Page 85 of Nightshades

“No. I’m yours.” I kiss her on the cheek, Jake’s footsteps getting closer, and a low rumble vibrates my chest at the fury of leaving her with other men.

“Go,” she urges, her anxiety poisoning the air between us.

I’m outside behind the business, standing in the alley before she can blink again.

I’m ducking by the dumpsters, I tilt my head back as I take a deep breath in to find the trail of the killer. I would have hunted and killed this person anyway, but having Lula’s approval? It has my entire body on fire. My cock is semi-hard, pressing against the sharp teeth.

Later, I’m going to fuck her all over again. Now that she wears my mark, there’s nothing her body won’t be able to take from me.

My head slowly turns to the right, catching the scent of the killer’s trail, and a sardonic laugh escapes me just as the rain begins to fall. I take my time walking down the narrow dirt road, knowing I have all the damn time in the world because the person who killed Harold isn’t in a hurry with how strong their scent is. Even with the rain, the fear and anxiety are potent.

A chittering sound clicks within my throat, the nightmare swelling inside my skin to be set free.

I’m starved to hear screams of someone begging for their life.

My arm stretches out, my claws lengthen, cutting into the metal fence that is on my left. On the other side is a huge field with tall grass, the wind swaying it from side to side.

I pass a guy with a round stomach, wearing a greasy apron, and he has a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, tossing a large bag of trash in the dumpster.

He gives me a nod, and I stop in my tracks.

“Can I get one?” I ask, tempted to take his entire pack if he says no. By force.

He doesn’t say a word. He takes the pack out of his back pocket, opens it, and offers it to me.

“Thanks.” I take one, then snag another. “For the road.” I tuck it behind my ear, lean forward, and lock eyes with him. “What you’re about to see, hear, or witness is not your concern. You won’t remember meeting me. You offered a stranger a light. That’s all.”

He nods, digging out the lighter from his pocket. “Yeah, okay. Whatever,” he grumbles.

I light my cigarette and leave the man there to live another day, the trail of terror becoming stronger. I’m going to guess they have never robbed or killed anyone before. People who are seasoned professionals at being rotten to the core don’t give a fuck what they take or who they hurt to get it.

Like me.

The fact that Lula doesn’t care if I kill these people pleases me in ways that can’t be described. I know with her job, the balance of toeing the line with me will be difficult.

And she doesn’t care about difficulty.

Lightning cracks in the field right next to me. The heat radiates over my skin, and my ears ring for a split second before the damage heals itself.

“Fuck you, Caden.”

Lightning spreads across the sky like it’s traveling through the clouds in response.

I continue walking down the dirt road, the trail becoming stronger until I’m two blocks away from the jewelry store. Stopping at the edge of the busy road, staring at the alley between an Italian restaurant and a computer repair shop.

“Idiots,” I mumble around my cigarette, blowing out a cloud of toxic smoke.

That’s where they are. I can’t believe they didn’t have a better getaway plan? Who the fuck taught them? Did they even try toget away with this? At least I’m assuming it is ‘they’ because the scent I’m following, too much anxiety for it to belong to only one person.

I cross the street, looking over my shoulder to make sure no one is watching me. Walking down the alley reminds me of the days I used to be the enforcer for Shallow Sinners. Many times, I would deal with business in sketchy alleys or mold-ridden rooms where no one would ever find me. Dumpsters line each wall on either side, cardboard boxes stacked, and a dark green van is parked at the very end.

Smoke spills out of the exhaust, telling me they haven’t been here very long. By the smell of it, they are nervous. Regret and guilt hang heavy in the air, and sniffles come from inside the van.

Aw. My bleeding fucking heart.

I don’t care.

“La-lala-la-la-laaa,” the nightmare within me sings, wanting to start the process of infiltrating their minds. I don’t want this to take too long.