I stood and hurried to the kitchen, where I’d left the box. I wasn’t entirely great at giving gifts. All the people I knew had everything they’d ever wanted. Not that Evie was lacking for anything, but I wanted…
I wasn’t even sure what I’d wanted when I made the order. I was excited yet nervous to show her. Would she like it? Or was I just copying Bryce?
I handed her the box wrapped in paper that was meant to look like TV static, accented with a bow that was a sickly shade of green. “Forgive me for the wrapping job. Normally my assistant does this stuff, but considering the sensitive nature, I thought it best we keep this to ourselves.”
“These are the logo colors for my channel!” Evie laughed as she tore through the paper and lifted the box. Dipping her hand inside, she pulled out a small leather belt and paused, cocking her head and furrowing her brows in confusion.
“What is this?” she asked, pulling out a second belt and eyeing them curiously. Setting them down beside her, she dug back into the box.
“Those are straps. They go inside your—”
“Boots! Anthony C. Hopkins, these are so cute.” She pulled out the matte black leather combat boots and turned them in her hands. “I’m obsessed.”
“Check out the soles.”
A gasp came from her throat as she turned them upside down. Etched into the rubber were the words:
Good For Her.
Scrambling up, she unzipped them and slid them over her feet. The boots went to midcalf. Grabbing the straps she’d abandoned on the floor, I had her take the boots back off to try the belts. Pulling her pants up to secure the belts, she slid the daggers into place before putting the boots back on. She zipped the boots up again and tightened the laces then bounced on the balls of her feet and did a few kicks and poses. Reaching down, she drew both blades in a fluid motion.
“Fucking groovy.”
“I thought you’d like them.” I grinned as I watched her pretend to fight. Honestly, it was a little sexy, watching her brows knit in concentration. She doubted herself, but I never did for even an instant.
“Every villain needs an iconic outfit,” I told her. She paused midkick and turned.
“I’m a villain?”
I shrugged. “Some people would probably classify you as such. Definitely the men on your list.” I laughed.
She tapped her chin with her forefinger and nodded.
“True. What is it they say? Everyone is a villain to someone?”
“And every villain has a tragic backstory. I’d say yours fits the bill.”
“Yeah, but it’s not really...” She pursed her lips and relaxed from her fighting stance, sliding the knives back into her boots before sitting back on the couch. The dogs lifted their heads in interest and then dropped back down. She sighed. “It wasn’t me who was brutally raped and murdered.”
“No, but someone close to you was. They murdered your mother, Evie. Your reasons for revenge are valid.” I watched the dogs to make sure I wasn’t attacked as I moved to sit behind her and pull her into my arms. She relaxed into my chest, and my heart soared. I wanted this every night. Every time she let me in, I reveled in it.
How long could I make this last?
“There’s a reason revenge horror is so popular,” I said, resting my head in the crook of her neck. “I Spit on Your Grave, The Crow, Midsommar,” I listed.
“Slash or Pass, American Mary, Jennifer’s Body,” Evie added, the sadness in her voice lifting with each title. “So many women hurt in so many different ways. Sometimes the screen gets a little too real.”
“Exactly. It doesn’t matter how they were hurt. It’s the revenge we like to see. We want to see the bad guys lose. And when you leave the theater, you find yourself saying—”
“Good for her,” she finished, a deep sigh leaving her body.
“Exactly.” I shifted my head to kiss her salty cheek. For the first time since she’d come back into my life, my affection wasn’t given with lust in mind, but comfort. When she was hurting, so was I. I wanted revenge just as much as she did, and I had every intention of helping her get it. She settled deeper into me, and I wrapped my arms tighter.
“If it’s with my last dying breath, I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure you get yourgood for hermoment, Final Girl,” I whispered into her ear, following it with another kiss.
We relaxed into the couch, and I took a deep, heavy breath.
Well, fuck.
