Page 24 of Fatally Yours

“Tell me where you work, sweetheart,” he said.

“And where you live. If you want to stay alive, I want to know where you’re at in case you open your pretty little mouth about what’s going on here.

” Kelsey continued to cry softly as her trembling lips parted in a feeble attempt to speak.

Finally, after what felt like forever, she choked out a response.

“The convenience store up the road. Pit Stop,” she sputtered.

“And I’m right on the street across from it, I swear.

” I wasn’t sure I believed her, but he seemed to, since he patted her head while she sobbed and removed the knife.

Then he crouched down next to her, using his hand to prop himself up.

He made sure to never let the weapon leave her sight.

“Alright, here’s what’s going to happen, Kelsey.

You need to listen like your life depends on it—because it does.

” August clenched his fist, and her eyes grew round.

Her hand shot to her throat as she toppled to the ground, and her sobs got cut off from the unknown pressure he was exerting on her.

A sickening purple hue began to fall over her lips as she suffocated, and I threaded my hands through my hair, pulling on it until I could almost feel pain.

“S-stop, please,” Kelsey managed to choke out. Just like that, he released her, but his expression never changed. She began to cry harder as snot dribbled down her chin, and she swiped her hand over her nose.

“H-how did you do that?” she asked. August returned to a standing position and stared down at her, expressionless. “You’re a demon…”

“There are things far beyond this existence, Kelsey. Things you will never understand. If you don’t listen , I will make those things come for you.

I will find you again, and it will not be pleasant,” he vowed.

I felt like I was watching a movie. This couldn’t be real.

This wasn’t the August I knew in our previous life.

Death twisted him beyond repair, making a shiver of fright crawl up my spine.

But there was another feeling, alongside the itch of death and fear of the unknown.

Something about watching him exercise his wrath against someone so helpless made lightning shoot down my spine and straight into my pelvis.

I wanted him to do the same to me, as wicked as that sounded when a woman was begging for her life in front of me.

It seemed death changed you in so many more horrific ways than either of us was prepared for. Kelsey nodded.

“Here’s what’s going to happen. We are going to take your car.

You are going to go back to the bar. I know it’s a long walk, but you’ll be okay,” August said.

“And then you are never going to speak of this again. You never saw us. You will not remember us, got it?” He put the knife to her face again, making her gasp.

“Y-yes…”

“I can make your life hell, Kelsey. And I can’t die, so I will keep making your life hell.

I have all the time in the world to make you wish you were fucking dead, so you better tell me now if you lied to me.

” Kelsey shook her head vigorously, and he flicked his hand.

In the blink of an eye, the knife vanished.

Her shoulders drooped as she breathed a sigh of relief, placing her palms on the ground as her tears dried.

Relief washed over me, even though the prickle of many thrills pierced my brain.

My rational side was still shining through, making me want to finish this as soon as possible.

“One more thing,” he said, turning to her. “Apologize to my woman. Kiss her feet like the degenerate you are.”

“L-let’s just get out of here,” I said with frightful eyes. August whipped around, giving me a pointed look.

“No, baby. I want this bitch to be grateful she’s not six feet under right now.”

“Au—”

“Quiet!” A chill ran down my body as I slapped my hands over my mouth, realizing my mistake.

If he wasn’t planning on killing her before, I just royally fucked that up.

We both looked at her, and she was silently sobbing again, clearly not paying any attention.

He gave me a smirk, then tapped her on the head.

“Get to it, Kelsey, or you’ll join our friend in the afterlife,” he said.

She made an exacerbated noise and quickly crawled over to me, planting her lips on the top of my shoe, first one and then the other.

A sick shudder ran through my body, but I wouldn’t express it.

Not after the stressful evening we had. I looked at August while my face burned, and he was grinning from ear to ear.

“Good girl.” With that, he stepped forward and bent down, picking up the shovel—the only indication that we were here besides the body in the ground.

I watched him wide-eyed, almost expecting him to bash her over the head with it.

My unneeded breaths hitched in my chest as he passed her sobbing form with it in his grasp.

Then, he laced his free hand in mine, and we began the walk back to the car. Our car.

“Are we going to talk about what just happened?” I questioned after an agonizing silence. August stared straight ahead, focused on returning to town and crossing someone else off his list. There was little mystery about why we were heading back in that direction.

“Only if you want to.” His voice was flat, just like before.

My shoulders sank. Nothing I said would change his mind—if I even wanted to.

