Page 78 of Twisted
I open the text from Leo, debating if I should reply.
Hi, Wren, it’s G.No one will tell me what’s going on.You’re the only one who didn’t lie to me.I miss you.
I go onto Find My Friends and see that everyone stopped sharing their locations with me as well.We always had that enabled for safety reasons.Letting out a breath, I blink away tears and feel rage start to burn deep inside me.The betrayal cuts deep and I’m so fucking pissed.
“Something wrong?”Xavier’s hand lands on my thigh.
“Out of sight, out of mind,” I say quietly and then shake my head.“I’m fine.”I can feel his gaze lingering on mine and I let my eyes fall shut for a minute while I focus on my breathing, trying to clear my head.After a minute or so, I plug in my phone and pull up my favorite K-pop playlist.
“This is what you listen to?”Xavier tips his head at me.
“What?It’s catchy and most of these songs are good to workout to.”
“If you say so.”His lips pull into a smirk.“Music has gone downhill in my opinion.”
“Since when, the 1800s?”
He chuckles.“Add a century and about twenty or so years.”
“You do have this whole 1920s gangster thing going for you.”
His smirk grows.“That was a good time to be a vampire.Granted, there was no bad time to be a vampire.”
“What about now?With vamps being out and all.”
“It has its perks, and there’s nothing forcing us out.”
“I guess that’s true,” I say slowly and look at the dashboard, trying to keep intrusive thoughts away.I was trained to do this, to push my emotions back like a good little solider.But fuck that.
We park in front of the county building and go in.Xavier has obviously been here before and goes right to the coroner’s office in the lower level.Kristina Davis isn’t here, but all it takes is one second of eye contact to hold the guy at the desk spellbound.He gives us a stack of files and we’re on our way.
“That was easy,” I say, flipping through the files as we get back into the elevator.“Usually, I have to make up some sort of story or break in.”
Xavier looks at me for a few seconds and then steps closer as the elevator doors close.I’m well aware I’m in a small space with someone who is basically a multi-century-old serial killer.
“Death doesn’t bother you,” he comments, looking at the photos in the files.
“I guess not.”I shrug.“I’m used to it, maybe.”Shaking my head, I look up at him.“I can’t really do my job if I’m squeamish.”
“Hunting isn’t your job anymore.”
“You know what I mean.”
“You enjoy it,” he says for the second time tonight.He wants me to admit it…to admit that we’re not so different after all.
“I do,” I say and feel a release inside of me.“It’s normal in the social circle I was raised in.Though as you know, even within the Order I was the odd one out.”
“Because they feared you.”
“Yeah.”Our eyes lock and it hits me that he might be the only person who knows exactly what it’s like to be feared, and rightly so.“I never used magic maliciously on anyone in the Order.”
He gives me his trademark cocky grin again.“There’s no time limit on revenge.”
I let out a snort of laughter.“True, and the more time that passes, the more it’ll take them by surprise.But then there’s that whole thing about holding a grudge and how it’s like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies.”
“Indifference can be powerful.”
“Seriously.”I inhale, aware of the way it makes my breasts rise in this dress.I want to surrender to him again, throwing all the files on the ground and widening my legs, welcoming him in between.And by the way he’s looking at me, I know he wants it too.
