Page 7 of Orlando (Council Assassins #20)

“PLEASE TELL ME YOU have news,”

Orlando told Kennedy when he answered.

“I’m sorry.”

Orlando’s shoulders slumped. He’d expected his answer, but that didn’t mean he was happy with it. He’d told himself not to snap at Kennedy because none of this was his fault, but it wasn’t easy.

He glanced at Liam, who was sitting on the couch, Parsley in his lap. It was obvious that he was listening in to the conversation, which was fine, but Orlando wished he had something better to tell his mate.

He sighed.

“We’ve been stuck in this apartment for two weeks. Do you know how long that is?”

“I can only imagine how hard this is for you. I’m sorry, Orlando. I promise we’re all doing everything we can, but it’s not like any of us has the phone number of a council member. We’re trying to reach the most approachable ones, but they live in their packs and prides, and we can’t exactly knock on their door.”

For a moment, Orlando wondered if they should try that. What would happen if they did? He knew where at least two council members lived, and while it wasn’t close by, he could have Seymour shimmer him there. He wasn’t sure which would be easier, though—the Whitedell pride, or the Gillham pack?

“Is there nothing any of us can do?”

he asked before he did anything stupid like go knocking on a council member’s door. That would probably get him killed instead of saving his mate. He’d just gotten Liam. Besides, they were bonded. Orlando would never put himself in danger because he knew Liam would feel it, and that was the last thing he wanted.

“I promise that everyone is working on it. Have a little more patience.”

“I can do that, but will the council?”

There was no way they hadn’t contacted Cynthia to find out how the job was going. That meant she’d had to tell them that she was working on it, and knowing her, she wasn’t lying. She’d given Orlando a few days. Those few days had long passed, so she was no doubt on the hunt.

“We’ll protect your mate if it comes to that,”

Kennedy promised.

“In fact, do you want me to come over?”

“If this is your mate plotting so he can meet Liam, it can wait.”

Kennedy chuckled.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Lewis so impatient. He’s starting to wonder if your mate actually exists.”

“I wouldn’t be hiding in my apartment if he didn’t. Do you know how long it’s been since I saw the sun?”

“You went to the grocery store the other day,”

Liam grumbled.

Liam hadn’t. He’d really been stuck inside, and thinking about it made Orlando feel guilty. Since they had this time together, they should take advantage of it, and being on the phone with Kennedy wasn’t helping anyone.

“I’m going to let you go,”

Orlando said.

“Keep me updated, please.”

“I will.”

Orlando hung up the phone and turned to put it down on the coffee table, which was the only reason he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. He reacted without thinking, throwing himself forward so he could place himself between Cynthia and Liam.

She’d found them.

He raised his hands, hoping he could stop her.

“Please. He didn’t do anything.”

Thankfully, she stopped. Orlando had expected her to be true to her word and go straight to the point. She’d given them time, but they hadn’t managed to get the council to rectify their mistake. Her job was still to kill Liam.

Orlando’s Liam.

“I’m sorry,”

Cynthia said.

Thankfully, she didn’t have a gun this time. She wouldn’t want the neighbors to realize something was up. She was holding a knife, and when she lunged toward Liam again, Orlando shifted.

He knew what kind of animal Cynthia shifted into. He had the upper hand in his shifter form, no matter what form she was in.

She didn’t seem to care. She tried to move around Orlando, but he growled at her. He exposed his fangs, hoping to warn her, but she shook her head.

“I don’t want to do this. I hate that this was my first assignment, but what do you expect me to do?”

she asked.

Orlando yowled, unable to give her another answer. He wasn’t surprised when Liam did, though.

“You could resign,”

he offered.

Cynthia blinked at him as if he was crazy.

“I worked too hard to resign. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Orlando told me, so yes, I do know. I don’t know why you think that killing people for a living is the right thing to do, and frankly, I don’t care. You say this is your first assignment. Do you really want it to be killing an innocent man? And not only an innocent man, but the mate of a person you know?”

