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“A life like this?” I laugh coldly. “A life that revolves around killing people? A life with no love and filled with blood?”
He jumps up. A storm brews behind his eyes, making them darken. Accusation hardens his features, from his clenched jaw to balled fists.
He writes hurriedly; his pen jabs through the paper, and each letter ends in sharp points.
I thought I was taking you somewhere safe. Alaric told me he ran a witness protection programme. I didn’t know.
“Witness protection?” I snort in disbelief. “Yeah, fucking right. You know, it’s ironic, considering that’s the cover story I told the Dukes. They believed that bullshit, too. You can’t expect me to believe you didn’t know what Alaric really did?”
His fury slips for a second, and the intensity of his glare makes me squirm. It’s filled with sadness, regret, and disappointment… well, shit. Maybe he did have no idea.
I cross my arms. “You truly didn’t know?”
He writes again. The ring of yellow around his pupils seems to glow as he thrusts the note through the open hatch. When I take it from him, our fingers brush for a second. His skin scorches mine like I’ve touched a hot pan, and I jump back.What the fuck was that?He springs away like I’ve burned him with the soldering iron again.Did he feel it too?
“Electric shock,” I dismiss, swishing my hair over my face as I look down to read the note so he can’t see the blush heating my cheeks.
If I’d known, I’d never have brought you to him.
“What would you have done then?” I ask. “You worked for a man who tried to kill me. Don’t you think he’d have found out if you were harbouring his ex?”
I resigned the morning after it happened.
“But that didn’t stop the Dukes from working with him,” I say, rolling my eyes at his reply. “How can I trust someone who does that?”
His writing becomes a rushed scrawl. He hesitates for a second before holding out the paper for me to take.
I didn’t tell them because I was trying to protect you.
Do you think lying and watching Freddie mourn a dead girl was easy?
I never told him to keep you safe and protect your new identity.
I choke back the Gobstopper-sized lump forming in my throat. He’s lying. He has to be.
“You must regret saving me now,” I say, ending our conversation. “I’ll be back later with food.”
Before I leave, I shred Bram’s words.
No one needs to see them.
CHAPTER25
BRAM
The dungeon door rattles when she returns. Our last conversation still hangs between us like a thick smog. Do I regret saving her? I regret my choice of the person I trusted to protect her. I regret following Alaric’s orders and never checking to see how she was doing, but if I could go back in time, I’d still do it again.
That night wasn’t only life-changing for Ivy. It proved that I could do something good. That I wasn’t just a killing machine. Saving her gave me hope I could make things better rather than cause suffering. It gave me the strength to want to redeem myself. I’ll never be able to atone for my sins, but I could protect people too.
Ivy opens the hatch and thrusts a plastic carton through it. A steaming ready meal that’s charred around the edges balances precariously on the ledge. Who can burn something in the microwave?
“Sorry.” She wrinkles her nose. “I can’t cook.”
I take it from her anyway, noticing another equally crispy one on the floor for her to eat.
We sit and eat together in silence. I take my time, having to be careful with each mouthful. Choking is a risk for me. I can still taste with the small part of my tongue I have left, but the flavours aren’t as strong as they used to be. On the positive side, I have a higher tolerance for spicy food now.
When I’ve finished eating, I slide a message I wrote earlier underneath the door.
