Page 14 of Deadly Sweet

“Why is that?” I frown. “I might be small, but I can still kick ass.”

She laughs. “I don’t doubt that. You’re strong, Savannah. I can see it in your eyes. You’ve been through hell, but I see the fight in you. Even after all you’ve been through, you didn’t let it break you. And for that, I admire the fuck out of you.”

I chew on my lip, looking away, unable to meet her eyes any longer.

She’s wrong. Yes, I did what I had to do to survive because I didn’t know what else to do. But I don’t remember there being anything more to my life than that cell.

And at one point, I did want to give up. I wanted to close my eyes and never wake up again.

I no longer wanted to live for myself. But I kept going, because I needed to live for my baby.

Now, I live to avenge him.

I’m only fighting because I’m too fueled by pain and hate to let those monsters continue to hurt more people.

The thought of my sweet boy makes my eyes burn. Squeezing my eyes shut, I try to swallow down the need to throw up.

My screams echo in my head, haunting my dreams. His blue lips, lifeless body. The pain I felt for the past two weeks, after my heart was ripped from my chest, was far worse than any beating I’ve ever taken any time Corbin would visit. I’d go through all of that for a lifetime to have just one day with my boy; to see him smile, to listen to his laugh, to see his chest rise and fall with every breath he takes.

“Are you okay?” Duchess asks, pulling me out of my inner spiraling.

“No.” I laugh. “I’m so far from okay. I don’t think I’ll ever be okay.” I turn my gaze back to her. “I’m still not sure why I’m so special, but I do want you to know, I am very grateful for what you’re doing. I owe you my life for saving me.”

“I want you to know a few things about me, Savannah. I’m a killer. I’ve taken many lives. But every death was well deserved. Monsters like Corbin and his buddies are my prime picks.”

I should be afraid, she admitted, she kills people for a living. But I’m not. If anything, I’m in awe of this woman. “Would it be too much to say I wanna be just like you when I grow up?” I grin. “Because I’m gonna be honest with you, Duchess, I have an agenda of my own.”

She looks me up and down, grinning. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. But, please, fill me in.”

“That's the thing. I want to do what you do. I don’t want to just kill peoplelikeCorbin and his buddies. I want to kill Corbin and his buddies.”

She continues to smile. “I was hoping you would say that.”

“You were?” I frown.

“Let’s make a deal,” she says, cocking her head to the side. “You come live with me. My people will train you, teach you everything you need to know about the kind of work we do—to fight, to kill, all of it.”

“And what do you want from me?” I ask, raising a brow. “I’m not stupid enough to think anything in life comes for free.”

“Work for me.” She shrugs. “When I deem you ready to be sent out into the world while knowing you can handle your own, I’ll give you your marks, and you take care of them for me. In between your own targets. I’ll provide you with a clean-up crew, so all you have to do is take their lives, and my men will handle the rest.”

“Why?” I ask, more of this is sounding way to fucking good to be true. “Why do all this for me?”

“I’m a powerful woman, Savannah. Feared by many. I lived a life a lot like yours at a much younger age. I fought my way out, killed my demons, and ended up on top. I’ve made it my life’s mission to rid the world of as many monsters as I can get my hands on. All while saving as many Omegas as I’m able to. I’ve only known you for ten minutes, and I already see so much of myself in you. I believe you can do great things for this world. So, what do you say?” she asks, holding out her manicured hand. “Wanna be a monster slayer with me?”

I chew my lip, a newfound excitement filling me.What do I have to lose? I’ve been around evil people for years. I know how to spot bad intentions, and I don’t feel any coming from Duchess.So I do something I’ve never done before and put my faith in someone else. Taking her hand in mine, I smile, saying, “To slaying monsters.”

For the rest of theride, I sleep, my body giving in to the exhaustion. When I wake again, it’s to the car slowing down. Looking out the window, I frown, rubbing at my blurry eyes.

“Welcome to your new home,” Duchess says as a metal gate opens up before the car drives through.

We pull up to an old, rundown building surrounded by what looks to be warehouses. My eyes take in the brick building. It looks to be around maybe five or six stories. “I mean, beats being locked up in a cell,” I tell her. I look over at her and narrow my eyes. “You're not going to lock me in a cell, are you?”

She cocks a brow. “No.” And I’m thankful she doesn’t handle me like some wounded puppy again. Maybe my admission for bloodlust showed her I’m not as fragile as one might think. “You will never be locked up again.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

She narrows her eyes. “I never do.”

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