Cynthia looked like she wanted to argue, but she couldn’t. Liam hadn’t said anything wrong. He was innocent, and he was Orlando’s mate.

Liam seemed to realize that Cynthia was hesitating, and he continued.

“Besides, Orlando and I are bonded. He’ll feel everything you do to me, including my pain and anger. You’ll have to kill him, too. He won’t stand by while you hurt me. Do you really think you can hurt someone you consider a friend?”

“I wouldn’t say he’s a friend,”

she mumbled.

But Liam was right once again. Orlando would put himself between Liam and Cynthia. He didn’t care if he had to sacrifice his own life to do so. It wouldn’t be worth living if Liam wasn’t with him anymore. If Orlando had to choose one of them to sacrifice, it would be himself. Liam was human, so he would recover from losing Orlando, even though they were bonded. Orlando knew he’d never recover from losing Liam.

“Wouldn’t you?”

Liam asked.

“Because Orlando considers you a friend. He hates that both of you were put in this situation.”

“Do you think I like it?”

“I don’t think anyone does. I certainly don’t. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to pay for someone else’s crimes. Even if you don’t consider Orlando a friend, do you want your first assignment to end with you killing an innocent man?”

Cynthia hadn’t answered Liam’s question the first time, but she did now. She lowered her knife, and while Orlando tensed in case she was acting, he didn’t have to move. She slid the knife out of sight, then held up both of her hands to show him she didn’t have a weapon.

“I hate both of you,” she said.

She didn’t sound like she hated them, thankfully.

“Thank you,”

Liam told her.

Orlando was startled when he felt a hand on top of his head. Liam scratched his fur, causing Orlando to close his eyes in pleasure. Cynthia made a disgusted sound and turned to move toward the window.

“I don’t know how I’m going to keep the council off my back,”

she muttered.

“They want results, and I don’t have any. If they fire me, I’m going to kick your ass, Orlando.”

Orlando wanted his mate to continue petting him, but he needed to say something to Cynthia. He shifted back, ignoring Liam’s surprised sound. He didn’t care that he was naked, and neither did Cynthia. They were both shifters, and they’d trained together. They’d seen each other in every dress and undress state they could have.

“If they fire you, I’ll talk to them myself.”

Cynthia snorted.

“Because that’s been working so well for you. Have you managed to contact any of them?”

“You know that I haven’t.”

She reached up and pulled on a strand of her hair. She always did that when she was anxious.

“I like you, but this can’t continue. I don’t want to kill an innocent man, but if those are my orders, I will.”

She paused.

“No matter how much I hate it.”

Orlando’s stomach dropped. Was she saying what he thought she was saying? He’d thought he’d managed to change her mind, but it didn’t sound like he had.

What the fuck was he supposed to do now?

LIAM THOUGHT THEY WERE in the clear until Cynthia’s phone started ringing. For a moment, the three of them were silent. Cynthia had been leaving, but it was clear she wasn’t anymore. She slowly reached out into her pocket and took her phone out. Orlando snorted, which Liam didn’t think was a good idea.

“You kept your phone on? Really?” he asked.

“Shut up,”

Cynthia snapped.

She checked the screen and paled. Liam didn’t know her well, but he could tell that whatever was happening wasn’t good.

Something told him he wasn’t going to like this.

“Yes?”

she answered.

Liam was human, so he couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation. He was pretty sure that Orlando could, though. He sucked in a breath, then moved closer to Liam. He was still naked, but right now, that didn’t matter. Nothing did accept whatever was about to happen.

“I understand,”

Cynthia said.

“Of course. No, I don’t want that. Have you looked into what I mentioned? I realize it’s not my place, but—”

“What’s going on?”

Liam asked Orlando.

Orlando didn’t look away from Cynthia as he answered.

“It’s her supervisor.”

“It doesn’t sound like a good thing.”

“Because it’s not. He’s asking her why she doesn’t have results yet and threatening her job.”

“Can he do that?”

“He’s her supervisor, so yes.”

