Page 44 of Reaper

“I can walk, you know.”

Speaking flatly, he says, “I have security, and I don’t want to risk them seeing your exposed body.”

I consider telling him that, had he not shredded my dress, he wouldn’t have to worry about it, but I let it go, because I already have things to tell him that might change everything between us. The moment I learned he was still alive, I knew things wouldn’t be what he thinks they are.

He climbs the stairs and takes me to the bedroom, and sets me down, and all the air escapes from my lungs. I stare at the spot where I left him,dying.

“Baby, what is it?”

I shake my head. “Nothing.”

Dragging his fingers down my cheek, he speaks low, and I can hear the anguish.

“You’re staring at the spot I sat in, with a knife in my chest, and you have tears rolling down your cheeks. Don’t tell me it’s nothing when it’s clearly something.”

He cradles my chin and lifts my gaze to his, and I touch my face that I didn’t even know was wet. I was so lost in what happened here before, I didn’t even realize I was crying.

“You should kill me, Nico. Isn’t that what your family does when someone hurts them? Or tries to kill them?”

He chuckles softly.

“Yeah, baby, it is, but there’s a couple of problems with that. One, I can’t fucking live without you. And two, you weren’t trying to kill me. Instead, you were trying to destroy my entire world. For that you can be sorry, but everything that happened after was not your responsibility.”

Walking over to the dresser, he grabs a t-shirt and hands it to me.

“We’ll get your clothes tomorrow, but this will have to do for now.”

I shimmy out of the dress that’s barely hanging on my body, and pull the shirt over my head.

“Thank you.”

He does his pants back up and plops down on the bed, and opens his arms with a serious expression.

“Come here, baby. Let me give you what you need.”

More tears fall, because somehow he does know I need him to hold me. I need a few more minutes in his arms, before I shatter the world we’re so content in. I kick my shoes off, climb into his embrace, and he holds me tight against his chest. Laying my head against his beating chest, the guilt nearly consumes me. I know I probably should simply be happy he’s alive, and I am, but I can’t get over how close he came to death because of my choices.

“What made you decide to kill?”

I sigh audibly.

“The first attacked me. After following me from a bar to the graveyard, he told me to either suck his dick, or he was going to kill me. When I killed him, I heard your voice. My mind gave me the gift of you, but only when I took lives. I could hear you, smell you, feel you, and sometimes even see you and touch you. It was the only way I could have you.”

Anybody else would judge me, and call me a crazy bitch, but not Nico. He just kisses me on the head and says, “I missed you too,baby. God. I fucking missed you so much. I thought I would die all over again.”

I pop my head up and stare at him.

“All over again?”

He nods slowly.

“Yeah, I died on the way to the hospital. I had to be revived.”

“Nico,” I gasp as the pain fills me completely.

“Enough, Bella. Let it go. It happened. I’m alive. Having you like this makes it all worth it.”

Placing his hand on my face, he stares into my eyes while he admits, “I never thought I was capable of anything other than hate. I’m mostly evil, but for you, I have love. Something I never thought was possible. When I saw you, believing I was dead, and you were so broken, I knew the truth, baby. Maybe you won’t admit it, but you love me too.”

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