Page 44 of Prey

“Tessa.”

I jumped at his voice and wondered if I had somehow slipped into real sleep and dreamed it.

“Yes?” I refused to say his name in case I had been mistaken. The last thing I wanted was for him to think I was reaching out to him. Especially after our run in at the club.

Silence. My fist slammed into the pillow and I turned to my stomach.

“I think I’m going to be coming for you soon.”

I stiffened, only to hold my pillow tighter. Tears threatened but I held them off. I would not shed a tear over this. For Hunter, I would, but not for Marko.

“I know.”

“That’s it? You know?”

My eyes rolled, erasing any sadness and quickly turning it to annoyance. “What do you expect me to say? Oh no, please don’t kill me. Is that it? You want me to beg for my life? Sorry, Marko, you’re not getting that from me.”

More silence. Minutes went by while I stared at the remaining leaves swaying on the nearly bare tree in my yard.

“Marko, I need to ask you a favor.”

“What?”

One of the leaves fell from the branch and I watched it float through the air. I almost felt like I was falling, too. Maybe I was in more ways than one. “I need you to give me more time. I want to start spending time in your city.”

“Have you lost your mind? You can’t just come down here to hang out. That’s not the way it works, Tessa. You’ll be killed faster than you can imagine.”

I had lost my mind, and it was his fault, but I knew he was right. It would only take an instance like with Boyd for my life to end before Marko got his chance to do it himself.

“I belong there. Even Marie says that’s where I should be. I’m only happy when I’m underground. Give this to me before you try to take my life. If I get killed, just think how much easier it’ll be for you. You can go on without a care in the world.”

A low sound came through as I waited.

“It would be far from easy for me, mon chaton. I’d destroy anyone who wanted to hurt you. If they killed you, there’d be nothing of them left by the time I finished. Your death will come from no one but me.”

“Will you give me time?”

“It means that much to you? Darkness in some underground city full of monsters?”

“More than you know.”

He let out a deep breath. “How long?”

My eyes closed. Was he letting me decide the day I got to die?

“Yes. I am. Or, at least, I’ll try. There’s no guarantees. After last night, you’re lucky I didn’t take you while you slept in Marie’s bed. I thought about it, and she wouldn’t have been able to stop me. Not her, or her men. You play a very dangerous game coming so close to your killer. But you’re a masochist. It makes sense.”

“Excuse me?” I sat up, staring blindly ahead.

“You like pain, mon chaton, and the sad thing is, I’m the perfect person to give it to you. But we’ll never know that life. Now, give me the day you wish to die.”

I paused, not even wanting to think about his words. Dark fantasies didn’t appeal when facing death. “Wednesday sounds like a good day to try to kill you.”

A laugh echoed around me. “I’ll see what I can do about giving you your chance.”

“Marko?”

“Yes, Tessa?”

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