Liam swallowed. He was sure that Cynthia liked Orlando, but she liked her job more. This was it, wasn’t it? Cynthia had to make her decision now, and she’d already warned Orlando and Liam what that decision would be. She’d told them not to make her choose, but now, she had to.

Liam was about to die.

“I just wanted to be sure no one is making a mistake,”

Cynthia said.

“No, of course not, sir. I don’t doubt your ability to research our targets. I’m just saying that we might be dealing with an innocent man.”

Liam held his breath, but when Cynthia closed her eyes, he knew they’d lost. Orlando seemed to agree. He tensed, ready to act. Liam hated knowing that he was making him fight a friend, but he’d hate being dead even more. He was sure Cynthia didn’t have a choice, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to protect himself or let his mate protect him.

“Yes,”

Cynthia said.

“I’ll let you know as soon as it’s done.”

She’d been facing away from them the entire time so Liam couldn’t see her expression. He didn’t have to. The way she held herself was enough to tell him everything had gone wrong.

“Don’t do it,”

Orlando said.

“You heard him. You know I don’t have a choice.”

“Is your supervisor the person who gave you the file on Liam?”

“He is.”

“So he’s the one who made that mistake.”

Liam was relieved they knew who was at fault.

He’d started thinking they would never find out, but he wasn’t sure if knowing changed anything.

That supervisor sounded like a dick.

He was refusing to even consider the option that he might be wrong, yet he was in charge of other people. That wasn’t good.

What especially wasn’t good was that they were running out of time.

“He is,”

Cynthia confirmed as she looked at Orlando.

“But he’s my supervisor. I don’t have a choice.”

“We always have a choice.”

“Not if I want to keep this job. You know how hard I trained. You know how hard we all trained. I don’t know how you managed to walk away from this, but I can’t.”

“You can do whatever you want, Cynthia. You can tell your supervisor to fuck off. You can go above him and talk to his supervisor.”

Cynthia shook her head.

“You know how it works. We’re kept isolated for a reason. I only have him to contact.”

If that was true, it was ridiculous.

This situation showed why isolating an assassin wasn’t a good idea.

Everyone could make mistakes, and that was fine, but this guy sounded like he would never admit it.

That wasn’t okay. He might get Liam killed, and he couldn’t see anything wrong with that. Liam had never met the guy, but he hated him.

“Please,”

he told Cynthia.

“I know this is asking a lot from you, but we wouldn’t if it wasn’t necessary.

I don’t want to die.

I especially don’t want to die because your asshole supervisor decided he was right, even when it’s obvious he’s not. He might not care about killing an innocent man, but I think you do, and I think that’s more important than your job.”

Cynthia had put her phone away. Liam didn’t know what it meant, but he hoped it was a good thing. He realized it wasn’t when she shook her head.

“I’m sorry. I never wanted to hurt an innocent man.”

She was incredibly fast, but thankfully, Orlando was faster.

He shifted before Liam could even think about screaming.

One second, he was all naked skin, and the other, he was a massive ball of fur and spitting anger.

Liam only had a second to wonder why Cynthia wasn’t shifting into her animal form.

She and Orlando clashed, and Liam had to scramble back.

He’d been sitting on the couch when Cynthia arrived, so he quickly moved toward the kitchen, but he couldn’t leave Orlando alone.

He knew he was of no use in a fight, but still.

Abandoning his mate didn’t sit right with him.

He looked around the room, desperately needing something he could use as a weapon.

He might not be a fighter, but between him and Orlando, they should be able to win this, shouldn’t they?

Liam saw one of the knives they’d used to cook breakfast on the counter.

He snatched it up, squeezing his fingers around the handle.

It dug into his flesh, making him swallow hard.

Could he do this? Becoming a professional killer had never crossed his mind, just like he thought it had never crossed the minds of many more people.

He’d never used a knife to hurt anyone, and he’d never been trained to fight, not even with his hands.

He wouldn’t know where to start, although he supposed that the easiest way to use a knife was to stab people.

Cynthia wouldn’t be scared if he threatened her with it. She’d probably know there was nothing he could do.

