Page 4 of Bloody Seven

I dress quickly, combing out my wavy hair before giving myself a quick glance in the mirror. I've grown so much over the last six years. I doubt Drew would even recognize the woman I am now, and that makes my heart hurt.

My hand reaches up to touch my cheek, the same pale skin that he used to touch. The look in my eyes is more vacant than ever. Any joy that once filled them was taken from me when he died.

Next year, I'll complete my promise, and I don't know exactly what that means for my future. I don’t know if I'll be able to let go of this pain I've held onto for so long, but that's a problem for next year. For now, my only focus is on Lust.

Chapter 2

Poppy

Why the fuck are there so many people out and about this early? The streets are bustling as I stalk down the sidewalk. I’m a killer on a normal day, but when I’m hungry, my mood is significantly worse.

Most people don’t bother to look at me when I bump into them, on my quest to find the bagel place I read about online. Locals know the more you keep to yourself, the better you are. The only people to shoot me side-eyed glances are obviously tourists.

Tourists are fairly easy to pick out because they don't have anywhere to be. This city is constantly moving, and tourists move slower. You'll find them stopping by a storefront or pulling out their phones to take pictures.

I used to be like them, finding the beauty in the unique architecture or feeling the fascination of the many different cultures that somehow blend together to live synonymously. I don't feel much of anything anymore, with the exception of disgust and rage. It’s taught me how to blend in. So much so thateven when I'm not in the city for my annual hunts, I'm thinking about how I can prepare for the next one.

I continue down the street and notice a woman calling out to a young girl. My eyes land on the child running toward me with the woman, who I believe is her mother, waving her arms and trying to chase after her. I step in front of the little girl's path just before she can run past me, making her falter.

"It's not safe to run away from your mommy," I say as she looks up with innocent eyes. With any luck, that innocence will never prematurely know the darkness of the world.

"Valerie, we talked about this!" the woman yells again before leaning down to pick her up.

"Mommy!" The little girl giggles when her mother squeezes her tightly.

"Thank you so much," she tells me, but I can't stop myself from shaking my head with annoyance.

"You should be more careful. There's tons of freaks in this city," I say as I walk away.

I don't have it in me to be kind to her, even if it was an accident. It only takes one wrong move, and some fucking creep has the opportunity he needs to swoop in long enough for her to never see her daughter again. It's just irresponsible.

This encounter reminds me of when I killed Pride.

The snow was heavy due to a superstorm that blew its way through the city. Even with the inclement weather, it didn’t stop the tourists from showing up in full force. New York City on Valentine’s Day is just too tempting, I suppose.

As I walked down the street an altercation between a man in a fancy suit and a mother with a small child caught my attention. The man had his hair slicked back and was pointing a finger in the woman’s face while screaming about how she should've had a better eye on her daughter.

The little girl wasn’t paying attention and bumped into him, scuffing up his shoes. He made sure everyone around could hear about how his shoes probably cost more than she made in a month.

The woman apologized profusely while the man continued blabbing about how expensive his stupid fucking shoes were. As soon as she walked away, he carried on walking down the street, muttering to himself, with me following closely behind.

A woman with long brown curled hair, dressed like a model, walked by and he made sure he hit on her. He tried asking her out, and when she told him no, he said he would buy her whatever she wanted if she agreed to go on a date with him. She said no again and practically ran away. That was all I needed to choose him as the Pride kill.

I secretly followed him, until he took a phone call saying he would meet some girl next to Madison Square Park and made sure I met him there first.

When I did, I praised how he looked and gave him some story about how he would be my hero if he helped me save a kitten from a tree. Fucking idiot. How many kittens do you think are stuck in trees in New York City, in February?

It took a little convincing, but he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be applauded, so he followed me to where there was enough cover to keep us out of sight.

Once in place, I wasted no time, hitting him with the Taser and stabbing him over and over. All that pride did him no good because his blood stained the snow the same as anyone else's would. We all bleed red. I dropped my rose on his chest and strolled away like nothing happened.

Bringing myself back from my thoughts, I turn the corner, and the bagel shop finally comes into view. I push the door open and step to the counter, completely unsure of what I plan onordering. Normally when I go to a new place, I study the menu, but my dumbass didn't this time.

My gaze lands on the guy behind the counter, and when my eyes meet his, there’s a strange pang in my chest. The feeling startles me because the last time I felt something like this was the first time I saw Drew. When I look into this man's emerald eyes, I find myself getting lost in them. His mouth tilts up before he chuckles, making me scowl. What the hell is he laughing at?

"How can I help you, cupid?"

I narrow my eyes and cross my arms over my chest. "Cupid?"

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