Page 73 of King of Depravity

“Are all of them furnished?”

“Of course.” He flips on the bathroom light for me, kissing my forehead. “This is the only bathroom in the place. You go first.”

I stare at him, so many questions circling in my brain. But I really need to pee and I’m exhausted.

So I close the door and go to the bathroom.

When I come out, he’s got the stove on, dumping the contents of an envelope inside. “What is that?”

“Food,” he answers. “It’s not great, but each of these places is equipped with a two-month supply of freeze-dried provisions.”

That’s when it hits me. Killian is prepared for this. He knew he might have to disappear at some point.

And now I’ve disappeared with him.

I cross over to the couch and sink down into the cushions, the weight of what’s happening fully sinking in.

We’re hiding. Someone tried to kill us tonight. Well, technically, first someone tried to kill me and then someone tried to kill Killian. An almost hysterical laugh breaks from my lips.

He stops stirring. “Chloe.”

I wave my hand, like I’m waving him off. “I’m all right. I just realized…”

“What?”

“I’m not going to class tomorrow, am I? And I’m not going to my new job either.” My chest is getting tight. Getting my degree has been the entire purpose of my life the last three years. It was my path out of the past and into the future.

I date one guy for a week…

This time, I don’t laugh, I choke on a sob.

He turns off the stove. “Sweetheart.”

I know this isn’t Killian’s fault. Alexander was harassing me before I’d even spoken to Killian. If he hadn’t taken an interest, I’d be…I’d be dead right now. Alexander would have killed me, and Killian is a man I can trust.

But also…maybe I was just fooling myself that I could be different from my mother. I was always going to succumb to chaos. “I’m no better than her.”

“Who?”

“My mother.” My voice cracks in the middle.

“That isn’t true.” Crossing the room, he squats in front of me. “I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?”

“This is my fault. I dragged you into this.” I hear the pain in his voice. “I’m a black hole, Chloe, and I’ve sucked you into the dark void with me.”

His words calm my racing thoughts. Killian isn’t a black hole. He isn’t dark, no matter what he’s come to believe. “It’s not true.”

“It is.” He stands up scrubbing his hands over his face. “I’ll send you away so that you can have a real life. I’ll?—”

“Stop.” I stand too, taking his hands away from his face and holding them in mine. “You’re not the problem, Killian. You never have been.”

He stares at me. “You don’t know…”

“I do. You’re wrong about yourself, I can see it. Feel it. And maybe that means, if you’re wrong about yourself, I’m wrong about me.”

He looks into my eyes for what seems like an eternity but might only be a few minutes before he’s pulling me into his arms. His lips come down over mine in a kiss that claims.

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