Page 138 of My Solemn Vow

Neil screams out again, and I try to find an ounce of humanity to take mercy on him.

But nothing, since the last time I was down here, has given me any desire to show mercy.

I sink my blade into his body two more times, the knife going all the way through and nicking the fucking chair, before he loses consciousness and is sufficiently bleeding out.

I watch and wait, not wanting to miss his death, and within his final exhale, I find freedom.

59

ANTONELLA

THE PROMISE

Valor led me by the hand while walking backward up the stairs out of the basement, then up to our bedroom, keeping his eyes on me like if he lets me leave his sight, I’ll disappear.

And maybe I would.

We won’t leave him.My wolf, the voice inside my head, argues. But it’s not like she needs to convince me because her ‘argument’ only affirms what feels right in my gut.

I won’t leave Valor, not because I can’t, but because I want to stay. Despite his flaws, nothing about Valor is wicked or evil. For me to heal and trust him, I need to be here and present the opportunity.

No annulment, no divorce, no murdering him in his sleep.

Him picking me over Neil helped.

He closes the bedroom door, then leads me into the bathroom and closes that door behind us too. “Declan and Jack don’t need to hear how much I missed you.”

Valor’s words send a shiver down my spine, and I don’t bother trying to suppress it. With my hand still in his, Valor spins me, facing me toward the mirror, our arms wrapped around my waist like the first day we met. Except instead ofstaking a claim, he’s holding on to me for dear life, worried about where I’ll go and what I’ll do if he releases his hold on me.

But this image is a far cry from our wedding day, and I don’t miss the opportunity to admire us together like this. My brown hair, braided over my shoulder, barely avoiding the blood splatter on Valor’s T-shirt that I borrowed. The red tinge to our skin from that same blood of my first kill.

The look of adoration is in the softness of Valor’s eyes and the small smile pulling at his lips. Warmth blooms in my chest. Despite the havoc that’s upturned my life on the surface level, nothing has changed.

That is, until our eyes do.

Valor’s first, going from the green-brown to the bright, vibrant golden-yellow of his wolf. Then, as heat rises in my body, mine do the same. Maybe more orange than yellow, but unnervingly animalistic.

So pretty.My wolf decides, pulling my focus to the picture of the whole.He looks fit to be our mate.

“Let me take care of you.” Valor leans down, not taking his eyes off me in the mirror as he kisses my neck.

My stomach flips, and my pussy throbs at the idea. The memories of how good Valor has made me feel flood forward, dissipating my resistance.

“Hands on the mirror, darling.” Valor’s voice is gravelly, a growl, the noise I can now make.

I lean forward over the vanity, resting my forearms on the mirror rather than my hands. It shuffles my ass backward, pressing against his crotch. Which must have been Valor’s plan.

Valor slides my pants down my legs. And when they’re on the floor, he gingerly lifts each foot, placing a small kiss on the back of my ankle before setting it back down.

He runs his hands up the outside of my legs, fingertip-light touches, teasing me along the way.

The sharp flick of a knife blade opening cuts through the otherwise silence. A sound I’ve heard before.

“Valor,” I say in warning, but I’m not sure against what.

I try to look in the reflection to see what he’s doing, but the vanity blocks my view. Pulling one hand off the mirror, I try to twist, only to freeze as Valor slides his fingers into my panties.

Unexpectedly, my anxiety of the unknown rises.