The longer I walked, snow crunching steadily underfoot as the resort disappeared behind me, the colder I became. It was a longer walk than the other town, but it’d be worth it to not risk getting caught.
When I finally reached the edge of the town, this one just as decrepit as the last, I kept my head down and went straight for the bar.
I slipped inside and got to work.
It didn’t take long for me to find the night’s next victim. A short, stocky man near the back caught my attention. He was already a little drunk, if the way he leaned on the table was anything to go by.
And alone.
That was the important part.
I approached the same way as before, eager to quell this dumb urge quickly so I could return to Wes’s side as soon as possible.
The man was less hesitant about me being a man than the first one and followed me outside without much convincing. I led him around the side of the building, into another dark, tucked-away space where no one would bother us.
Poor guy died practically the second we were out of sight. I reached out lightning fast, hands locking onto the base of his skull, and then snapped his neck with a satisfying crack and gurgle.
His body dropped like a stone at my feet, neck bent at a gross angle.
I took a deep breath in, looking up toward the night sky with a grin on my face.
That tight, restless feeling was gone as quickly as the man’s death had been.
Not wanting to linger, I headed back onto the street, not at all looking like I’d left a dead body behind.
It was about an hour’s walk to the resort, and I spent every minute of it wishing I could teleport myself out of this tundra and into the nice, heated room waiting for me.
When the resort finally came back into view, I sighed in relief, already picturing Wes’s sleepy self warm by the fire where I’d left him. I’d go in, shed my wet, freezing clothes, and wrap my entire body around him, just luxuriating in the heat.
I slipped inside our building without issue, just another guest returning late. The elevator took me straight up to our floor. No one else was awake to pause its ascent.
Once it let me off on our floor, it was less than a minute before I was at our door and using my keycard to open it. Wanting to be quiet as not to wake Wes, I very slowly edged the door open just enough to allow me to slip through, then shut it just as slowly.
Warmth enveloped me, welcoming me home.
Then—
I froze.
Fuck.
Wes was awake.
He sat in front of the fireplace, elbows braced on his knees, hands loosely clasped, the glow of the flames casting shadows across his face. He wasn’t slouched, wasn’t relaxed.
He was waiting.
The door clicked shut behind me.
His eyes lifted slowly until they met mine.
There was no confusion in them.
No sleepy haze.
Just… focus and anger.
“You’re back,” he said calmly.
