Page 40 of Beyond Hate

“Fuck,” I murmured. Even then, I knew why I’d actually rebelled. I knew why I hadn’t sided with the man who was ultra rich and capable of giving me literally anything I wanted.

It was because there were some things that money couldn’t provide… there were some things that were living and breathing.

Things that I wanted.

Things that were mine.

He never would have let me keep London as London.

As soon as I spread the files out on the bed around me, I frowned. I’d only noticed the victim pattern of the body I was in before in passing, but now that I was really examining it, it had more implications.

Every man lookedexactlylike London—blue eyes, dark hair, a sweet expression—there was no rhyme or reason to it other than that. They’d been rich, poor. A kid in foster care. The brother of a cop. A college kid working at a coffee shop. No one was off limits.

No one was safe, because the instincts of this body—even when it hadn’t known why—wanted revenge. It wantedNikki.

And now that I was in the position to have everything I desired…

I swiped the pictures to the side with a grunt and sat down, picking up the folder markedprior experimentsinstead. Nathaniel had spoken about things going upside down at his other facility. About a killer named Kade and some unfortunate bastard named Jayce who gave his body up to bring him into the world. Kade and a boy named Seth…

And he talked about how the two of them had gone rogue.

Fallen in love.

Because theykneweach other in a prior life. Because they’d known each other in this life. He’d been excited, babbling about bringing back past loves, past obsessions. The money it could make, reunitingsoulmates.

Was it really possible?

My mind drifted back to what had happened. To Axel, to the reincarnated man who’d stormed the building to save him even though it was almost a suicide mission.

My brows snapped together. Once upon a time, I hadn’t been a monster. I’d been good at killing, clever and quiet… but I’d hated it. Once upon a time, I’d been so sure Nikki was the beginning and end of my world.

How could it have ended so wrong in that life… but in this one…

Shit. Fucking shit. I didn’tbelievein fate, so I wasn’t going to think that maybe it had just accidentally gotten things wrong and now it was fixing its timeline.

I was a killer. I was in the body of a man who had no feelings—a true psychopath. I could feel the urges to hurt, to maim, to destroy, trapped just beneath my skin like a vicious pulse with claws.

And London…

London was the perfect victim.

London was theonlyvictim that really mattered.

And I…

I dropped the files and lay back on the bed, closing my eyes and throwing my arm over my face.

Iwas confused, and it only made me want to hurt Nikki even more. He wouldn’t give me a moment’s peace, even though he was dead. Even though…

My eyes flicked back to the pile beside me, to the little vials I’d taken from the facility.

There was a way for me to set this all right. A way for me to bring back the man I actually wanted to kill and get the answers Istilldidn’t have. Thewhythat was like a driving pulse just beneath my skin. Thewhythat could tell me how it had all gone so wrong before, even though it felt so right now.

But I wasn’t done playing with London… and until I could convince myself to admit it was more than that, or come to terms with the fact that nothing was different—nothingcouldbe different…

I was properly and truly fucked.

I had the case of vials in my hand when I made my way back to London’s apartment the next day. I wasn’t sure if I was going to use them, but it was better to have them with me. If he looked up at me with those wet, wrecked eyes again, it would be better if Ididuse them. It would be better than letting that look break me down.

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