Page 134 of I Will Mend You

“You said you were also a killer. That’s something a man like me can’t resist.”

“I thought it was because of the scented pages,” I mutter and peer up at him through my lashes.

He grins, his blue eyes sparkling. “True, but it isn’t your heavenly scent that keeps me addicted. It’s your resilience. You’re a scarred warrior. My other half.”

My throat tightens, and my gaze travels over the tattoos adorning his chest. “All I see is perfection.”

“Give me your hand.”

“Why?”

“Because you need to feel my scars.”

I sit up a little, pulling my arm out of the water. Xero takes my fingers and traces them over his temple, letting me feel an invisible ridge.

“Two boys knocked me off my feet in the school hallway to impress my older brothers. They kicked me there until I fell unconscious.”

“Xero, I’m so sorry?—”

“Save your pity for those bastards who hurt you. I plan on keeping them alive long enough to regret being born.”

He moves my fingers into his hairline, behind his ear, down his chest, telling me the story of every scar. My chest burns once more with fury at how Delta could have engineered Xero’s miserable childhood. He ruined so many of us, including me.

“It wasn’t your fault,” I murmur. “You were at those people’s mercy and did everything to survive.”

He gives me a crooked smile. “I can say the same to you.”

That’s when it finally sinks in. We both have so much in common that it’s uncanny. Both former child assassins. Both with siblings who doled out unimaginable betrayal. Both equally scarred. Both looking to wash away our pasts with blood.

Delta has already taken so much. I can’t let him taint my relationship with Xero. I won’t let him take my happiness.

Gathering all my courage in a deep inhale, I rise from the water. My hands drop from my chest, exposing my scars. Cool air swirls around my heated skin, making it pucker, and trepidation skitters through the lacerations.

Xero steps back, his eyes fixed on mine.

“You can look,” I say.

He hesitates for several heartbeats before allowing his gaze to sweep down my body. I search his features for any hint of revulsion. Instead, he exhales the longest sigh. It’s sorrow, acceptance, and shared pain.

“All I see is the woman I love.” His words wrap around me like a warm blanket, and his eyes meet mine again. “But every man who ever touched you will die screaming.”

My heart flutters. I picture the two of us maiming and killing Barrett, Locke, and Seth, saving Delta and Dolly for the grand finale.

“Come into the water with me,” I murmur.

Xero loosens the towel around his waist, and my heart lurches. I don’t dare to look down to see if he has an erection. He enters the tub behind me and pulls me down, so I’m sitting on his lap.

The heat of his body envelops mine, melting away my tension. I relax against his broad chest, close my eyes, and whisper, “Wash away his touch.”

“I will never see you as tainted or dirty,” he murmurs against my ear.

“Xero—”

“But I will replace his touch with mine, only when you’re ready.”

He picks up the bar of soap and rubs it between his hands, creating a thick lather. Smoothing his sudsy palms over my neck, he massages the tight muscles with strong fingers. I moan against his touch, wanting more.

Maybe I should tell him I’m ready to go further. Maybe I should shut the hell up and allow things to unfurl.

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