Page 181 of Dark Duet: Platinum Edition

Rafiq laughed, loud and rich, before his laughter devolved into gurgling coughs.

“Betrayal again. It’s always betrayal with you,Khoya.” His words sounded in my mind as though he were flesh and blood again. “You lie, boy. I didn’t make you love me. One cannot force love. What you gave, I earned.”

I held a knife in my hand; I knew I did. However, as is the nature of dreams, it disappeared once I tried to plunge it into his thigh. I had so much anger, so much rage, and nowhere to put it. Rafiq found it more than amusing and it only fueled my hatred.

“I gave you all you earned when I put a bullet in your heart!”

Rafiq coughed up blood as he laughed.

“You are the man I raised.” Slowly, his laughter subsided and he looked on me fondly. “I know you washed my body. I know you buried me in accordance with the law. I know you wept for me.”

His words wounded me despite knowing there was no way for him to know I did those things. Worse, it hurt knowing they were true.

“Why won’t you die?” I asked with venom. Rafiq smiled wickedly.

“You can’t kill me,Khoya. Not again. I’m all you know. I am your mother. I am your father. I am your brother. I am your friend. I’ll always be here. You’ll never be rid of me.”

As much as I loathed it, I was free to weep in my dreams and I did.

“How could you have done all those things to me? You stole my childhood. You stole my destiny.”

Rafiq, suddenly unfettered, rolled onto his side and sat up. The bruises on his face had healed and clothing had magically appeared on his body.

“That’s not what’s bothering you, Caleb. I betrayed you, yes, but that’s not why you killed me, is it?” I couldn’t look at him while I processed my shame. “You would have killed me anyway. You would have killed me because it’s the only way I would have let the girl go.Youwould have betrayedme, Khoya. We are not so different, and that’s what eats at you.” He raised a hand and ruffled my hair as he used to when I was young. My chest ached.

I pushed him with all my strength, knocking him backward over the table and onto the floor. I leapt into the air and landed on top of him. I punched him. Repeatedly. My fists felt ineffectual; I couldn’t get the force I required to beat him to death. Switching tactics, I held his neck in my hands and tried to squeeze the life out of him.

Rafiq’s maniacal gaze fell on me.

“I am a god here! You’ve made it so.”

“Just fucking die! Die! Die! I hate you! I wish you were alive so I could kill you all over again!” I dug my fingers into his eyes, growing hard as blood oozed onto my fingers. Rafiq tried to fight me this time. His hands pushed against me, his legs flailed, and his body twisted as he tried to buck me off. “I can kill you, Rafiq. You’re not a god. I feel nothing for you.”

Rafiq’s body went still under me.

“Master?” I heard a voice behind me. I turned and saw Livvie. She was wearing a white robe that reached the floor. Her hair was loose and unruly. She wore a slave collar at her throat. A wave of overwhelming guilt slammed into me.

“Livvie? Don’t look!” I turned my head toward Rafiq. His body had disappeared. Only a large bloody stain remained. My hands were covered in blood and gore. I wiped my hands on my thighs, but the blood wouldn’t come clean. “Don’t look,” I said and I was sobbing again. “Don’t look.”

Livvie’s footsteps approached and I could actually feel the weight of her arms wrapping around my shoulders. Her warmth descended on my back.

“It’s okay, Master. I know why you do it. You can’t help who you are.” I hunched over and her weight followed me.

“Don’t look.”

There are moments that define our lives. At the time, most of mine were comprised of people I had murdered or enslaved. I’d done something about the slaves. I couldn’t take back the murders. I didn’t want to. However, my subconscious was not appeased by my belief in justifiable murder. I enjoyed it a little too much, my subconscious admonished. I was a little too “well-adjusted” for someone inured to such treachery.

I woke to find Livvie’s body wrapped around me. Her chest was pressed to my back and her arm lay covetously against my chest. Her warm breath skated against my neck. I smiled to myself. So far, each moment with her seemed to be better than the last.

Panic lingered in my chest, but I had grown accustomed to the nightmares. I am nothing if not adaptable. What I found more frightening than the dream was the voice in my head telling me I’d never let Livvie go.Mine. Mine forever.

If you’re sighing with contentment, you’re either one sick fuck or you don’t grasp the seriousness of the situation. While I no longer kill, I am a killer. A killer in love is a very dangerous thing.

I laughed softly because Livvie was spooning me.

“Mmm,” she sighed. Her fingers caressed my chest. She pressed closer, her lips finding my neck and leaving a sleepy kiss. I reached for her arm and stroked it with my fingers.

“Are you awake?” I whispered. There was no way I was going to be able to go back to sleep. My dick was hard and Livvie was much too soft.