Page 30 of Desire and Revenge

“Should I have let him starve?” He sounds annoyed, and I can’t help but laugh. It flows from my stomach and spills out of my throat freely. It’s the first time in a long time that I’ve laughed so hard.

“Oh my God,” I wheeze. “So, there’s a big softie beneath all that muscle and tough exterior. You do know that the cat’s yours now, right?”

“No, he’s not,” he scoffs. “He’s a stray.”

“That you’ve adopted. You put him in a pet carrier and rode with him on your bike,” I point out. “I don’t know where you’ve lived all these years, but around here, that’s the definition of adopting a cat. I can’t believe you’re a cat dad.”

“Never call me that again.”

I smile. “What’s his name?”

“He doesn’t have one.”

“He looks like an Alfred,” I say thoughtfully.

He scoffs. “That’s a ridiculous name for a cat. It’s a good thing you don’t have one. And I’m not naming the damn cat. He’s just going to go back to the streets anytime soon.”

“How long have you had him?”

“Why does it matter?”

“Because all of your protest isn’t working for you. So, you may as well just give it up and admit that he’s your pet,” I shrug. “Or is a big, terrifying man like you too shy to admit he has a cute little kitty? You know, there’s this whole war between cat people and dog people, but I think it’s all stupid. I’m an animal person.”

“You can take him if you want, the cat. He’s a moody, judgmental asshole anyways, and you’ll probably chuck him out the nearest window within a week.”

I cock my head. “He must not be that bad if you haven’t murdered him yet. You don’t strike me as the kind of person who has a lot of patience for naughty kitties.”

“You don’t know me, Sofia.”

I shiver, and this time it has nothing to do with the cold. “That’s because you won’t let me. Each time I feel like I’ve taken one step towards the line you’ve drawn on the sand, you wash it off and redraw it steps away. What’s your problem?”

“Have you ever thought that maybe there’s a reason I don’t want you crossing that line? Maybe I’m saving you from your own self?”

“I can believe a lot of things about you, but I know you’re far from a selfless saint,” I snort. “You may think I’m stupid?—”

“Anybody who thinks you’re stupid is the biggest idiot on the face of this Earth.”

I go still. Staring at the dark shadow that is him. He may not have meant it as such, but to me it’s the biggest compliment I’ve ever received, which is actually quite pitiful, come to think of it.

“And you’re right, I’m not a selfless saint. Far from it,” he steps closer, so close that I can feel the heat from his body. My body sways toward the warmth and I manage to keep myself rooted in place by sheer force of will.

“Then what are you?”

The single bulb swaying from a pole at the end of the boardwalk suddenly flickers, and yellow light washes over us for a second. But it’s long enough for me to see Nero’s midnight dark eyes shift to the side of my face.

“What the hell did he do to you?” His voice is low, but every word drips with cold fury.

CHAPTER 10

Nero

“N-nothing,” she staggers back.

“You’re lying to me,” I grit out. The image is burned into my retinas. Dried blood is staining the side of her face where her skin has begun to turn a distinct yellow and purple.

“Please, just drop it, Nero. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I’m not bloody dropping it. You have two seconds to tell me what happened, or I’m walking in there and asking him myself.”

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