Page 116 of Unholy Bonds

“Katelyn Ricci. My best friend. She was my only family.”

She didn’t have to say more. I remembered the conversation we had. Katelyn Ricci was The Strangler’s fifth victim.

Oh.

“Yara? Baby?”

She nodded, her lips flat.

“I’m sorry for that, so fucking sorry, but what are you planning to do when you find him?” I asked, but I didn’t have to. I could see it, the murderous intentions in her eyes.

“Kill him.” There was not even a hint of hesitation in her voice as she stood up and walked to the sink, as if what she said was completely normal. She washed her plate and put it in the drying rack before she turned to look at me. “What? You’re burning a hole in my back.”

“What the hell are you talking about? You sound…”

“I know. Insane.” She took in a deep breath, leaning against the counter, a frown creasing her forehead. “But I want to find him and kill him, Ryden. It’s as simple as that.” Her voice was so clear against the silence of the night. So determined.

“You—you can’t. We need to go to the cops. You’re not a killer, Yara.”

She scoffed.

“No cops, Ryden. I have to do this by myself. I told you only because I wanted to. Don’t make me regret that.” She sounded so angry.

“You can’t, Yara. He’s dangerous. For fuck’s sake, you’re a smart woman, Yara, and you know men like The Strangler are…”

“Then help me, Ryden,” she said, putting another plate down on the drying rack. “Help me.”

“Help you?” I asked. My head spun. She had just pushed me down a roller coaster, and now she was asking me to help her. “Help you how?”

I had no idea whether this was the weariness of today’s event, the rage talking, or she was really considering it. She couldn’t be, could she?

I always knew Yara was strange, and I loved that strangeness. But…

“Help me find The Strangler,” she said, her voice ringing with finality. “You told me to let you be my backup. To let you fight with me. I’m asking you now. I don’t want to fight alone. Be my first mate.”

Fuck. She was using my own words against me, and how could I say no to that when she looked at me like that? I wanted to say yes, but… that would mean putting Yara in the path of danger.

“And give you to him on a silver platter? I can’t do that.” I can’t lose you.

For the longest time, I believed I wasn’t capable of feelings, of loving another. Love was a strange concept that was meant for others but not for me. I wasn’t made for simple, everyday pleasures that other normal men enjoyed. Then Yara West came into my life, and everything became chaotic.

I tried so hard not to let her change me, my life. I resisted. I told myself I was immune to such trivial vulnerabilities. But she was like a fucking hurricane, slowly wearing down my defenses.

I don’t just love Yara West; I’m consumed by her.

“I want you to help me, but if you can’t…” she stopped, drying her hand with the towel, a nonchalant look taking over her fierceness. “I want you to not tell anyone about this. I’ve got to do this myself, Ryden. That’s the only way for me to live without carrying this guilt forever. It’s so fucking heavy.”

I understood how she felt. I understood her pain, her need, her logic, but I couldn’t let her get hurt.

The stubborn press of her lips let me know that there was no way she was going to stop this. With or without my help, she would do this—even if the cops were involved, she wouldn’t stop. And there was no other way for me except to do it with her. The only way to keep her safe was to become her first mate.

It was hard not to pull her to me and then disappear into a place where The Strangler couldn’t corrupt her, but I had no other options.

“Yes. I’ll help you find him.”

Her smile, quick and dazzling, made my stupid heart falter. I loved it when she smiled like that—as if everything in the world had finally aligned perfectly, and there were no mismatched pieces to worry about.

“But we’ll do it on my terms,” I said with a grimace. She shot me a look that made it clear she had no intention of doing that, but she gave me a reluctant nod anyway. “Fucking liar,” I said, and her eyes gleamed. She looked once again like herself. Like the Yara I knew and loved.

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