Page 13 of Out of the Darkness

“We had fun, didn’t we? Killing and fucking our way around the world. We were unstoppable. Powerful. And we had more money than we needed. Don’t you miss that?”

“Sometimes,” he admitted truthfully. “But I have too much blood on my hands now, and my soul is blacker than black. I needed to get out before I went completely feral.”

That was why he decided to leave in the first place. He had nearly lost himself to the beast inside. The killing no longer satiated the bloodlust, he spent more time as a wolf than in human form, and he had nearly killed an innocent. That was never the kind of man he wanted to be, and he knew then that it was time to leave that life behind. He was grateful that Rodrigo allowed it because he had every intention of killing anyone who stood in his way of leaving, and that probably would have been what sent him over the edge entirely. Even if Madelyn hadn’t been in the picture, he wouldn’t risk going back to that dark place.

“I guess I can understand that,” Isabelle muttered, running her fingers through her hair. “Things just haven’t been the same since you left.”

“Aw, you miss me,” he teased.

“Ass.” Color flooded her cheeks. She had always hated being called out on her emotions, especially when she was so damn adamant that she didn’t possess any. He used to be the same way. At least, until Madelyn. Even so, he would say that Isabelle was the closest thing he had to a friend because the two of them were messed up in ways that no one else could really understand.

With their line of work, it wasn’t easy or smart to get close to anyone, not that he had ever wanted to before. Those kinds of ties gave their enemies and rivals a weakness to exploit.

“So, what’s next for you?” he asked, picking up his sandwich again and taking another bite.

Isabelle shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m in between assignments right now. What about you? What are you doing with your overabundance of free time?”

He shrugged. “Nothing. And that’s the beauty of it. I can do what I want when I want.”

“Not to mention who you want,” she added with a wink.

He nodded. “That too.”

“Is there someone you’re fucking these days? Someone special maybe?”

“Nah, no one special.” The lie came quickly and easily. He may be close with Isabelle, but she was still a stone-cold killer, just like he was. He knew better than to trust her to know about Madelyn.

“Well, that’s lame. I was hoping to live vicariously through you! I’m not getting any either, you know.”

The implication was clear in her voice, but he wasn’t falling for it. Not this time. He didn’t want or need to sleep with Isabelle now that he had Madelyn. They may not be to that point in their relationship yet, but they would be soon. He was getting to her, and now they were even talking. It wouldn’t be long before he had all of her. The beast wouldn’t hold out forever.

When he didn’t respond, Isabelle sighed before rising to her feet. “Alright. I gotta jet. Don’t be a stranger, alright? Just because you are out doesn’t mean you get to pretend that we don’t exist.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. It was good to see you, Isa.”

Isabelle nodded before walking away. It had been nice to see her again. He meant it when he said he sometimes missed what his life had been before, and she had been a big part of that. They had given him purpose when he had needed it the most. Now, though, he had a whole new purpose. A purpose that included the beautiful brunette with a penchant for telling him to go to hell. There was no reason for him to cling to that old life, not when he was trying to forge a new one with her.

Thinking about Madelyn had him picking up his phone from where he’d placed it on the table, screen down, while talking to Isabelle. He smiled when he realized he had another text from her.

Madelyn: Keep dreaming, asshole. I won’t be begging you for shit.

Xavier: You say that now, but you’ll cave. Eventually.

Madelyn: You sound so damn sure of yourself.

Xavier: Because I am, little dove. We are end game.

Madelyn: NEVER. GOING. TO. HAPPEN.

Xavier smirked to himself as he tossed some cash onto the table and left the bistro. They would see about that.

Chapter Six

Madelyn

The cool night air bit into her exposed skin as Madelyn stepped out of the station. It had been another long and tiring work day, and there was a new bottle of wine at home that was calling her name. As she made her way down the block toward the parking structure, she pulled her keys and her cell phone out of her purse, turning the phone back on. She’d had to turn it off earlier in the day to be able to get some work done because Xavier would not stop texting her, and it was distracting.

As she made her way down the block, toward the public parking structure where all civilians were required to park, her mind drifted back to the man that she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about. She knew that she never should have responded to him, but after their little confrontation back at her place, she couldn’t help it. There was something about him and his obvious obsession with her that she found interesting as much as she did irritating, and now he was all she could think about.

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