Page 23 of Claimed By Fangs and Darkness
“I don’t suppose you know how to keep a death neat and tidy then, do you?” I said, faux sweetness layered atop my poisoned, bitter tongue.
Kylo didn’t back down. “It’s in my wheelhouse.”
I made a soft noise of derision before finishing my food and coffee.
This kitchen was where I discovered what Kylo had done—what he’d hidden from me after promising to never let me down.
“How could you do that to me?” I asked finally. “Do you have any idea how ruinously you broke my heart?”
Kylo’s face fell, his hands dropping to his sides as he stared at the marble island.
My voice quivered with anger, with grief I hadn’t been able to fully feel yet. Not when I had tunnel vision, determined to get me, Idris, and Mena far away from Kylo and the clan. And certainly not after Idris had died.
It was here now, rage slowly melting into that crushing heartbreak.
His gaze returned to mine with a gentle steadiness. “I’m so sorry, Evie. I should’ve told you. I told myself I was protecting your heart, but I know I was protecting myself most of all. I didn’t want to see you in pain, especially over someone who didn’t deserve it. It breaksmyheart to know I broke yours.” He shook his head. “It took unfathomable bravery for you to trust me in the first place, and I broke my promise. I let you down. I hate what I did and how it could’ve led to me losing you for good.”
Now it was my turn to stare at the countertop. I’d crumbled in his arms, telling him how scared I was to love him, howbrutally shattered my parents had left me with their abuse and cruel apathy.
“And?”
I waited.
Kylo blinked.
My lips turned down, my nostrils flaring. I clenched both fists. My heart panged, begging me to stay focused on Kylo’s genuineness, his apology and accountability for his actions. I wanted to fill the void he’d dug into my soul and never feel so empty again.
But there was one action he hadnottaken accountability for. And it was glaring.
“I’m not sorry for killing Jacob.”
My mouth dropped open, and my eyes snapped to his.
“He saw you get attacked on the street outside the restaurant, and he ran the other way. He didn’t yell for help. He didn’t fight to protect you. The born vampire noticed him, and he chose to save himself.”
The words were more daggers to my bruised heart. I remembered what I’d seen when I touched Kylo’s dagger. Yes, Kylo had brutally killed Jacob after humiliating him and making him piss himself. But Jacob had also offered me to Kylo in exchange for his life. He’d said he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. It was painful to know that Jacob wasn’t just a selfish, dismissive cheater, but he also didn’t care whether I lived or died.
And I’d allowed someone like that to be in my life. To see me naked. To crush my feelings with no remorse.
I shifted in my seat.
“I know it was extreme,” Kylo said. “ButI am extreme. Especially when it comes to protecting those who deserve to be protected.”
I felt his intensity charge the air, circling us.
“You said you wanted to kill him just for touching me.”
“And I resisted the urge,” Kylo said with a shrug. “You weren’t officially mine yet, even if it felt like you were. I killed him because he put you in danger, and he was always going to put you in danger. I’m not sorry for that. I’m sorry for keeping it from you and creating a web of lies by omission.”
My mind replayed all that I’d assumed when I’d learned the truth. I thought Kylo had been love bombing me, manipulating me, isolating me. Even if that didn’t quite make sense. The paranoia in the wake of his deceit had taken completely over.
“It’s still fucked-up,” I snapped. “So you’re just going to kill people close to me whenever you feel it’s justified?”
Kylo’s eyes told me the truth before he could. Before I could snap at him again, he spoke first.
“I will never kill someone close to you without your prior knowledge ever again.”
“Without myapproval,” I hissed.
