Page 25 of The Darkest Hour

Let’s see who this is, before I kill them.

The door swung open with a soft bump.

I lay there, pretending that I was still asleep, letting my chest slowly rise and fall in the rhythm of typical slumber.

Is that you, sweetheart? It must be.

I inhaled, and this scent of orange spice hit my nostrils.

Wait a minute.

I’d caught that same scent in my 100k hotel room.

You were in there, snooping around? Weren’t you?

The fragrance was a delicate blend of tangy citrus and comforting warmth, like a freshly baked orange and spice cake sprinkled with cinnamon, sugar, and cloves.

I could almost taste the burst of zesty orange on my tongue followed by a hint of soothing spice.

Got you.

Now that I knew that the orange spice scent was hers, she could never hide from me again.

I had a heightened sense of smell, akin to a wild wolf. It wasn't just an extraordinary gift; it was a finely honed skill that had saved my life more times than I could count.

Scientists called it hyperosmia.

It was rare, something only a small percentage of humans possessed.

Genetics, many doctors theorized. Some mutation in my olfactory receptors made them more sensitive.

Whatever the reason, it made me damn good at my job.

Once I had the scent of a person, I could find them anywhere. It was to the point that toward the end of my employment, all my employers had to do was give me the person’s shirt or jacket to track them.

If they walked through a hallway an hour ago, I could tell.

I could even smell sheets and figure out the last time the person slept in the bed, and sometimes even if the sleep was comforting or not.

It was one of the many reasons why I remained at the top in the assassin world.

You better not ever try to run from me.

The door clicked shut, and I heard the soft padding of her footsteps approaching the bed.

Come here, sweetie.

The closer she got, the more her scent enveloped me.

Intoxicating.

I waited, muscles tensed and ready.

Perhaps, I’ll lick that pussy, before I fuck and kill you.

My body hummed with hunger.

Onyx might have thought she had the upper hand, but she had greatly underestimated me.