Page 52 of Reaper Flame

“How did you propose?” Q asked. As much as he liked to pretend he was always doing sketchy shit on the computer, I could have sworn I once saw him watching a trashy marriage reality show.

Vixen shrugged like it was nothing, but she looked practically ethereal. Her porcelain skin had an almost sparkly quality, and she wore bright red lipstick for the announcement. She never usually wore a shade lighter than plum. That’s how you knew it was true love.

“I guess I just came out with it,” Vixen said. “There’s some truth in the bullshit people say. When you know, you know.”

Underneath the layers of black eyeshadow, there was more to Vixen than being a control freak bitch. She wore her cold exterior like a Seven badge of honor, but she had a soft center hiding, and Mieko drew it out of her.

“Is that really you, Vix?” Rocky teased. “Have you been body-snatched?”

“If any of you tell anyone I said that, then I’ll fucking bury you before Hiram does,” Vixen said, then shot him a devilish smile. A sight that would make most normal men wet their pants.

“Now you’re back!” Rocky said, wiping his brow. “Your secret’s safe with us.”

For the first time since the Sevens boarded, the atmosphere felt lighter. Italmostreminded me of how things were before, despite Zander’s brooding in the corner like a toddler. It was hard to stay angry when Mieko and Vixen’s happiness was contagious — even if their glowing cheeks forced me to face how screwed up my love life was. I had no idea what was going on between the guys and me. Rocky said he loved me, West fucked all the hate out of me, and Zander… well, that was another story.

“I’m so glad you’re here!” Mieko hurried to my side. I did the customary picking up her hand to examine the ring like I’d seen people do in movies. It looked even more perfect up close, an understated but personal design. “I still can’t believe it. It doesn’t feel real, you know?”

“You deserve it more than anyone else I know,” I said, meaning every word.

They’d both had tough lives. Bryce murdered Vixen’s parents in cold-blooded revenge, and Mieko’s dad was a walking monster. They deserved to have someone to come home to at the end of a long night serving drunk customers in Lapland.

“I didn’t want anyone else to find out before you,” Mieko said, lowering her voice. “If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have had the courage to speak to her.”

“Looks like we have two Cupids around tonight,” I said.

“I didn’t think you were a romantic, C,” Rocky said, eavesdropping and raising one eyebrow in my direction.

“Who wants a glass of the good stuff?” Q asked, brandishing a bottle of vintage champagne, hidden in the bottom of the deck bar. He popped the cork, and Mieko swerved to avoid being blinded.

Zander cut off the cheers with his abrupt, steely tone. His lips curled into a vicious snarl. “I have some business to take care of.”

He stormed away and disappeared below deck. Vixen’s face fell as he left. She wouldn’t admit it, but her brother’s approval meant a lot. She wanted to have a special night, and, regardless of how I felt about him, it was a time for everyone to be together. I would not let him ruin this for them. But, first, I raised a toast to the happy couple. An alcohol jacket would help me confront the one person I wanted to avoid.

TWELVE

As Vixen lined up a second row of tequila shots, I made the excuse of going to the bathroom with an ulterior motive. While everyone was partying, they wouldn’t be paying attention to what was happening below deck. Zander was alone, and we needed to talk.

Through the process of elimination, I figured out which room was his. There was nowhere to hide on a yacht. Fuck knocking. He’d lost the right to common courtesy. I pushed the door to his room wide open, expecting him to be hunched over his desk, not...THWACK!

Zander kneeled in front of a long mirror with his back turned. His eyes were closed, and he hung his head, oblivious to my presence. His torso was fully exposed. Deep red scars — old and new — covered his back, making it look like a pack of she-devils attacked him with freshly manicured claws. He raised the whip in his hand again, then drove it down onto his spine with a vicious swish of the wrist.

THWACK!

His body jolted from the force as it struck, but Zander didn’t make a sound. The slight scrunching of his nose was the only sign he was in any pain. A trail of blood seeped from the laceration over his ghostly pale skin. When we had sex, I never saw him without a shirt. I knew why now.

Tattoos wrapped around his chest and arms, meeting at his sternum to form an ornate skull, but his back was completely bare. Scars are difficult to ink over. Judging by the faint white lines, some of the scars had to be years old.

I cleared my throat to alert him to my arrival and stepped inside, shutting the door behind me. Zander didn’t move, but his eyes snapped open and met mine in my mirrored reflection. They were devoid of emotion. Empty and cold. It was the first time we’d been alone since the warehouse. He didn’t look surprised to find me staring at him. Instead, he raised the whip in the air again.

“Don’t!” I cried out.

Zander lowered his hand and rose from his position. He turned to face me, and the blank look in his eyes was even worse in the flesh than in the mirror.

“Didn’t I teach you to knock?” he asked.

My mouth felt like it’d been stuffed with hundreds of cotton balls. Zander held the whip forward and pushed it into my hands. His fingers curled around mine, forcing me to grip the handle tightly.

“Do it,” he requested.

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