Page 85 of Red Dreams

I place my hands over his. “I love you, too. All of you. With or without the mask.”

Foreign emotion ripples across his scarred, jaded face before he lets his head fall forward to rest his forehead against mine. “Even when the darkest parts of myself want you for their own, you always obey me.”

We stand there, wrapped in each other, as the rising sun bathes us in its warm golden glow.

A loud honk shatters the moment. I jerk away from Kaden, peering out the window to see a familiar sedan pulling up the gravel drive.

Kaden stills, his body going rigid against mine.

“Expecting someone?” he asks, his tone dangerously calm.

I shake my head, panting. “No, I—” The realization hits me. “Oh God. It's Ethan.”

Kaden's eyes narrow to slits. “And what is he doing here at this very moment when I plan to fuck you again?”

“He mentioned coming by to say goodbye. He's leaving Greycliff, remember? Starting his new job in Millhaven next week.”

Kaden mutters a curse under his breath. For a moment, he looks like he might march out there naked, cock still hard and ready, and physically remove Ethan from the property. But then he glances down at me, his gaze softening imperceptibly.

After a few more bonus strokes of his perfect cock inside me, Kaden slips out with a reluctant hiss. “Let’s go say farewell, then.”

I hastily throw on a robe while Kaden pulls on a pair of low-slung sweatpants, not bothering with a shirt. We head downstairs to the kitchen, where the scent of freshly brewed coffee permeates the air.

Ethan waits by the front door, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He looks up as we approach, his hazel eyes widening slightly at the sight of Kaden's imposing figure despite seeing it many times.

“Hey, E.” I greet him with a smile. “Come on in.”

He steps inside hesitantly, his gaze darting between Kaden and me. “I don't mean to intrude. I just wanted to come by and say goodbye before I head out.”

Kaden remains silent and unmoving, his usual default setting.

I usher Ethan into the kitchen, where Cassie is already seated at the table, nursing a mug of black coffee while Reaper laps at a small bowl of milk beside her. Cassie looks up as we enter.

“Well, isn't this cozy,” she says. “The whole gang together again.”

I bristle at her tone, but Ethan just offers her a tight smile and gives Reaper a long stroke from head to tail. She arches into it with a happy purr.

Ethan and I settle around the table while Kaden remains standing, arms crossed over his broad chest.

I clear my throat. “So, Ethan, you're all set for Millhaven?”

He nods, his fingers fidgeting with the handle of a coffee mug Cassie filled and pushed toward him. “Yeah, I start at the new firm next Monday. It's a good opportunity.”

“I'm happy for you,” I say with sincerity. “You deserve a fresh start after everything that's happened.”

Cassie snorts. “Running away from your problems won't solve anything.”

“I'm not running away,” Ethan retorts, a hint of steel in his voice. “I'm choosing to move on. To build a life that's not defined by violence and death.”

Ethan pales, his eyes darting to Kaden before dropping to the table as if worried Kaden will retaliate for snapping at Cassie.

Kaden shifts, drawing everyone's attention.

“We've all done things we regret,” he says quietly. “What matters is what we do going forward.”

“I just ... I can't stay here anymore,” Ethan admits.

Guilt twists at my insides as I regard Ethan and how much he’s changed since I entered his life. How much he fights the darkness rather than accepts it. It’s the decent, moral thing to do, a natural rejection of evil. And while I’ll miss him desperately, I’m certain he doesn’t belong in this world. My new world that will forever include violence and death.

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