Something crashed back in the living room, so Liam quickly returned to Orlando.

Cynthia had landed on her back on the coffee table, but that didn’t stop her.

She had her knife raised and was about to stab Orlando in the shoulder while he snarled at her.

Liam had been worried he wouldn’t know what to do, but when he saw his mate in danger, he didn’t even hesitate.

He rushed forward, his knife ready, relieved when he got Cynthia’s attention.

He might be willing to hurt her if it meant saving Orlando, but that didn’t mean he was looking forward to it.

She blinked.

“What are you doing with a knife?”

“Defending myself and my mate.”

Cynthia looked impressed, which Liam wasn’t sure what to think of. He didn’t want to impress people by wielding a knife.

“You’re going to hurt yourself,” she said.

“And you’re going to hurt me, so what does it change?”

She inclined her head as if agreeing with Liam’s words. Liam’s hands shook, but he didn’t lower his knife. He couldn’t. If she was going to hurt Orlando, Liam was going to hurt her.

Maybe.

Orlando moved in front of Liam. He snarled at Cynthia, clearly warning her off. Unfortunately, they both knew it wouldn’t be enough.

She got to her feet, and Liam wondered if the elegance with which she did that was something they taught in that program.

He was morbidly fascinated by the fact that these people had been trained to kill, and for some reason, one of them was supposed to kill him of all people.

It was a mistake, but that didn’t change the fact that if he hadn’t been incredibly lucky, he would be dead right now.

Cynthia didn’t try to change Orlando’s mind.

She threw herself at Liam again, quickly moving out of the way when Orlando launched himself toward her.

Liam saw a flash of a knife and raised his hand.

He didn’t know what that was supposed to do, but he wasn’t surprised by the flash of pain in his forearm.

He yelped and fell back.

His feet tangled with Orlando’s tail, and that was the thing that saved him.

He couldn’t stop his fall, not even when Cynthia stabbed the space where he’d been just seconds earlier.

He landed on his back, and all the air punched out of his lungs.

He stared at the spot where he’d been standing with the knowledge that he’d escaped death a second time.

Would he be able to do so a third time?

LIAM HAD ALMOST BEEN stabbed.

That was the only thought in Orlando’s mind.

His mate had almost been stabbed, and Orlando had almost lost him.

How was he supposed to stop thinking about that?

He wasn’t.

He pounced, needing to take Cynthia down.

He caught her calf with his teeth, and even though he didn’t want to hurt her, he bit down.

Blood filled his mouth.

Cynthia screeched, but the sound quickly cut off.

They’d been trained not to attract attention, and a woman screaming would definitely do that, even if the building was half empty because most of the people who lived there were at work.

She tried to stab Orlando, and Orlando expected the hit to land.

He wasn’t going to let go, though.

If someone was going to die today, it wouldn’t be Liam, which meant it couldn’t be Orlando, either.

Liam needed him.

Orlando was the only one who could protect him, and he didn’t care if he ended up as Cynthia’s pincushion.

Orlando waited for the knife, but it never touched him.

He blinked up to see that Liam had caught Cynthia’s wrist and was struggling to get her to drop the knife.

He was a little green around the edges, but he was fighting anyway.

He told Orlando that he could think of nothing worse than being trained to kill, but here he was, apparently ready to hurt Cynthia if she didn’t stop hurting Orlando.

Orlando hoped Liam wouldn’t regret this.

He never wanted his mate to lose himself.

One of the things he loved the most about Liam was how gentle and sweet he was.

Watching him struggle with Cynthia for a knife wasn’t the kind of thing he should be doing.

He should be sitting on the couch, cuddling his cat and talking about plants.

Orlando would make sure he could return to that.

He didn’t know how he’d do it, but the only way to keep Liam safe was to stop Cynthia, and even though Orlando didn’t want to hurt her, either, it would be an easy choice if it was between her and Liam.

“Don’t make this harder on all of us,”

Cynthia said.

“I’m not going to lay down and let you kill me,”

Liam told her.

