Page 40 of The Reaper's Vice

ORION

“MALICIOUS ADJUSTMENTS”

I yankthe mask from my face, sucking in the cool night air before pulling a cigarette from my pocket, itching to replace the fresh oxygen with something more familiar. I take a deep drag, the cherry-red tip casting harsh shadows across my face as I stare up at Seraphina’s apartment window.

The strap of my duffel bag cuts into my shoulder from the sheer weight of the thing, but I barely feel it. All I know—all I am—is a man possessed. Something in Seraphina’s essence calls me to her, draws me in, and makes me lose all sense of right and wrong. It makes me want tohunther. To have her, to fill her… to take every fucking piece of her and break it down to dust.

Because as much as I want to save Seraphina, I also want to destroy her.

My blood pounds in my ears as I flick my cigarette to the ground, crushing it under my heel until it’s nothing more than a dark smear on the sidewalk. The sun will rise soon, and if I waste any more time out here, Seraphina will likely come home and discover my plans.

A smirk lights my face as I take the steps toward the entrance, the bag light as a feather as adrenaline courses through my veins.

It's time to make some adjustments to sweet Seraphina’s apartment.

17

SERAPHINA

“RUBBER DUCKIE, RUBBER DUCKIE”

I findmy way back to Vee’s lair just as the sun crests over the horizon, cold and muddy and miserable from my trek through the forest. I find my clothes discarded near the clearing in front of the mountain, my face heating as I snatch them up and yank them over my ice-cold skin. As the material falls over my flesh, I’m reminded of the masked man’s touch, and my blood heats.

I shouldn’t feel this way. I shouldn’t still be thinking about it. About him.

Shaking him from my mind, I press my wrist to the rock wall, hoping the scraping sound doesn’t wake Vee. Silent as a mouse, I skitter to the bathroom, breathing a sigh of relief when I don’t come across Vee. I turn the water as hot as it will go and step under the stream, my eyes closing in bliss as my body begins to thaw.

Against my will, my mind wanders to the man in the forest. I hear that strange mechanical voice in my mind as clearly as if he were in the room with me, but instead of terror, it only elicits a deep throbbing in my core.

My hand slips down to my sex, my head leaning back against the tile as I swirl my fingertip around my clit.This is wrong. All wrong.But fuck, it feels so good.

I clamp my hand over my mouth as I come, doubling over and coating my hand in slippery arousal. For a moment, I imagine it's the masked man who’s making me come, and my body convulses with a fresh wave of pleasure.

Spent, I slide to the shower floor, resting my forehead on my knees as the last of my orgasm runs its course. Gentle quivers wrack my muscles as the water pelts down my neck and back, the sensation so blissful I almost nod off.

My body falls to the side, my eyes springing open as a jolt of pain emanates from my hip. Adrenaline coursing through my veins, I stand from the shower, not even bothering to turn off the water as I walk to the mirror.

So it really wasn’t a dream…

My mouth falls at the symbol carved into my hip, at the angry pink flesh spreading from what is unmistakably a crescent moon. It’s only an inch long from tip to tip, though it stands out against my pale skin like a beacon. Abrand.

My fingers shake as I prod at the sensitive spot, wincing as fresh blood pools from the wound. It’s not large, but it’s deep—and it will undoubtedly leave a scar.

As if I don’t have enough already.

My throat constricts as I grab the first-aid kit beneath the sink. The antiseptic burns, but it’s nothing compared to the fire behind my eyes or the wildfire in my veins. I slap a dressing over the wound and leave the bathroom, the spot on my hip pulsing with each step.

I yank on a pair of leggings and simple black tee and head into the kitchen, gentle clanking sounds telling me Vee is there before I see her. I stop a few feet from the island, chewing my lip as she busies herself over the stove.

“And where did you go last night?”

I swallow hard, my eyes pinned to her back. “Nowhere.”

“Hmm. Two panicked tigers told me otherwise.” She finally turns, hitting me with a piercing stare. “I do not enjoy being awoken by two great beasts jumping in my bed, Seraphina.” Her tone is severe, but her bloodstone eyes shine with worry, causing my chest to constrict with guilt. “Where did you go? Andwhy?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know. I just woke up in the middle of the forest. I think I sleepwalked.” I decide not to mention the parts about the masked man and lack of clothes. There’s no reason to give the poor woman a heart attack.

She looses a heavy sigh, pulling the frying pan from the stove and dumping a heaping serving of eggs and bacon onto a plate. “I’m afraid that may have been my fault, then. The Valerian tincture…”

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