He laughs softly. It’s a decadent, unguarded sound that sparks heat down my spine.
“I told you,” he says. “I’m not a good man. Maybe I stayed so long waiting for you to wake up… for very selfish reasons.”
“If you were as selfish as you claim,” I counter, “you wouldn’t have let me go back then.”
No explanation needed.
We both remember.
The car.
Cassian and Talon had charged me to my limit, my body vibrating with too much power. Nathaniel right there, tense, with his cock hard and ready, and his eyes burning with want. I could feel it radiating off him, the heat and hunger. And yet… when I hit my threshold, when I said no… he let me go.
No resentment.
No pressure.
Not even a flicker of disappointment.
Truly selfish men don’t do that.
I know—firsthand.
“I never forgot it,” he says quietly. “That first second you appeared in front of us, in that body… like some biblical angel.”
“Biblical angel?” I scoff. “Bit dramatic.”
“Maybe. But it felt like it. You weren’t a rumor or theory anymore. You were—“ his voice drops, ”—real. Out of this world, and standing ten feet away. A dead girl walking.”
He leans even closer. I can make out the faint scent of antiseptic that never seems to leave him. Like he’s part morgue, part man. His voice drops, almost a whisper.
“And do you know the first thing you did?”
“Worry that I was naked?”
His mismatched eyes flicker over my face, pausing on my lips. “You thought we were going to kill you.”
My breath catches. Beneath the blanket, my knees press together, my belly tightens. Butterflies or dread, hard to tell. Either way, they’re alive.
“So what?” I wet my lips. It comes out careless, lighter than truth. Because the truth is ugly. I did think they would kill me. I was sure of it. Every blink felt like my last. I looked at Nathaniel, Cassian, Talon, and assumed they’d end me just to keep their secret clean.
And honestly, anyone would have. They barely told me anything back then. Not the plan, not the consequences, not who I really was to them. My only experiences with them were their violations of rules meant to handle human souls. Why would I expect mercy?
But none of that changes what I feel now.
He leans back an inch, just enough space to breathe, though his gaze stays sharp. “So don’t pretend I’m not a rotten man.”
“I’m not,” I say at last. “I just don’t think you’re being entirely honest.”
“Perhaps.”
Before I can push further, he’s already standing, already halfway toward the door.
Relief and disappointment twist together in my chest.
His hand hovers over the handle. “Cassian’s been wound tight. Talon keeps looking for excuses to hunt, just to get out of his own head. I made them wait a couple days so we knew where we stood. I’m glad I can tell them there’s good news.”
“Wow.” I sink further into the pillows. “Guess that means I’m officially part of the murderous gang?”