Orlando knew what was about to happen before Liam moved.

Apparently, Cynthia had underestimated him because she didn’t react.

That was the only reason Liam managed to stab the knife he’d gotten from the kitchen into her shoulder.

He looked horrified by what he’d done and took a step back.

Cynthia blinked and glanced down at the knife, apparently unable to believe that Liam had stabbed her.

Orlando had a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that his mate had done it to save him, too.

He was impressed and felt a little dizzy.

He knew how torn his mate would be over it, and he wished there was something he could do to make him feel better. Right now, though, he had to focus on Cynthia.

He let go of her calf.

He could still taste her blood, and he wasn’t surprised to see how deep the wound was when he moved back.

She’d be limping out of the apartment.

The question was, would she be doing that before or after killing them?

The door burst open, startling all of them.

Liam stayed where he was and stared at the door, but Orlando and Cynthia both acted.

She raised her knife, ready to defend herself from whoever was there, while Orlando placed himself between Liam and the door.

Only to have Tex appear.

He and Orlando had been friends in the program, but Orlando hadn’t seen him since he left. He had no idea what Tex was doing here. He didn’t even know how Tex had found out where he lived.

“Stop!” Tex said.

“Who is this now?”

Liam asked, sounding exasperated but also a little scared. Orlando could feel how terrified he was, and he was proud of his mate for not showing it. He wished Liam didn’t have to go through any of this, though.

“The order has been rescinded,” Tex said.

Orlando blinked. What?”

“What are you talking about?”

Cynthia demanded to know.

“I talked to my supervisor a few minutes ago, and he didn’t say anything about that. In fact, he insisted I continue what I was doing.”

“Your supervisor is an idiot.”

Cynthia snorted.

“I can’t say I disagree. You know this isn’t how this works, though.”

“Check your phone. Someone is going to call you.”

Cynthia didn’t look convinced, but thankfully, she stepped away. She was still in the room, and she was still dangerous, but for now, Orlando could breathe easier.

He shifted back. His mouth tasted of blood, and he desperately wished he could go to the bathroom and brush his teeth, but he didn’t dare. He kept his focus on Cynthia, needing to know she’d finally been stopped.

“Are you guys okay?”

Tex asked.

Orlando nodded.

“We’re fine.”

“Who stabbed her? It’s a nice touch.”

“My mate. He was defending me.”

Tex whistled.

“Well, that’s impressive. I hope my mate will be just as fierce if I ever meet them.”

“I hope your mate won’t ever have a reason to be so fierce.”

Tex grimaced, but Orlando wasn’t offended. He was proud of Liam because he knew how much this had cost him. He’d never wanted to hurt anyone, yet here he was, having stabbed a woman.

“You know what happened?”

Orlando asked.

“Her supervisor happened. You know I can’t give you names, but he’s the one who made a mistake. He was tasked with supervising the death of Liam Portman. He put the file together, but clearly, he didn’t look very deep into the man he was ordering dead.”

“He almost got an innocent man killed. He almost got my mate killed.”

“I know, but it’s over.”

It wouldn’t be over until Cynthia was out of there and her supervisor had been dealt with, but Orlando relaxed. With Tex here, Cynthia wouldn’t try to hurt Liam again. If she was going to continue attempting to kill him, she’d be back.

Orlando didn’t hate her, but he hoped he never had to see her again.

“What’s going to happen to the supervisor?” he asked.

“He’s getting fired. I was sent here to make sure that Cynthia didn’t go through with the job, but I wish I could’ve been there. That guy is an asshole.”

“He certainly isn’t a good person if he was willing to sacrifice my mate just so he wouldn’t have to admit he made a mistake.”

That didn’t mean he should become Cynthia’s next target, but at least he wouldn’t hurt anyone else.

Orlando suspected he was the kind of person who didn’t care if an innocent man paid for one of his mistakes.

If he did, he would’ve listened to Cynthia instead of ordering her to take out her target.

Since Orlando was sure that Tex would step in if Cynthia tried anything, he turned to his mate.

