Onlyshedeserves my mercy. Onlyshedeserves the best version of me.
The whip slips from my fingers. When I try to straighten, the spot where that bastard got me pulses, sending fire up my spine.
Lucky for me he missed the vertebrae. Images of his blood painting every surface flood my mind, and I feel control settling back into my bones.
"Let me go, you psychopath!" My victim screams from where she hangs suspended.
"I prefer sociopath."
I want to tell her she won't take another breath in the next few minutes. Just to watch fear bloom in her eyes. Just to hear her sob.They look so pretty when they sob.
She doesn't matter to my plan, she's just a vessel for all the rage burning inside me.
I grab the drill from the table and her eyes go wide. What a beautiful work of art she is right now, scared and helpless.
As my coat soaks through with her blood, as her screams fade to whimpers, as death's angel materializes behind her, I realize I haven't grabbed Roxy's attention the right way. Yuri was a mistake. Not close enough. Not important enough.
When the perfect solution hits me, my smile spreads and laughter spills out. The drill drops from my hand, splashing into the pool of crimson beneath the blonde.
Even her hair color is wrong.
Laptop in hand, I start typing the name that will make Roxy run straight to me.
Chapter 23
Damien
When I get home, my feet carry me straight to the bedroom where Stefan said he left Roxanne.
It's evening, past dinner time—a dinner I couldn't make because of problems at the club. My jaw clenches. I need my daily dose of happiness, and she's that dose.
Roxanne's sprawled across the bed with her laptop, absorbed in whatever she's reading.
Her first night under my roof and I couldn't even show up for dinner.How the hell do you expect to make her happy when you can't even manage that?I shove the thought away. She's here. In my house, in my bed. And that's where she's staying.
"I'm sorry I missed dinner." The regret thickens my voice, but she doesn't look up from her screen.
"It's fine," she murmurs, eyes still glued to the glow. "I'm used to eating alone anyway."
My fists clench automatically, and in two strides I'm at the foot of the bed.I should've gotten here faster.
"I heard you ran into your ex today."
Her eyes snap up from the screen involuntarily, and I watch as she weighs what to tell me.
"Yeah. Apparently millions in the bank doesn't buy you better company."
A grin spreads across my face at her comeback, but I need to know she feels nothing for that idiot. Just so I don't feel guilty when I sharpen my blades on his body. Actually, I won't feel guilty either way. If she tells me she still has feelings for him, I'll just make sure to start with the dullest ones.
"Do you still care about him?"
I can't use the word love. If she says yes, I know the organ in my chest will disintegrate. Since I saw her in that factory one year ago, when she was abducted by Luna’s ex and ended up biting the Irish mafia leader’s dick, I can't conceive of her soul belonging to anyone else. I know she's scared to let me in, but no matter how hard she fights it, she's mine. From the first day to the last.
Her eyes study me, and with a sigh she says, "No. Honestly, I don't know if I ever really did. Maybe that's why my relationships only last a few months."
No, baby. Your relationships only last a few months because your heart knows they're not the right one.
"Was he an asshole? Sure. But I also preferred staying late finishing details at the office instead of going home to him. I tried to be a sweeter version of myself for him, more docile. I have too much fire in me, and apparently I burn every relationship to the ground."
