He had killed bad people; sure, it felt good to protect their next victims but that didn’t erase the fact that he too had become…bad. It didn’t change the fact he became like the people he haunted.
“I only took specific jobs, those targeting rapists, killers, anyone whomIdeemed evil.”
The silence between them was palpable. Did this change what she thought of him? He was waiting for the moment she’d tense up and pull away from him. But the moment never came.
“Good. Guilt would make all those deaths seem like they happened for nothing.”
17
FLORA
“Dylan,” Flora muttered in disbelief. Her eyes widened as she pulled the burnt pieces of what used to be a toaster pastry from the toaster. She tried to withhold her laugh, but the more her breakfast crumbled, the more she let the chuckles loose.
“Don’t laugh at me; I was making those for you,” Dylan said. He leaned against the counter of the mini kitchen in the hotel room.
“Yes, darling. That was very sweet of you. Thank you,” Flora laughed, snuggling her way into Dylan’s arms. Forgetting the toaster pastry; she rested her head against his chest, his arms coming around her hips.
It had been a month since she and Dylan first met, and she had grown attached to him. He was everywhere all the time, and she didn’t want that to ever stop. She wanted to spend every minute of every day with someone who wasn’t like her. Dylan came with a Pack, though, and she wasn’t sure she’d fit in it.
“What is it like, being part of a Pack?” Flora rushed, her words punctuated with a blush covering her face. He could probably guess why she asked the question, but she wanted the possibility of life after her stalker to include Dylan. That included his Pack.
Still, she wasn’t trying to get her hopes up. What Pack would want a panther anyway? Panthers were too dangerous, too strong. It would be too much of a hassle for any Pack, let alone his. She knew the Enchanted Pack had a couple different breeds; it was what made them so well-known, but a solitary panther Shifter being part of a Pack was unheard of.
“Well, it's like finally being accepted for who you are by people who love you. Being surrounded by people who would lay their lives down for you. The bond created is stronger than a biological family’s,” Dylan said, running a hand up and down her back as he explained. She could feel the love in his voice when he talked about his Pack. She wanted that for herself.
“Could I meet them?” she whispered.
“Yeah, once we get back. I’ll introduce you.”
“How many members are there?”
“Seven, all guys. Are you ready for that?”
“With you? Yeah,” she muttered, nuzzling closer. She wanted to be part of his life. He had been in hers long enough; it was time to see him in his element and see if they could work out if his Pack would accept her.
“We have to go to the production factory in an hour,” Flora said, not letting go of Dylan.
“I know,” he sighed. “I want to stay here a little longer.”
“Is this a knife?” Flora softly asked. She dragged her fingers around the handle behind his back in an elastic belt he wore above his pants. She didn’t pull on it, afraid of hurting him. Her arms were wrapped tight around his torso, and she had no clue how to handle such a sharp object, so she didn’t try to.
“Yeah, well a dagger…go ahead and pull it straight out, then point the blade outward before bringing it between us,” he whispered. He was still running his hands along her back, completely relaxing her.
Flora followed his instructions, taking a step back away from him. His arms loosened around her, but he didn’t completely let go. The dagger had a jade-colored handle and silver vine-style engraving with a freshly cleaned silver blade. It was beautiful. How many people had he killed with this?
“You’re so formal. Dagger, knife, same thing,” Flora smiled, carefully putting the dagger back.
“Actually, a dagger is for stabbing, and a knife is for cutting and slicing,” Dylan informed with a sly grin. Flora giggled, throwing her head back.
Dylan swooped Flora into his arms, carrying her to the bed and placing her sitting up against the bed's headboard. She watched as Dylan opened her suitcase, seeing the outfit she had packed for the day and laid it out on the end of the bed for her: a pink silk calf-length dress with a knit cardigan.
“No panties?” Flora asked, raising an eyebrow. Dylan’s cheeks went pink as he shied away, taking a few steps back.
“Flora…” he grumbled, glaring at her.
“It's cute seeing you all flustered; it doesn't happen very often,” Flora said, sliding off the bed and grabbing her clothes and a pair of fresh undergarments.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah...just hurry your pretty little ass up,” Dylan murmured still flushed as he sat back on the bed.
