He runs through the shadowy warehouse, hiding behind poles and pipes, shielding my body from the onslaught of bullets.
At last, he reaches a small, concealed door, breaks out, and tumbles me into the back of a waiting car. He jumps into it too, and slams the door shut behind him.
Then he nods at the driver who takes off at a hair-raising speed.
The moment my breath returns, I twist around to him, desperate to explain.
“Damien…”
But at once he crushes me against the row of backseats, lying me down on my back, pressing a hand to my mouth.
“Shut up. Shutup.”
I manage a glance at him. He’s livid. I’ve never seen him like this.
Gabriel’s words once more echo in my mind.
Damien might have killed Lazarus for trying to rape me, but that doesn’t mean he’s not planning to kill me next.
He confirms it the next second when he takes out a gun and points it at my temple. The tears that had dried up when he’d saved me bubble up once more, and I choke out sobs that sound embarrassingly loud even over the roar of the engine.
His anger seems edged with something else now, something like regret. He keeps the gun on my temple as his other hand leaves my mouth to stroke my hair.
“I did love you,” he murmurs, one finger still on the trigger as the other wipes away my tears. “It won’t hurt, my pet. I promise you that.”
I did love you.
I stare at him in disbelief, the words twisting themselves around my heart, torturing me far more than anything else he could have said or done.
To hear that the one who means everything to me actuallydidcare. To hear it, just as I’m about to leave this Earth.
Worse, to hear it in the past tense.
I didn’t know how lucky I was until it was over.
“Please let me explain,” I whisper, but even as the words leave my mouth, I know it’s useless. I’m not even sure Icouldexplain if I were allowed to.
He leans his forehead against mine.
“I am going to press this trigger in a few seconds, my pet. I’m going to kiss you through it. Close your eyes, now.”
Shivering, I do as he says, one last tear escaping me. He wipesit away then presses his hot lips against mine. I inhale, trying to be present for these last moments, trying to breathe in all his musky warmth, trying to wrap myself in whatever’s left of his love.
I hear his low voice in my ear.
“Three… two… one…”
It takes me a moment to realize I’m still alive.
I open my eyes again and stare at him. He’s teared his lips away from mine and is looking down at me, a small smile playing at the tips of his mouth. Almost like he’s laughing at me.
Even in my precarious position, anger surges through me. Howdarehe make fun of me? He’s got a gun pointed to my head, he’s going to kill me, and he’s laughing!
No, not laughing. Not at me. His eyes have a faraway look, and the smile on his lips means something else, though at first I can’t quite understand it.
It’s possession, that’s what it is. It’s the smile of the predator who’s caught his prey.
This predator is going to kill me. I look up at him, desperate to contort my features into a neutral expression. I don’t want him to see anymore how scared I am. I will go bravely.
