Page 116 of Pretty Dark Vows
This man killed for me tonight. He saved Chloe’s life, and probably mine too.
He smiles, and I can’t look away, my heart suddenly pounding so loudly that it drowns out everything else.
I was lying to myself back at the warehouse when I told myself I didn’t want the Reapers to die because it would wreck the plan. It was a lot more than that. I don’t really know how to define this thing between me and Dante, whatever it is. But I don’t have to define it to feel it all the way down to my bones.
If he’d died, it would have wrecked something inme.
“Anytime, princess.” His eyes rake over my face like he’s memorizing it, lingering on my lips like a kiss, then he gives me a gentle shove. “Go on now. Go take care of your sister.”
Chloe is still glancing around, shifting her weight uncertainly as she stands in the Reapers’ entryway.
“We need to clean the gear,” Maddoc says from nearby as he drops a bulky black duffel bag on the floor.
“On it,” Dante says, scooping the bag right back up. “You gonna help, Logan?”
“Basement,” Logan says cryptically, already heading out of the room carrying some of the things they brought in from the vehicle.
Dante follows, and I start to step toward Chloe, but Maddoc grabs my arm.
He glances down at the bloodstained part of my shirt, and the wound beneath it throbs at the reminder that I was shot earlier. “That needs to get cleaned and taken care of.”
“There’s a first aid kit in the bathroom upstairs, right?” I say, trying to brush him off, but he doesn’t let me.
“You need Logan.”
“I’m fine,” I insist. “I can get Chloe to help me put a bandage on it.”
Maddoc’s eyes blaze, his grip tightening. “I wasn’t asking. It needs stitches, and he’s the best with that shit. Got a steady hand. You’ll barely have a scar.”
An involuntary shiver rocks through me at the idea of Logan pushing a needle through my skin. Of course he’d be good at it. He’s so fucking precise and particular about everything, his stitches will probably be invisible and as straight as a ruler.
But he likes to hurt me.
Hehashurt me.
And the most unsettling thing is, some part of me has enjoyed it.
Shaking off that thought, I refocus on Maddoc. He hasn’t budged or loosened his grip on my arm at all, clearly not willing to let this drop.
“Fine,” I tell him. “He can patch me up whenever he’s done with whatever he went to take care of.” I wave a hand in the general direction where Logan and Dante headed. “But I need a minute with Chloe first.”
She’s holding herself together pretty well, but I know she must be freaking out on the inside. She needs a break from trying to put up a good front.
Maddoc nods, the hard line of his mouth softening a bit as he glances over at her, almost like he gets it.
“Sure,” he says, finally releasing me. “She can stay upstairs in your room with you. Take a few minutes to get her situated.” Those stormy gray eyes of his land on me before I can move, intense as always as he adds in a low growl, “But don’t forget to see Logan.”
“I won’t,” I promise.
He holds my gaze for another beat, narrowing his eyes like he’s trying to gauge whether I’m telling the truth or just saying what he wants to hear so he’ll back off. But finally, he nods and strides after Dante and Logan.
I watch him go, then jerk my eyes away.
“Come on,” I say gently to Chloe. “Let’s go upstairs. I’ve got some fresh clothes you can borrow.”
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RILEY