Page 16 of Faith Among Monsters

“Not killers like me,” I add. “You’d see me coming. It’s the dirty bastards who kill innocent women you need to worry about.”

Her expression shifts then, something I can’t quite name flickering across her face. Not fear. Not disgust. It’s something deeper, something that makes me want to grab her hand, pull her out of here, and lock her away somewhere safe where no one, not even me, can touch her.

“Fine, it’s just us,” she says, like I’m not already painfully aware of how alone we are right now.

My gaze flicks away from her briefly, scanning the yard. A couple of guards linger near the far wall, chatting like this is just another quiet night. A few inmates meander nearby, smoking or leaning against the fence. None of them would dare screw with me. Not openly.

“What is the program?” she presses, her voice steady but softer now.

I drop my tone, lowering my voice so it barely carries. I shouldn’t tell her. Hell, I shouldn’t even be entertaining this conversation. But something about her makes it impossible to stop. “Research,” I say finally. “Testing. Rats and beagles just don’t give the same results.”

Her face freezes, her lips parting slightly as she stares at me, horrified.

The look makes me want to kill someone. “It’s not so bad,” I lie, my voice rough. “Someone has to make sure that delicious scent you wear doesn’t make your skin peel off.”

Her hand flies to her mouth, and for a second, I think she’s going to recoil, finally see me the way most people do. But then, to my absolute shock, she reaches out and touches my arm.

Her fingers graze me lightly, just above the elbow, her touch achingly gentle. “You’re not kidding?” she asks, her brows drawing together as she studies me.

I glance at her hand, my skin burning under the contact.Woman. You have no idea what you’re doing.

“They’re testing things on you?” she continues, her voice dropping, as if someone else might overhear. Her hand stays on me, and it takes everything in me not to close the distance between us. “That’s illegal.”

I laugh, sharp and bitter. “No one gives a shit what they do to us. There’s big money in this. Medical trials are slow and expensive when they’re legal,” I say.

Her eyes widen, and I see the pieces click together in her head. “Medical…” she murmurs. “Pauly. A shot. What did they give him?” She starts to rise, her movements quick, like she’s ready to storm off and demand answers.

“Sit,” I say firmly, my tone brooking no argument.

She freezes, then slowly lowers herself back down, her gaze locked on mine.

“What did we agree on?” I ask.

“Between us,” she admits, her voice soft but full of frustration. “But, Dax, what are they giving you?”

I exhale, running my tongue across my teeth. “This week? Who knows. We don’t get to ask questions.” Her eyes stay on me, those pretty blues cutting through every defense I have. Shit, I’m running my mouth now. “Look, those of us who toe the line don’t get the nasty stuff. Pauly’s fresh out of solitary. A real pain in the ass.” I shake my head. “But he doesn’t deserve to be a test monkey any more than me. He just doesn’t have the damn sense to…”

“None of you,” she interrupts, her voice sharp and fierce. “You can’t think you deserve to be treated like animals.”

I am an animal.

Her words hit something deep, something I don’t have the tools to deal with. Before I can respond, I spot a guard edging closer, his beady eyes flicking between us like he’s looking for a reason to interfere.

I lower my voice to a whisper. “Come here.”

She hesitates for half a second before sliding closer.

I pull her into my lap, my hand gripping her hip, and lean close to her ear. “Play along,” I murmur.

Her breath catches, and for a split second, she stiffens, like she’s deciding whether to trust me. Then she exhales, slow and shaky, and melts against me.

She’s soft in all the places I’m hard. Warm where I run cold. And for a moment, I forget why I did this in the first place.

“Yes, Dax,” she says softly, purring my name.

The sound goes straight through me, hot and sharp, and the second it leaves her lips, the whole damn game shifts. The act doesn’t feel like an act anymore.

My fingers tangle in her hair, the soft strands slipping between them like silk. I tug gently, tilting her head back, and my mouth brushes the line of her jaw. Her breath hitches, and that tiny sound ignites something dark and possessive in me.

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