Page 75 of The Dark Obsession

I tear myself away before some dead man can hear the delicious whimpers that are meant for my ears only.

“You’ve got everything?” I rasp with a glace towards our haul.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Seeing the same intense desire reflected in her eyes, I rush to get us out of here.

The cashier’s fingers tremble under my death glare which has gotten a lot harsher after Malory offered him a polite smile.

Normally, my cold mask doesn’t falter but right now, the only thing holding me back from putting a bullet between the guy’s brows is imagining how it would feel to dig my fingers into his eyes, hooking them into his skull and ripping out his eyeballs with a steady stream of blood running down his face.

A small hand curls around my bicep, bringing me back as I realize that my fists are balled and my muscles pulled taunt, ready to lunge.

What’s fucking happening to me?

I’ve never blacked out in rage like this. Control and numbness have been my constant companions for most of my life, making me brutally effective at what I do.

I never let emotions cloud my judgement.

Yet being around Malory, it’s like sanity completely leaves my body along with the last trace of rational thinking.

After the pain in the ass is done checking us out, I push the cart with one hand while holding onto my girl with the other before unloading it all.

Malory leans against the truck, watching me with a playful smile while I wrangle an indoor bamboo, trying to fasten it onto the backseat.

“I hope Nero’s going to be okay with this.” She nods towards the plants filling the entire trunk.

“He’ll be fine.” I grunt, “Unless he decides to have a nibble.”

“Don’t worry, I checked whether they’re all harmless to animals.”

I can only shake my head in astonishment at her compassion, her gentleness.

In that moment, I know that I’ll do anything to protect it. To protect her from the darkness of our world.

Except my own.

I want her to know every fucked-up piece of me, bind her to every single part of my being, to my very soul.

Half of my body is still hunched over in the car when another truck pulls up right next to us, the grinding sound of its failing combustion coming to a wheezing halt.

“Nice ass, gorgeous.” A gruff voice sounds somewhere behind me and my muscles tense. A wave of unbridled rage gripping every cell of my body as I straighten to my full height.

The driver who’s back is turned to me, seemingly unaware of my presence is eyeing Malory like a piece of meat, making her squirm uncomfortably under his unwanted scrutiny.

That motherfucker has a death-wish I’m only too eager to grant. When her panicked gaze meets mine over his shoulder, I snap.

“The fuck did you just say?” I barely recognize my own voice, low and lethal, void of any shred of humanity.

The guy freezes visibly before turning to face my wrath.

He can’t be much older than I am with his scrawny build and receding hairline. No one who’s worthy to breathe the same air as my girl.

Fucking mine.

“Hey man, I didn’t mean to…”

My fist collides with the fucker’s face with an audible crunch, breaking his nose as I throw him against the side of his vehicle. My hand squeezing his neck in a bone crushing grip, pure sadism brewing in my veins.

His struggle is futile, it’s like squashing a worthless cockroach under my boot.