Page 84 of Taking

“They hurt my princess.” A nonchalant statement, not a direct answer, but I didn’t need one.

I leaned forward and brushed my lips over his, letting him know without words that he had my thanks, that whatever horror he’d unleashed on both of my old friends would never change the way I felt about him.

He’d framed Devon. Killed my old best friend, and I couldn’t find a single fuck to give. I hoped she’d suffered. I hoped Devon rotted in prison. Gideon had a screw loose in his head, one born of anger that reveled in violence, but the secret part of his soul only made me want him more.

Sick, but what we shared, the beautiful connection between us, was above ethics. Moral codes didn’t matter when it came to us.

Exhaustion and contentment swept through me, and I rested on the pillow we shared, our gazes locked.

I accepted Gideon for who he was, broken pieces and all—because he did the same for me. Always had. It was like we were two puzzle pieces that fit together in all ways. A perfect match.

In that moment, I realized I had found my other half, truly and surely—and that was who I was meant to be.

His.

My throat tightened, and emotions rose to my lips, three words I wanted to tell him—

“I have a present for you.”

Even though I was tired and had lost the chance to explain how I felt, I smiled over the fact he’d remembered a gift for my birthday. “What is it?”

“It’s in the woodshed.”

My brow furrowed in a slight frown. “What?”

“Your gift.” He kissed my nose and rolled from the bed, leaving me chilly. “Come on.”

Well, okay then.

He pulled on his clothes, and I did the same, eyeing him. A glint had returned to his eyes and a curl to his lips.

Whatever he’d brought me made him giddy. Excited.

My belly fed off his vibes, and I tugged on my coat, ready to follow him out into the dark.

He held a flashlight in one hand and grasped mine in his other.

Cold bit at my face, and my breath puffed, but warmth filled me through. What the hell had he lugged back from Anchorage that couldn’t be inside the house?

A pet of some sort? Why not just take it to the house? And why a pet anyway? I’d never wanted one or mentioned such a thing.

Clueless, I frowned again as he let go of my hand to unlock the wooden door. He swung it open and flicked on the light.

His broad back kept me from seeing what he’d brought—but he stepped off to the side.

My breath snagged.

Lloyd.

Tied to a chair.

Blood dripping down over his temple.

Dark eyes piercing mine.

“Happy birthday, princess,” Gideon murmured against my ear, causing my hairs to stand on end.

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