Page 29 of The Sins That Bleed
I don’t fight it, allowing my body to flow with his movement as his head settles in the crook of my neck. His large palm is tucked under my back as he clutches me to him, a leg tossed over mine.
“Mon cauchemar, I missed you,” Rai breathes into my neck.
He must be dreaming about me. Otherwise, he’d have plunged the knife I now know he keeps under his pillow straight into my heart.
“Mon chéri, I missed you too,” I whisper.
The words don’t feel like a lie on my tongue. I have no idea why I climbed into bed with him, letting him snuggle into me and whispering those words back. None of this makes any sense and I won’t fool myself into believing the words he murmurs in the dead of night.
He’s confused is all, the same way that I’m trying to understand what is happening to me and why he has me ready to carve out the eyes of any person who may try to harm him, emotionally or physically.
He’s amanfor fucks sake; I shouldn’t want to protect him.
But even though he has me acting this way, we can never be. If he knew what I was hiding, he’d tear out my dead heart with his bare hands and set me on fire. I know because I want to do it to myself for what I’ve done and who I’ve become.
I hum softly to him, holding him close and running my hands over his back and through his hair. Indulging in this moment where I’m not a vampire queen and he isn’t a human who hates me. Maybe in another life, another universe, my wretched soul will be worthy of a man who is willing to sacrifice living his life to save others.
We stay like that until the sun starts to rise and brighten his room, prompting me to slip out from under him and leave through the window like I always do. But not before I press alight kiss to his lips, committing another sin that only I will carry the burden of knowing.
I don’t stop thinking about how right it felt to put my lips on his the whole way home.
“Is everything set for tonight?”I ask Sunny as we sit in our office.
“Yeah, you shouldn’t have any problem getting into the facility. Security gets light after midnight when the skeleton crew goes in. From what I’ve gathered, they mostly stay in the security room monitoring the cameras. One of them will get up every hour to do a quick sweep, but it’s always on the hour.”
“Easy then. I’ll be in and out with no issue and the case will progress.”
I kick my feet up onto my desk, relaxing now I know it will be an in-and-out job. Everything has been quiet since the incident at the strip club, so we’ve had more time to focus on the case to help Rai and Nico, since they couldn’t get the suspects to talk. After tonight, they’ll have even more to go on, and then they’ll be forced to work with me.
I sensed Rai’s apprehension when I’d offered the deal—he doesn’t trust me and thinks I’ll screw him over or back him into a corner. If this wasn’t so important to me, I might have done it for fun, but it is important, so I’ll give him whatever he needs.
I smirk to myself. I’m just not telling him that.
“Don’t do that, V. You know I hate it when you do that.”
I shoot her an innocent look that causes her to stand abruptly, her red-and-pink lob swishing with the movement. Sheplants her hands on her hips. I’m in trouble. I sit up and meet her eyes; there’s no point trying to argue with her when she is right, and instead brace myself for the incoming lecture.
She pops a bubble of gum before ripping into me.
“Every time you say it’ll be easy or a quick job, something goes wrong. You were only meant to drop the files in Rai’s office and yet you were seen by him. You were only supposed to free me for somebody to find my body, and yet you risked exposing yourself to save me. This is serious!” she fumes.
Another bubble blown and popped. She’s really mad.
“I know, Sunny. I am taking this seriously. I promise you and I’ll take every precaution to not get caught. I don’t want you to worry about me. You were the only risk ever worth taking and I don’t regret it with a single fibre of my being. So, let’s go over the blueprints one more time to be sure I get in and out.”
She nods in agreement, satisfied with my answer, and relief courses through me as she spreads the blueprints out on her desk. I stand and make my way over to her and study it again, noting all the exits and cameras I’ll have to avoid by using the vents. It’s risky, but it’s the easiest way in without raising the alarm.
Most people try and break out of a prison, not in, but I imagine it’s pretty frowned upon.
We repeat the course I have to take out loud after she rolls it up: left, straight, right, straight some more, and continue until I can repeat it back to her with no mistakes. Aside from crawling around in the vents like a rodent, I am comfortable with the plan.
“Do you fancy a bit of retail therapy, Sunny? I think we deserve a break after all our hard work.” I grin at her, sensing her answer already.
“Absolutely, I’ve worked myself to the bone today.”
Our cackles bounce off the walls in unison. We’ve only been working for a few hours but both of us love to shop so we always find any excuse to go.
“I think a new outfit will make it better, where to?” I wait for her answer as I fire a text off to my driver to get the car ready, and one to Zyon to let him know we’re heading out.
