“W-What?”
Beneath his explosive fury, raw misery lurked. His chest heaved. His fists shook. He looked as if he’d gone from finally letting down his guard, to thinking everything about me was yet another trap.
“It’s okay,” I murmured, unable to stand the betrayal in his eyes. “I’m still the same person. I’m still on your side.”
“My side?” he chuckled blackly. “And what side is that?”
“The right side,” I blurted. “The good side.”
“You think I’mgood? How many women have I killed again?”
“Fine. I meant the bad side. I’m firmly on the bad side.”
“Ah...” He smiled thinly. “So I’m the villain now?”
“No, of course not. Stop twisting my—”
“I’m an idiot. All this time I thought you understood my need for revenge, but you’ve been secretly trying to get away from me.” He balled his hands. “You lied to me.”
My phone kept on ringing. My head kept on pounding. “I never lied to you. Not once.”
“Then tell me how you really feel!” he hissed. “Give me the truth.”
“The truth aboutwhat?”
“Are you on my side or not?”
“I just told you. Yes, I’m on your side. Besides, how can you even ask that?” Hurt pinched my heart. “Especially after everything—”
“Answer the fucking question, Rook!”
“I just did!”
“Then why do I feel like you’re about to betray me like everyone else?”
Whisper shot to his feet and went to his master, wrapping his long tail around Lucien as if holding him back from attacking me.
My heart skipped as I clutched my buzzing phone and tried to give him what he needed to hear. “I will never betray you, Lucien. I willalwaysbe on your side.” I licked my lips and added an important caveat. “As long as you don’t hurt innocent people and don’t harm me, then I will never stop being on your side. You have my full support to seek vengeance on those who did this to you and your family.”
His fury faded a little as his shoulders sagged. His hand landed on Whisper’s head, his fingers fumbling with the panther’s ears. He looked so unsure and in such pain, he reached into my chest and ruined me.
I moved to go to him, but his chin tipped up and he sighed heavily. “Are you sure? Are you sure you can even stand to look at me after what happened here tonight?”
My gaze flickered to the barbecued wall.
He followed my stare, shuddering just once. “What if I lose control again? What if I turn out to be a worse monster thanthem?”
My phone kept buzzing and I didn’t know what to say.
“What if I’m exactly what all those women said I am?” he whispered. “That my very existence is an apocalypse waiting to happen...will you still love me then?”
Love him?
He choked.
We both froze.
That frightening little word fell to the floor and exploded around our feet. A word that came with so much danger and depth...
