Page 65 of Princes of Sin
“Bloody idiots,” I murmur, looking at myself in the mirror. “They think they’re so smart.”
“But we’re smarter,” he replies.
“See you in a bit.” I exit the bathroom and walk into the bedroom. As I pull my shoes on, Otto stirs in bed. “Come on, get dressed,” I tell him.
“I don’t want to go today,” he whines. “I’m tired and sore from fucking my girlfriend all night.”
I whip my head around. “Did you just call me your girlfriend?”
“Well, yes. What else would I call you?”
I smirk as I tie my laces. “Fuck buddy. Co-worker. Co-conspirator. Your little cumslut–”
“You can be all of those things at once, you know.”
I stand and give him a kiss. “If you see Alex, tell him I’ll make us a nice breakfast when I’m back. We’ll need the energy.”
As I leave Otto’s bedroom, I nearly bump into Lachlan in the hallway.
“Hi,” I chirp.
“Hello,” he says, scowling at Otto’s door. “May I join you on your run today?”
I nod. “Of course. Eight miles. Is that okay?”
“Already up to eight miles? Impressive.”
“Don’t patronize me. You know I’d rather be doing my usual ten or twelve.”
He laughs. “You were stabbed in the abdomen four weeks ago, Charlotte.”
“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Lottie?”
I’d decided to have everyone call me Lottie for the first time in ten years. It was my childhood nickname, and it felt more right than Astern or Charlotte once the dust settled.
It’s also nice not having to hide that part of myself from the guys.
He smirks as we walk down the stairs together. “Not going to happen.”
I wince as I take the last two steps as one, feeling my incision site pull tightly. It’s a grim reminder that this job could be the literal death of me at any moment. I had a German terrorist group to thank forthisparticular incident. Lesson learned: Germans are ruthless. I barely got a word in before the guard stabbed me and ran. Fortunately, we were near a hospital, and Alaric paid the doctors off with a thick wad of cash so as not to be reported.
I grab a water bottle from the fridge and hand one to Lachlan, taking in his outfit. It’s autumn now and the air is chilly, so he’s dressed in joggers and a thin running jumper. I lead us to the door, and then we begin our warmup by power walking up the hill to the University.
Ten minutes later, we’re jogging side by side.
Most mornings are like this. I don’t always run outdoors, but on days we have big plans, it helps dispel the nervous energy. Otto has been attempting to come with me, but he finishes about four miles in. Max prefers to lift weights and swim–which isn’t surprising, considering the size of his muscles. Alex joins me sometimes, but he’s usually doing laps as well. Lachlan is the only consistent one.
He runs with me every time.
In fact, ever since the night of my first kill, he’s been attached to my hip.
If it wasn’t for him, I might’ve died that night in Germany. But he was there.
He’salwaysthere, and sometimes it feels like a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I like having him around, but a curse because I like having him around a little too much.
He hasn’t broken his promise to stay away from me in that way, but I wish he would.
The way I catch him looking at me sometimes… the way I remember how it felt to be with him that very first night…
