Page 190 of Inferno

I’m the liar here. The backstabber.

I am the dagger through his heart, and I really wish I wasn’t.

“Even after what I did?” I say quietly, and he lowers his head to look at me, wrapping his hand around mine.

“Especially after what you did. The beautiful, deadly dagger through my heart. A true heartbreaker. It was my reminder to never, ever, let anyone in again. It’s served me well.”

“I’m sorry.”

It’s all I can say. I have so much to say, and yet, nothing more comes out.

All these years, his memory has kept me alive, yet it seems I had an adverse effect on him.

“I don’t want your apology. Now, we sleep. Tomorrow, we talk. And then I can decide what I do with you.”

My heart sinks, and I tip my chin down, only for Declan to tilt it back up to him.

“You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, yes. But—” He rubs his thumb along my cheek.

“You don’t get to run this time. You’ve been sent to me twice. You were meant to find me in this lifetime, heartbreaker. My father always taught us to believe in fate, and he’s landed you in my lap again. I’m not letting this go. I just want the truth, then, as crazy as this sounds, we find a way to make it right.”

I’m pretty sure I forget how to breathe.

“Whatever is causing that pain behind your eyes, we hunt. Whatever has you chained, we break them. Whatever stands in our way, we defeat. Alright?”

“How can you ever trust me? I’ve been sent to kill you… twice!”

His dick twitches inside me and he twists my nipple between his fingers, causing my back to arch.

“That word there. Sent. You didn’t want me dead? Did you?”

I shake my head as he leans in and licks along my collarbones.

“The woman I fell for in Italy, she was the real Charlotte, correct?”

“Y-yes. I wasn’t trying to trick you. I tried to keep you away.”

He nods and bites my neck.

“I’m starting to piece you together. I understand this life. We all have choices, but sometimes we have to do shit to simply survive. Tonight, you’ve let down your walls and shown me exactly what I needed to see.”

He pulls back and stares into my eyes.

“What’s that?”

He blinks, and then a smile spreads across his lips.

“You. The real, raw, fierce, kinky, you. My heartbreaker. The beautiful dagger lodged in my heart.”

My breath catches in my throat. When his face softens, he reminds me so much of Isabella.

“I-I have more to tell you.”

He places a finger over my lips to silence me.

“Not tonight. We’ve fought. We’ve fucked. Tomorrow, we talk and we plan. It can wait, we need to rest.”

My eyes flutter closed as he presses a kiss on my forehead.

---