damned or not. But finally, her fingers curl inside my palm and I pull her up, kissing her on the forehead before heading inside.
She follows me silently up the stairs but when she turns to head for the guest room, I snatch her wrist, and tilt my head towards her.
“That’s not where you belong.” The words from earlier echo behind the intent of what I just said. “You sleep in my bed now.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She tries to yank her wrist away but I don’t let go. Some of her usual fight comes back and my balls tighten at the sight.There she is.“You fuck me in a wedding dressonceand you suddenly think we’re blissfully married?”
My chuckle rumbles low as I pull at her arm and drag her with me down the hallway. “Not in the slightest, Lenny. You’re still as irritating as ever, but it doesn’t change that I want you in my bed.”
By the time we’ve entered the bedroom, she’s sighing overdramatically, grumbling in defeat. “Fine, I’ll stay.”
As if she had a choice.
Eyeing me warily, she approaches the left side of the bed. She takes off the oversized hoodie, an equally large t-shirt hiding underneath and slides under the covers, her gaze still studying me suspiciously. I don’t bother entertaining her leering and act as if having her in my bed isn’t messing with my head more than it already is. I step out of my sweats, leaving myself in nothing but black briefs and climb in.
She’s lingering at the very end of the mattress, so after turning off the lights, I catch her by the waist and pull her into me. Her body stiffens for half a second before she lets out another small sigh. “You really are the devil,” she mutters softly while curling into my chest.
She falls asleep not long after, and I find it hard not to stay up all night just to count her slumbering breaths while I plot out my next kill.
Chapter 37
