Page 25 of Breathe
Azrael gave Real a small crooked smile even though he was dying inside. It was all he could manage before he moved toward the top of the stairs.
Vaulting over the railing, Azrael grabbed the bar on the second-floor stairs. He hung there for a moment and then dropped to the hallway below. It wasn’t a long drop.
He didn’t glance up, nor did he look back.
The door had shut firmly on his dreams, and it would stay closed on that part of his life as he finally let go of Real.
It was fucking hard to do.
From the first moment he had felt Real’s arms around him, he had fallen hard. The first time Real touched him had been very brief. Azrael had been hauled over Real’s shoulder and carried to the man’s vehicle.
But the second time Real had held him, it had been what started the catalyst of hunger.
And it all began during a really fucked up time in his life.
Real had snatched him up after Azrael had leaped from a madman’s lap.
The lap of Solomon Mercer.
Azrael hated that motherfucker with every ounce of his soul so he had made plans to do what other people might not be able to do, and that was to get close enough to kill the leader of Erebus.
Azrael’s gut told him that nobody else could get close enough to Solomon without dead bodies piling up.
Except for him.
Azrael had trusted his gut. He knew that Solomon wouldn’t think twice about letting him come close.
With that thought in mind, Azrael entered the Erebus headquarters’ warehouse just behind Ice and Real.
Azrael was fast, and the others had no hope of catching him as he flew past them and up the stairs.
Slamming into Solomon’s office, Azrael was ahead, but only by seconds.
The Erebus assassin known only as Echo was already inside. Solomon opened his arms, but Echo grabbed him.
Azrael had a brief argument with Echo when the guy tried to stop him. Of course, Echo didn’t know why he was there. Jerking away, Azrael left a surprised Echo and launched across the room to land in Solomon’s lap.
Trying not to shudder at Solomon’s touch, Azrael gazed at Echo and snuggled into the Erebus leader.
Horror grew in Echo’s eyes, and Azrael saw the exact moment when Echo realized that Solomon had sexually abused him.
Solomon closed his arms tightly around him and that gave Azrael an edge to do what he needed to do.
The next second changed his life forever.
Ice and Real burst into the room behind Echo.
Simultaneously, Azrael pulled the corkscrew from his pocket and shoved the metal spiral end up into Solomon’s jugular, embedding it deep.
The man gurgled like a fish. Eyes stunned, gazing at him.
Azrael felt nothing save a rush of relief.
Blood sprayed from Solomon and covered him, and Azrael stared frozen at the sight of the dark gushing stream.
What if the corkscrew wasn’t enough to do the job? When fear spiked in his chest, Azrael gripped the wooden handle and drove it deeper.
Solomon gasped and died, staring into his eyes.