Liam was pale, and his hands shook.

When Orlando moved toward him, he didn’t push him away.

He didn’t even seem to realize that Orlando was still naked.

He allowed Orlando to wrap his arms around his waist and hold him close. It was a bit awkward to comfort Liam because he was taller, but Orlando didn’t care, and he didn’t think Liam did, either.

“You’re okay,”

Orlando reassured him.

“I don’t know about that.”

“Well, I do, and I promise that you’re fine. It’s over.”

Liam glanced at Orlando.

“Are we sure it is? She’s still here.”

“She’s getting her orders to leave right now. You can breathe, Liam. She won’t ever try to hurt you again.”

And if she did, she’d still have to pass through Orlando. Hopefully, Liam knew that.

“Hi,”

Tex said as he held out his hand. He sounded as if they’d met in a bar or something instead of having interrupted Cynthia trying to kill Liam. “I’m Tex.”

Liam seemed puzzled, but he shook Tex’s hand. “Liam.”

“Oh, I know. I know all about you.”

“You do?”

“Well, when the council realized they might have made a mistake, they asked me to look into it. I compiled the second file.”

Liam glared.

“And you couldn’t have done that sooner?”

Antagonizing another person who worked for the council probably wasn’t a good idea, but Orlando agreed with Liam. Couldn’t Tex have been faster?

LIAM WAS ANGRY. HE didn’t mean to take it out on Tex because, as far as Liam knew, the man had done nothing wrong, but he’d almost died. His mate had almost died.

He was glad they’d decided to bond. He would have known that something had happened to Orlando anyway because he was in the same room, but feeling how determined and proud Orlando was helped. Liam still wanted to scream, but his mate would defend him, no matter what. Liam wasn’t sure how he would manage to feel any better about what had happened today, but being alive helped.

Tex didn’t seem offended. He raised his hands and smiled, and while it was a little tense, Liam thought it was a good thing. He wasn’t up to dealing with someone else trying to kill him, thank you very much.

“I know, but I had to be sure,” Tex said.

“Looking into Liam can’t have taken that much time. It was obviously a mistake, Tex.”

“I agree that it was, but I have people to answer to. I have my own supervisors, and they wouldn’t have let me get away with being fast just because you’re my friend. I’m sorry it took too long, but it’s done now. Cynthia has been called off, and your mate is safe.”

Liam was safe. Knowing that made his knees feel weak, and he was glad he was holding onto Orlando. He was going to have to let go eventually, but not yet. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to stay on his feet if he had to.

“What happened?”

Orlando asked.

“Did Cynthia’s supervisor really go with the first Liam Portman he found?”

“Pretty much. We’re investigating him, and he’s getting fired. This one mistake would’ve been enough, but things are pointing to it not being the first time he’s made this kind of mistake.”

Liam was horrified.

“Have innocent people died because of him?”

“Luckily, it didn’t happen often, but I think that the answer to that question is yes.”

And Liam could’ve been the next. Knowing that made him want to puke.

“You win,”

Cynthia said.

Liam tensed when he turned toward her. He half expected her to try to kill him again, but she’d put away both her phone and her knife. The knife that Liam had stabbed her with was nowhere to be seen. She was bleeding, both from her shoulder and her calf, but she didn’t seem to care.

“No one is winning this,”

Orlando said.

“I was just trying to keep my mate safe.”

“I know, and I don’t blame you for that. You know I didn’t want to hurt him.”

“I do, just like I know you had a choice. You didn’t have to follow your supervisor’s orders.”

“I would have lost my job instantly if I hadn’t. I managed to waste enough time for someone to rectify this, didn’t I?”

“You did the bare minimum.”

Her jaw tightened.

“Not everyone can be like you. You were lucky.”

“How was I lucky? I had the guts to leave because I knew it wasn’t right.”

“So what, did you expect all of us to refuse the job?”

Orlando shook his head.

“Of course not. I know you would never do that, but doing this job shouldn’t mean that you lose yourself, Cynthia. They warned you about this, remember? You’re not just a council assassin. You need to remember that.”

