Page 94 of Eternal
Her eyes widened, but she quickly settled in behind me. The ride back was smoother, quieter. She wasn’t as tense anymore. Maybe it was the routine starting to sink in, or maybe she was learning how to handle me.
When I dropped her off at her street, I watched her slowly get off the bike, removing her helmet and fixing her hair. Before she could walk off, I grabbed her waist and pulled her back toward me.
We were nearly eye-to-eye like this.
“Thank you for not letting me bleed out,” she said, her voice a little more strained this time.
I glanced down at her injury before meeting her gaze. “Take care of it. My number’s already in your phone. Show me how it’s healing.”
Her body stiffened under my touch, but she didn’t pull away. “Do you have something to say?” she asked, intrigued.
Without wasting time, I pulled her shirt up slightly, making sure the injury wasn’t exposed.
“Okay, it’s fine,” I muttered. My fingers grazed over it lightly, checking it for any signs of trouble. The touch was calm, but my mind was anything but.
Her face twisted with disbelief. “You’re insane.”
“I know,” I replied, “We’re partners, after all.”
I watched her walk away and take some time to analyze the mess I’m in right now. She moved with the kind of confidence I didn’t expect from someone so broken. But that’s what made her interesting.
I fought the urge to step closer, to follow her. To make sure she didn’t slip away. But I stayed where I was, rooted to the ground by something darker, something colder than anything I cared to acknowledge. I could almost hear her heartbeat, pounding in my ears.
I’m the one supposed to stop this pulse.
She reached her door, glancing back at me quickly.
I should’ve turned and left, should’ve put the thought of her out of my head. But I couldn’t, not yet. The obsession was crawling under my skin, and I hated it, how she had me second-guessing the kill.
But I knew what I had to do. I always knew. She wasn’t the first person I’d had to eliminate, and she probably wouldn’t be the last.
That’s the sad reality.
Since when do I think it’s even sad? What the fuck is happening with me these days?
The door clicked shut behind her, and that was it.
She was safe for now, but not for long.
I wasn’t here to save her, to protect her, or to fix whatever broken parts of her life she was clinging to. I was here to end it.
I’d give her one last chance, one final moment to make a choice, but she wouldn’t make it. I knew that.
Because that’s what I did. I didn’t let people slip away, I didn’t let them run, I always finished what I started.
Even if I have to stop my partner. After all, I’m only a killing machine.
I hope I’m not lying to myself. I never had weaknesses. She can never be mine.
27
AZRA
“Youth” by Daughter
Past
My new baby brother was crying again.
