Page 40 of Reaper

“Come sit with me,” I say, softly grasping his upper arm with my hand. “Let’s go somewhere more private.”

“Yeah.”

As I lead him into his bedroom, I can’t stop thinking about the horrifying life he’s been forced to endure. First with his parents and then with Blackstone. Although I want to know everything there is to know about him, I’m scared. What if he tells me something I can’t handle? What if he has a good reason for notwanting to be a father to Ace?

Reaper could be hiding something far worse than murder. I can’t really think of what that might be, but then again, I never would have imagined that Reaper had spent time in a madman’s dungeon. Blackstone always seemed a little off to me, but imprisoning kids is beyond anything I’d ever thought possible. Thank God I got Ace out of there before anything happened to him.

After I close the bedroom door, Reaper sits on the edge of his bed. I pull off his boots and help him slip out of his jeans. I lay his cut on top of his dresser where he likes to keep it. He slides into bed, still wearing a simple black henley and gray boxers. I strip down to my panties and slip in beside him. Wrapping him in a tight embrace, I brush a soft kiss across his lips.

His black eyes study me intently.

“I don’t want you to look at me differently,” he whispers.

“That’ll never happen.”

“After this, it will.”

“Whatever you’re about to tell me, I promise it won’t change anything between us.”

“I don’t see how it won’t.” He sighs before running his calloused hand down my spine, leaving a trail of shivering gooseflesh in its wake. “But you have the right to know. Maybe after you hear about what Blackstone did, you’ll understand why I can’t be a father.”

As I rest my head against his chest, the thud of his heartbeat pounds against my ear. I’m still not sure I’m ready to listen to his terrifying story, but I must. Reaper’s full of demons. Anyone can see that just by looking into his black eyes. But just how evil are those demons? And more importantly, do I need to keep Ace safe by keeping him away from his own father?

Chapter 16: Reaper

The room is dark, and only the faintest moonlight slips through the curtains. Lexi’s breath tickles my neck as she lays her head on my chest. My heart races, but not from passion. This time, it’s from the vulnerability of revealing my past.

“Blackstone took me in when I was ten,” I mutter, trying to sift through the relevant details in my mind. “I escaped when I was fourteen. Scar, Nitro, Talon, and Matrix were with me. We all got out together.”

“You were all adopted by Blackstone?”

“Yep.”

“Did you all suffer the same … abuse?” Lexi asks cautiously.

I tighten my grip around her, feeling the weight of the memories pressing down on me. “I don’t talk about what happened to them. That’s their story to tell. But yeah, we were all trapped in Blackstone’s dungeon.”

“I’m sorry you were all in the same horriblesituation,” Lexi murmurs, her voice full of empathy. “I understand why you don’t feel like you should tell their stories too.”

“Yeah. We were all in the same place, but none of us went through the same shit. Each one of Blackstone’s friends took a particular interest in one of his prisoners.”

“That’s disgusting.” She shakes her head. “What the hell is wrong with people like that?”

“Everything.” My throat feels tight, like it’s closing up, but I force myself to continue. “By the time Blackstone adopted me, I was so numb that I just went through the motions, completely disconnected from everything.” A bitter laugh escapes me. “I didn’t care about anyone or anything until the first time I killed someone.”

My mind drifts back to that day, the surge of power and control that coursed through me. It had been a turning point, a moment of clarity in the midst of chaos and pain. But now’s not the time to dwell on those memories—not with Lexi. She’s so vulnerable and trusting, but that’s only because she doesn’t really know what I’m capable of.

“You deserve to know who I really am,” I murmur.

“Then tell me. I promise I’ll listen without judgment.”

As we lie there in the darkness, I can’t shake the feeling that my world is about to be turned upside down. But I’ll do whatever it takes tokeep Lexi and our child safe, even if it means confronting my darkest demons.

“Blackstone had these sick parties, attracting all sorts of twisted people. One night, a guard came down to the basement and dragged me upstairs.” I clench my fists, the memory still too vivid. “This guy … he was laughing like it was some kind of game. But I wasn’t playing.”

“What happened?” she asks, her voice filled with concern.

The power I felt that night comes back to me, sending electric sparks down my arms. I squeeze Lexi tighter.

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