Page 260 of Inferno

“Thank you.” I grab his face and press a kiss to his lips.

I don’t think he will ever realize just how much this means to me. To have him beside me, my fierce protector. Even if I am strong, I deserve to have someone with me to fight alongside me. To take some of the weight of the battle sometimes.

I don’t need saving.

But I do need protecting, perhaps sometimes from myself.

I need him like I need air to breathe. He brings me to life and brings me hope for a future.

With him, I can take on the world.

He delicately slides back up my panties and leggings and places my feet down on the ground.

“I’ll be right behind you. Do whatever you need to, no judgement here.”

“I love you,” I say with my whole chest.

“And I love you, heartbreaker. More than you could ever imagine.”

“Enough!” Vlad cries out behind us.

We burst out into laughter.

“I can’t wait to never hear that annoying fucking voice again,” I mumble under my breath, and Declan steps out of my path.

“Go get him, heartbreaker.”

He taps my ass as I walk past him and I jump. Wiping the tears from the corners of my eyes from my rough fucking against a barn wall.

“Whore,” Vlad bellows, and I ignore his existence, breezing past him to the shelf filled with weapons.

Or pig gutting equipment and farm shit, I guess.

Humming to myself, I tap my chin.

I want this over with. A gun is too easy for all the pain he’s caused me.

Swiping my finger over the big carving knife, I pause. He isn’t worth my time gutting him alive.

I keep pondering over to the next shelf, and a light goes off in my brain as I stop in front of the fuel canister.

Picking it up, I turn back to Declan, who nods approvingly at my choice. That gives me a jolt of energy to get back over to Vlad. Placing it by my feet, I reach forward and rip out the rusty blade from his dick.

I can’t help myself as my fingers twitch around the handle, but to let out my anger and drive the knife straight into his gut. As it pierces his flesh, a little bit of joy creeps back into me.

“Declan, can you help me pour this over his head.”

Before I finish my sentence, he is beside me, his hand on my hip.

“Of course, I can.” He presses a kiss to the side of my head before bending down to pick it up.

He easily flicks off the lid and gets to work dousing Vlad, splashing it in his face first, before continuing to ensure every inch of him is fueled for the fire.

“You will pay for this,” Vlad seethes.

“Maybe.” I shrug.

“Or maybe not. No one really gives a shit about you, you worthless piece of shit.” I jab my fist as forcefully as I can into his nose, hard enough to feel the bone snap.

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