Liam hoped she would. He didn’t know what would happen to her now, but he hoped to never see her again.

She shook her head and moved toward the window. Orlando rolled his eyes, caught her wrist, and pushed her toward the front door.

“You’re wounded. Don’t hurt yourself worse by climbing out the window.”

“I don’t want your neighbors to see me.”

“Then you should use your training to make sure they don’t.”

Liam didn’t understand how the two of them could play around after everything that had happened, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t about to become Cynthia’s new best friend or even one of her friends. He wanted her out of his life.

It happened quickly.

She didn’t turn back as she walked through the door.

She didn’t hesitate.

She wasn’t even limping, for fuck’s sake. She vanished into the hallway, and while Liam held his breath for a moment in case she decided to return, she never did. She was gone.

“I should go, too,”

Tex said.

“I’m sure the two of you have many things to discuss. Don’t be a stranger, Orlando. You have my number. Use it.”

“You have my number, too.”

Tex ignored him and turned toward Liam.

“I hope we never have to meet in this kind of circumstance again.”

Liam shook his head.

“It depends on how many assassins your council will send after me.”

“Hopefully, none. I made a note in your file that you have nothing to do with anything the council does. You’re safe.”

Liam wanted to thank Tex, but making sure he was safe and that no one else would try to kill him was the bare minimum.

The council had put Liam through hell, and he wasn’t willing to forgive them yet.

He wasn’t sure he ever would be.

Tex left the same way Cynthia had, although he waved at them and said goodbye.

He closed the door behind himself, which was probably a good thing since Orlando was still naked, and for a second, everyone and everything in the room was silent.

It felt like time was suspended, and Liam closed his eyes to enjoy the fact that he was safe.

No one was trying to kill him.

He blinked his eyes open.

He’d been thinking about this moment many times over the past few weeks.

He’d been planning what he’d do as soon as he was free of this apartment, but now that he was, he was hesitant.

Leaving the apartment meant leaving Orlando, and that wasn’t something Liam wanted to do.

He looked around.

The apartment was similar to the one he lived in.

Neither was big, but they were both big enough for two men and a cat to live there.

Did Liam really want to go back to his empty apartment? All of his things and his plants were there, but in the end, he didn’t care where he lived.

He cared who he lived with, and that was Orlando.

“You should probably put some clothes on,”

he murmured.

Orlando arched a brow.

“I thought you’d be happy to see me naked.”

“I normally would be, but there’s blood on your skin, and this isn’t exactly the situation I was thinking about when I thought about you naked.”

Orlando wiggled his eyebrows.

“So you’ve thought about me naked.”

Orlando was bloody, including around his mouth, but he wasn’t hurt. That was the only reason Liam pulled him closer.

“There’s not one day I don’t think about you naked,”

he murmured. He kissed the side of Orlando’s neck. There was no sign of the place where Liam had drunk Orlando’s blood, but Liam didn’t need a sign to know where it was.

“But this isn’t exactly the situation I have in mind when I do.”

“I’ll take a shower,”

Orlando quickly said.

Liam laughed.

“I’m sure you need one.”

He looked around the room.

“I guess I should start packing.”

“Or you could stay.”

“You think it’s a good idea?”

“I think it’s a great idea. Unless you’d rather I move in with you? We can do that, too. In fact, it’ll probably be easier because I’ve only lived here for a few months. I don’t have much to pack, but I can imagine how complicated it would be to move all your plants.”

It felt like it was too much to ask, but since Orlando was offering, Liam wasn’t going to say no.

“You’re sure it’s not too many plants for you? Because that’s a complaint I got before.”

“You think there are too many?”

“I wouldn’t have them in my apartment if I thought that.”

“Then there aren’t. It’s the perfect number.”

Liam desperately wanted to kiss Orlando.

“Go shower, and please brush your teeth.”

Orlando laughed.

“As long as you’ll still be there when I come back.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

And it wasn’t because he was a prisoner this time.