Glancing out the window, I looked up at the sky and all the lovely stars, a sight that only brought me comfort since seeing it for the first time when I pulled myself from that grave.

The grave that was now once again occupied.

“We’re just going to leave his car there?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

“What if someone finds it?” He finally broke his trance and looked at me.

“It doesn’t matter. I left the keys on the roof. If we’re lucky, one of those weirdos will steal it.”

“And if they don’t?”

“It’ll sit there. The police might find it.

And that’s that,” he affirmed. “No one of importance is going to look for him. They’ll think you two ran away.

They don’t give a fuck. Just like they did with me.

They didn’t give a fuck then, and they won’t give a fuck now.

” My eyes returned to the window. I knew in my heart that he was right.

Incompetence and corruption were rampant at home, and if August wasn’t high on their list of priorities once he died, then I was sure Devin wouldn’t be either.

“And what about what happened with that woman?” I asked. He was silent for a moment.

“I didn’t mean any of it if that’s what you’re wondering. I’ve only ever wanted you,” he said. There was a hint of remorse in his voice, something I hadn’t heard since before he died.

“That’s nice of you to say,” I said. “But I already knew that.”

“I didn’t mean to yell at you either.”

“I figured.” There was another question burning in my head that I needed answers to. “Are we going to go back to her work sometime to check on her?” It was something I didn’t want to do, and I silently prayed he would give me an answer I would be satisfied with.

“I wasn’t planning on it.” I let out a breath as the stars and the lines in the road continued to hypnotize me until August set his hand on my thigh, sparking up a flurry of emotion.

Previously, I wasn’t really the jealous type, but once more, death proved itself to distort its servants.

Recalling when that woman touched him set my cold, dead heart ablaze, probably similar to how he felt when he saw Devin with me.

“Was that revenge for what happened with Devin?”

He chuckled. “No, baby. We already got our revenge. That fucker’s in the ground.” He patted my leg lovingly while the fire in my center faded.

Our revenge.

He turned to me again, tearing his eyes from the road, just like he had before. “I hope you still love me after I acted like a lunatic,” he said with a soft smile.

“Of course I do.” And that was the truth.

Despite him ripping my life from me with a blade, despite exposing me in front of Devin, despite him humiliating an innocent woman for me, I still loved him.

All those things made me love him. Watching him order her around sparked something in me, something darkly wicked.

Even when he told her he would make her see the devil.

Something about it made me almost sweat.

“I think I liked seeing you act like that,” I said. “It was horrifying, but… exciting.” He glanced at me with those uneven eyes again.

“Good.” He was suppressing a smirk. “Maybe I’ll do it more often.” I set my hand on his, taking in the chill of his skin. His comment and its implications were burning in my brain as I thought about how much this was escalating.

“Are you… going to make me see the devil if I don’t listen?” I asked. Once more, he tore his gaze away from the road, still not slowing down. Our eyes connected, making me shiver. His hesitancy made me almost break out in goosebumps. It was strange how fear made me teeter on the edge of life.

“Only if you want to.” His expression was unreadable. “Do you want to?” I shook my head.

“I’m not that crazy,” I said. Then I added, “ yet .” He patted my hand and broke into a toothy grin, once more making my chest flutter.

If only he knew how much I would do for him.

I would see the devil for him if he wanted me to, even if he forced those visions into my mind because I knew he would do the same for me.

“You might be after we visit Officer Wilson.” His declaration set my thoughts on edge, but I wasn’t going to pretend like my dead heart was skipping with anxiety, at least not like it was when we were confronting Devin.

It was strange to feel tranquilized when talking about killing people.

Not to say that the worries weren’t there—they were—but they were numbed.

“Okay, but I don’t want to get his wife involved.

I don’t want to kill an innocent person,” I said.

I hoped he felt the same way, but after everything that happened, I wasn’t so sure.

My confidence that I knew him well was dwindling as the days went on.

The old August would’ve never dreamed of killing me.

The new one found joy in it. The old him wouldn’t have killed someone innocent; the new one, well, I just didn’t know.

“I can’t make any promises, but I’ll do my best.”

“You’d be okay with that?” I eyed him. Now, my heart was fluttering, even if it was only in my head. If we harmed a guiltless person, I couldn’t hide behind the mask of justification. If we did, I wasn’t sure I could live with the remorse.

“Not okay, but I would have to live with it.”

“I don’t think we’re living,” I muttered, sinking down in my seat.