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“But you’ll snub her out, regardless?”
Suddenly, it was all clear. This was the man I loved—or at least the monster who lurked inside him. I could develop the loving tender side of him, but deep down, the fiend would always exist. If I wanted to be with him, I had to accept that. Kade would never be entirely redeemable.
One of his hands rose to my hair, fisting it gently.
“I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect you.” His gaze felt as if it was penetrating my soul. “To protect us. If that means killing the cop, then so be it. I’m no hero, little girl—you already know that—but perhaps now, you understand what it really means.”
“Master.” Tears fell from my eyes, but I didn’t have the will to stop them. The sorrow burgeoned until a peculiar numbness settled.
“I will raze the world to the ground to keep you safe, Tiffany.” Loosening his grip on my tresses, he cradled the side of my face. “Nobody will ever disturb our peace again.”
Chapter Nineteen
Kade
Blinking away her tears, she pressed her cheek into my palm. “But how can we live with ourselves, Master?”
You get used to it.
The answer rattled around my head, and although it never made my lips, it was no less true.
“We talk to each other,” I soothed, knowing just how much magic there was in our communication. Before Tiffany, I had kept everything bottled up inside, but I’d never need to shoulder the burden alone again. “We listen to the other, but more than that, we understand the reasons why this has happened.”
“It doesn’t make it right, Master.” Her voice was hoarse with desperation. “It doesn’t justify killing someone.”
“Complicity is not the same as murder.” Catching her tears with my thumb, I wiped them away. “We both know that. You will not be responsible.”
“But I’ll live with the man who is,” she wept. “I’ll love him.”
“Yes,” I replied, offering no greater solace than my affirmation. “You will.”
“How?” Hurt glimmered in her wonderful eyes. “How can I live with that, Master?”
“Shhh,” I reassured, aware of how upset she’d become. “You’ll make yourself ill, little girl.” Adjusting my gun, I perched beside her and pulled her onto my lap as she sobbed.
“I can’t help it, Master.” Choking on her words, she pulled in a breath. “I don’t know how to deal with this.”
“The same way you dealt with the others.” I shrugged, unable to think of a way to sugar coat my explanation.
“The others?”
“Hyde Park.” I was surprised that I had to remind her. “You were rightly upset and angry about the events there, but in the end, you normalized them. You even managed to find a way to help me let go of the trauma.”
Her eyes widened, as though the news was a revelation. “Normalized?” A shiver ran through her body, compelling me to hold her closer. “What do you mean?”
“I mean you took it on board, little girl.” Kissing her crown, I continued. “You didn’t like it, but you found ways to reconcile, and you’ll do so again.”
“Make excuses, you mean?” She shook her head against my chest. “You’re right, Master. I’ve made excuses for you since day one.”
“You’re distressed, Tiffany.” My tone carried caution. “But let’s not let this degenerate into a matter that needs to be addressed over my knee.”
“You’d do that?” She glanced up with watery eyes. “Spank me while she’s sprawled out unconscious over there?”
“I’ll always do whatever needs to be done, little girl.” Capturing her chin, I drew her focus back to me as her gaze started to fall. “If you need to be spanked, then so be it. She’s not going anywhere.” I gestured to the hapless detective.
“Master.” Recoiling from my touch, her hand rose to her face. “I can’t do this, can’t just stand by and watch you butcher another innocent woman.”
“You’re right.”
