Page 73 of Back In the Shadows

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ELLA

My eyes widened as I took in the horrific scene before me. The man I had always known as strong and kind was now a blood-soaked, broken figure lying on the cold cement floor. His arms were wrapped around his head in a futile attempt to protect himself from an unseen enemy.

Ignoring the bile rising in my throat, I rushed to him.

“Sebastian?” I asked, not positive who was in front of me, but my instincts told me it was him.

“Go away,” he whispered.

I reached for his arm, and he grabbed my wrist. His grip was strong as he squeezed.

“You’re hurting me, Sebastian.”

“I don’t want you here. You can’t see this … see me.”

“I’m not leaving you. Tell me what happened.” I refused to leave him alone in this state. But as I sat down next to him, the sheer amount of blood surrounding us made me dizzy. The metallic stench filled my nostrils, and I fought against the urge to vomit. I had killed before, but for some reason the aftermath was different.

Still shaking, Sebastian slowly sat up and turned towards me, his hands gripping some unknown object covered in crimson. His hair was matted with blood, and it stained his clothes and skin.

“What happened? Who did this to you?” I asked, desperation laced in my voice. I was pretty sure that I knew the answer already, but I needed to hear it from him.

He could barely meet my gaze as he whispered, “It was me.” His head hung with shame.

My entire being cried for the agony he was going through, but I had to remain strong for him. “Tell me what you remember.” I reached for his hand and held it in mine.

Horror twisted his expression as he stared at me. “How can you touch me right now? I’m a monster. I brutally killed a man and yet you’re sitting with me.”

I pursed my lips in an attempt to not let the tears fall from my eyes. “That body behind you … he was one of the men responsible for taking me. Death was dealing with him, and I’m guessing that you reappeared at the end.”

Disgust twisted his features. “It was horrible how he … we killed him. I can’t do this.” He climbed to his feet and staggered backward.

I jumped up and reached for him before he lost his balance. “Can’t do what, baby?”

He frowned, his brows knitting together. “Be the man that you need me to be.”

I shook my head. “You are the man I need you to be. You keep me safe at all costs. I would do the same for you.”

He snarled as he glared at me. “No man should ever ask his wife to protect him when he’s a fucking monster.”

I took a cautious step forward, my voice trembling with worry and fear of what he might do. “You’re in shock. You’ve never seen Death’s true power. It’s grisly, gut-wrenching, but heonly takes out the scum of society. If he had told me about John, I would have begged to join in. I would have relished the chance to make him suffer for what he did to me.” My fists clenched so tightly that my nails pierced the skin of my palms, drawing blood. I raised my chin defiantly. “I knew exactly who you were when I said, ‘I do.’ This …” I gestured towards the mangled corpse on the ground and the words on the wall. “This was all part of the deal. You killed Stephen in my kitchen because he tried to kill me. And then you presented his heart to me as a token of love.”

Sebastian stared at me with an appalled expression. “How could you choose me after that?”

“Because I love you. I love both of you. Now that you and Death are aware of each other, it’s making it more difficult on you. The rest of us have already adjusted to who you are. Kip, Ryan, and Dope—we made our choices. I would choose you all over again if I had to.” Dread washed over me as I said that. “But I have a feeling that’s not the issue right now.”

With a deafening roar, Sebastian grabbed his hair and pulled, his anguish pouring out in waves. My soul shattered into a million pieces, bleeding on the floor along with his suffering. I was helpless to ease his torment. All I could do was stand by him and love him through it all.

My pulse pounded in my ears as I neared him, tears blurring my vision. With a desperation I couldn’t contain, I threw myself into his arms and clung to him like a lifeline. His body was drenched in another man’s blood, but I didn’t care. Even as he struggled against me, pushing me away with bruising force, I refused to let go. In that moment, all that mattered was showing him how fiercely I loved him and how unconditionally safe he was with me.

“You’re my heart, baby. I’ve never loved anyone else. It’s always been you.”

Slowly, he wrapped his arms around me, a quiet sob escaping him as his knees buckled and we sank to the floor, holding each other.

His heart beat erratically against mine, matching the chaos that raged within me. How did we end up here, covered in blood and tears, clinging to each other as if our lives depended on it?

Deep down, beneath the layers of pain and betrayal, there was a flicker of hope that refused to be extinguished. Maybe, just maybe, we could find a way through the darkness that threatened to consume us whole.

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