Page 24 of Reap the Night
I should have called out and let her know that I was in the room, but some deeper instinct warned me to stay silent and listen. Still, I couldn’t make out the words that she was saying, just the intensity in the tone, urgent and desperate; the cadence sounded like some kind of mantra.
The door behind me opened, and another lady walked in, heels clicking on marble. The muttering stopped instantly, the toilet flushed, and a moment later Ariella emerged. Her gaze flicked from the lady who’d just walked in, busy reapplying her lipstick now, to me.
She sighed and smiled. “Did he send you to check up on me?”
“No. I think it’s kinda my job now. You’re important to him, and so you might be a target for someone who wants to control him.”
She looked stunned. “Oh.”
“Don’t worry, it’s not so bad. Ezekiel will protect you.”
“Yes.” Her smile softened. “I’m certain he will. I can’t believe I was afraid of him. All the horrific things people say about him…lies.”
The woman by the mirrors let out a soft laugh and shook her head.
I glared at her reflection. “You’re done. Get out.”
She looked as if she wanted to argue, but then she noticed the sword strapped to my back, quickly gathered her stuff, and clipped off to the exit.
“Orina?” Ariella frowned. “It is lies, right?”
I didn’t want to burst her bubble, but she deserved to know the truth so it didn’t shock her later. “All those things you heard are true. Ezekiel has killed a lot of people, but the way he is with you, that’s also true. Maybe you can be the person that helps him to change.”
“Oh…” She licked her lips. “I see. I…”
“But there’s good in him. I’ve seen it. He saved my life.” My throat pinched. “He just needs someone to believe in him. To believe that he can be better, that he can control the monster inside him. And it looks like he cares enough about you to try.”
“You sound like a heroine from one of those dark romance novels where the hero is a stalker or a serial killer. Making excuses for his psychotic behavior.”
“Ezekiel is not psychotic!”
She exhaled. “I know. He’s been nothing but kind and gentle to me. Maybe…maybe you’re right.”
“I know I am.”
“And you?” She studied me with a shrewdness I hadn’t seen in her face yet.
“What about me?”
“Areyouimportant to him?”
I gave her a flat smile. “I’m the person responsible for keeping him on his feet, so yeah, you can bet your ass I’m important.”
“And that’s all?”
“What more could there be?”
“Nothing. There should be nothing.” There was a steel in her tone now that spoke of possessiveness. The tone of a woman warning another away from her man.
Good. This is what we wanted, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t tempted to bite back.
“I should get back to my table.” She ducked around me and headed for the door. “Thanks for the chat.”
Looked like Ariella had more of a backbone than I thought. Defending her territory. I had to respect that.
I followed, and it was only when I was back at my table that it hit me that I hadn’t asked her what she’d been muttering about.
The restof the meal passed uneventfully with Ordell and Hemlock making small talk and Ezekiel shooting glances my way periodically between holding hands with Ariella or stroking her cheek. The PDA was starting to get on my nerves. What was he trying to prove? Or was this simply Ezekiel when he was falling in love? I should be happy because this meant that Loviator would remain in her prison. The world would be safe, but there was a part of me that wished he hadn’t fallen so quickly. His captivation with her made our dynamic seem insignificant, and although it shouldn’t matter to me, it did.
