Page 49 of Kill for a Kiss

Of course she can’t. Clo’s poisoned her so carefully, conditioned her into believing she needs Stanley. Still, the ache in her voice stirs the jealous, possessive hunger inside me that demands to be the only one Elle looks for. But I have to keep this trick going, even if it’s a lie at first. Even if I have to manipulate her for her own good. Because unlike Clo, I won’t keep her trapped. Unlike Clo, my lies are temporary. They’re tools.Necessarytools. If it saves Elle from this place of ruin, then I’ll become whatever I have to be.

“Alright,” I murmur, stepping even closer. The heat from her body brushes against mine, warm through the thin silk over her. “If it’s important to you, I’ll help you find him.”

Surprise lights her eyes. “You will?”

I shouldn’t feel satisfaction at that, but I do. The eager trustshe offers to me settles heavily inside my chest, bittersweet and intoxicating.

I nod. “Right now. I’ll get you out of here, and we’ll find him together.”

She exhales softly, relief loosening the tension in her shoulders. “Thank you.” Her voice is barely a whisper, but it slices into me, each word another splinter embedding deep beneath my ribs.

I can’t afford weakness right now, not when I’m about to betray the trust she’s given me. Even if it’s for her own good. Even if it’s the only way to free her.

I lean toward her slightly, enough for her breath to hitch, enough for her wide eyes to find mine and stay there, fixed in place.

“Then get ready. We’ll leave as soon as we can,” I tell her.

She nods slowly, eyes never leaving me, even as the air between us grows thick. I’ll betray this trust soon. Hell, I already am. And I’ll live with it. I’ll lie, manipulate, and pretend to be everything I despise. But unlike Clo, I’ll keep my promise in the end. I’ll save Elle.

I’ll take her away from here, and she’ll finally understand the only truth that matters, that she’s mine. She turns, and it takes every bit of self-control not to reach out, not to pull her back toward me. My fingers twitch, longing to feel her skin beneath them again.Soon, I promise myself silently. Once I’ve gotten her out, I’ll explain everything. She’ll see the truth clearly then.

I watch her walk away down the hall, toward her room. And when she disappears around the corner, I finally exhale.

She trusts me now. But it’s borrowed trust, built on deceit, soon to be shattered. I glance at the shadows encasing the estate, already counting down the seconds until we finally leave.

Elle might hate me for this. For deceiving her, for taking away what she thinks she needs. But in the end, I’ll have her. And that’s all that matters.

***

The Valkyrie cuts through the silence, its engine a low growl. The road behind us is empty now. That haunted mansion further and further away from us.

Elle sits beside me, quiet. Her hands folded in her lap, knuckles pale. Her eyes stay on the window, watching the world fall away as I take us deeper into the forgotten corners of the city. The streets grow darker, narrower. Every mile takes us further from her cage.

The last turn brings us into a dead patch of the city. Empty buildings sag under the weight of time. Glass shattered. Steel rusted. Asphalt cracked. No sound. No one. But the two of us. Me and Elle, right where we belong, beside each other.

I guide the Valkyrie over broken gravel until we stop outside a structure that could pass for nothing, a forgotten warehouse gutted by years of storms and silence. It’s only a shell. Until you step inside.

Elle’s voice breaks the stillness. “Where are we?”

I don’t answer right away. I sit with the sound of her voice, clinging to it like the sweet song it is. Then I kill the engine and glance over at her. My hand stays loose on the gearshift. Her gaze goes to me. I gaze back, my mask still hiding me.

“Somewhere safe,” I say.

I step out and move to her door. It takes a few slow seconds for me to offer her my open palm. When she doesn’t hesitate to take my hand, my shoulders raise in surprise. Her touch is too trusting, too warm. It burns straight through my glove. Keeping my composure, I lead her inside. I don’t let go. I don’t ever want to.

The door seals shut behind us and locks. The world falls away from us with a hiss of steel. She looks around, taking it in. Steel walls. Concrete floors. Black matte paneling. Everything in here is cold and brutal.

I gesture ahead. “This is where we’ll be staying.” Then I show her the kitchen. “Fully stocked. Take what you need.”

She whispers a small “thanks,” and the sound of it lodges in my ribs.

I show her more. The bathroom, and the bedroom at the other end. “It’s yours.”

She stops. “Where will you be?”

“Here.” I motion to the couch.

She nods, but there’s uncertainty in her expression. A question. A weight she doesn’t voice.