Page 62 of Ballad of Nightmares

“Taking her to the prison,” Sam answered, and Rolfe raised both brows at the statement. “Figured the ghosts could use some fun.”

“You’re looking to scare the fuck out of her,” Rolfe said.

“I’m looking to see what Deianira does in the presence of Death,” Sam said.

Rolfe’s lips twitched. “Maybe I’ll bring some popcorn and watch,” he said. “Might be fun.”

“Be my guest,” Sam said. “A deathhound chasing after her could be an interesting element.”

Rolfe finished chewing the last of his food and slapped his napkin on the table as he pushed back his chair. “Anything else for me today?”

There was an edge of violence in his tone, and Sam just shook his head, not daring to take away from whatever Rolfe intended.

The last he saw of his friend for the morning was Rolfe shifting into his deathhound form, and the beast gave a great howl out in the garden before setting off down the driveway.

Sam cleaned up the kitchen and put away the food Rolfe had left out before making himself another cup of coffee and heading upstairs to his office. Weekend mornings were supposed to be for relaxing, and Millie usually chose that day to sleep in instead of meeting him. Sam took the time that day to watch more of the video reports coming in from the Firemoor invasion, and he texted Ana first. After leaving her without answering the night before, he wanted to apologize.

She’d texted him twice after they’d exchanged few messages that morning, but he hadn’t been able to gather the energy for flirting after they’d begun wiping out the cathedral.

Shame you can’t come over. I was hoping to give you a little something before you went into work.

If you get a chance to come by at breakfast, I’ll be up.

Sam stared at the phone, his thumbs going to move, but unsure of what to say. And to his great annoyance, he couldn’t think of anything better than:

Hey, baby

The failure of his usual poetics made him cringe.Hey, baby. How fucking stupid could he sound?

Stalker, she wrote.You’re alive.

Work was a pain. How are you feeling?

Sad, she admitted.Tired.

I hope not too tired for our date tonight, he said.

I’ll find some strength for that, she replied.

Good. I have some things to do. Pick you up at eight. Wear something you don’t mind getting filthy. Perhaps good running shoes.

You’ve piqued my interest, stalker, she typed.I’ll be ready.

The kiss Sam met Ana with upon reaching her door was slower, more intimate than those he’d left her with the night of the symphony. He had to admit, he’d missed her presence. And when she’d opened that door, seen the tiredness beneath her eyes, he’d felt the need to hold her close and tell her he was taking care of this.

But he couldn’t.

So, he’d settled on the sweeping kiss.

Her quiet moan was lethal, a swipe of a dagger to the backs of his knees as he cupped her cheek and deepened their kiss. Not in the way that would have them backing up and fucking against the wall, but in the way that said ‘I missed you’ or ‘I needed to see you’ without saying the words.

“I needed that,” Ana whispered as he pulled back, her eyes opening slowly to meet his.

“As did I,” he admitted softly.

Perhaps not realizing just how much the last two days had haunted them both.

His forehead met hers for a second, just another moment of breathing the other in. Sam realized what he was doing with a start, though he tried to hide it as he took a step back to look her over.