And what if this man is the demon I need at my side to keep the other shadows out?
I shakily outstretch my fingers toward him, the blood rushing through my body—warmed by the thought he might actually keep me safe—and his jaw ticks as his gaze tracks the movement. He crouches, his eyes, crystal blue, piercing into my own as he runs a single finger over my forehead, pushing a stray hair out of my vision. For a moment, we’re lost in time—a small space between here and there, where no one and nothing can hurt me anymore.
And then, Seth moves, his hand falling off my face as he scrambles up toward the stranger. The man stares at me a second longer, his eyes, although piercing, are soft as they watch me. Then, he stands, blocking out the lights once more.
Seth lunges for him, his scrawny arms outstretched as he tries to take on the man. But he’s shorter by several inches, and even through the thick layer of leather, I know the man has twice as much muscle as Seth could ever hope to have.
Seth stumbles over me, more falling than pouncing at the man, and before he can fully grab hold of him in any way, the man’s enormous hand grips the side of Seth’s face, slamming it against the edge of the porcelain sink.
A sickening crunch fills the bathroom a second before Seth crumples to the floor in a lifeless mass. I stare at him as a large red pool quickly begins to form around his caved in skull.
A hand falls into my vision, covered in a thin layer of dirt and calluses, and my eyes find the stranger’s. There’s no anger on his face now, his bearded lips perfectly flat, his gaze soft but unwavering as he looks down at me. He just stands there, hand outstretched, not rushing me but not leaving me either.
He exhales slowly, wiggling his fingers slightly. “You’re safe.”
No one’s ever said that to me before.
And because I believe him without a doubt in my dark, broken soul, I grip his fingers and rise.
“I think you killed him. You kill a lot of people?” I mumble, his fingers still wrapped around mine, warm and rough. I recognize it’s on odd thing to say, but I feel out of my body, my lips numb and eyes fuzzy.
He scours my face, and for the first time, I feel a bit self-conscious. I probably look a mess right now—I can feel the matted hair at the back of my neck, and there’s snot drying near my nose. His piercing gaze ticks left and right, his bearded expression still so neutral, and I shift on my feet, uncomfortable under his scrutiny.
Finding whatever he must’ve been looking for, he finally nods, his fingers tightening around mine as he leads me over the body and growing pool of blood.
“He’d be the second, but he got what he deserved,” he grumbles, and the gravely tone of his voice sends heat racing through my body.
I lick my lips, nodding like what he just said isn’t slightly terrifying. I believe in justice,but killing people?My eyes track back to the lifeless form, and bile crawls up my throat.
“He’s not the first to hurt me,” I whisper, more to myself than him.
He pauses so abruptly, I turn my attention back to his face. It’s still perfectly neutral, but there’s an icy rage in his eyes—one identical to that which poured through him right before he killed Seth. But fear doesn’t spike through me the way I know it should.
His jaw ticks, his lips twitching with the movement. And then, he exhales, his breath warm and tinged with cigarette smoke wafting over my skin. “I guess you’ll have to make me a list.”
ELEVEN
VALENTINA
September 17th, 2025
“You seem nervous,”Faith mocks, her voice light-hearted, and I have to swallow a sharp response.Not everyone’s out to get you, Valentina.
I shrug, looking out the window of her SUV, the greenish tan landscape passing by in a blur. I never ride passenger, and I’m still not used to my drive‘into town’looking like some fucking country music video. Maybe I’ll never be used to being here.
“It’s just different,” I finally admit, picking at the skin around my nails. Faith huffs a laugh.
“You’re talking to the girl who almost escaped this place, living on the East Coast in some of the wealthiest neighborhoods for a while. It’s very different.”
I turn to her surprised. “Escaped? I thought everyone who ends up here loves it. That’s one of the reasons Mateo gave up everything.”
Faith swerves into oncoming traffic as her head whips in my direction. “You’re kidding.” A few horns blare in our direction, and my heart rate multiplies to a deadly thrum as I grip the doorpanel. Faith just continues to stare at me, oblivious to the world passing by in front of us.
I stare back at her for a split second before looking at the traffic barreling toward us. “Uh, Faith?”
She yanks the car back into her lane with a giggle.
I’m afraid to speak, my pounding heart a reminder of our near-death experience only moments before. But I can feel her gaze burning into me again, and the fear of dying from her not watching the road quickly wins out. “You’re terrifying, you know that?”
