Page 13 of Ours (The Possession Duology #2)

Finding herself both annoyed and comforted by his reassurance, Lexi squared her narrow shoulders.

Stepping towards Bloodbayne and Leo, she wiped the tears from her flushed cheeks.

Watching her husband float in and out of consciousness, she felt her heart squeeze.

She desperately wanted his pain to end, and as evil as her alter was, she wouldn’t make him suffer any more than he already had. At least she hoped the bitch wouldn’t.

No Lexi, Nikki said, masking her excitement with a sympathetic sigh. I’ll make it as quick and painless as possible.

Licking his nonexistent lips, Bloodbayne yanked on Leo’s hair once more, the sharp pain causing the poor man to spit an angry obscenity. Good , he thought. The brave fool needed to be awake to see who would be sending him to his grave.

“Wake up, Mr. Estrada! Someone wants to see you,” he demanded.

Fighting off the darkness trying to consume him, Leo forced his bruised eyelids open.

Noticing his adoring wife walking towards him, he cracked a broken smile.

There was bright light surrounding her, giving her an almost ethereal appearance.

He couldn’t remember the last time she had ever looked so stunning. She was a complete godsend.

“You...you’re myyy angelll...Lexi,” he slurred. “Myyy be...beautiful angel.”

Reaching for the handle of the switchblade, Lexi instinctively winced at the comparison.

Why did fuck he have to say that? She couldn’t kill him now, not after hearing him call her his angel.

Maybe she could signal Kade to lunge for Valentina, and she could use the knife on Bloodbayne.

That could work, right? Yes , that plan could definitely work.

STOP IT, Nikki screamed. You know damn well that that hasty little plan will NOT work.

Valentina will shoot both you and Kade before you even have the chance to lift the knife.

Stop being such a stupid cunt! Leo has no idea what he’s saying right now.

He’s loopy from the pain and blood loss, he probably has no idea what’s going on.

Now, come on! Say a quick goodbye and let me slip in. I’ll take care of it.

Noticing her hesitation, Bloodbayne snapped his fingers impatiently. “What are you waiting for, girl? Show me your worth!”

“Wait! Let...let me say goodbye?” she asked.

Narrowing his blue eyes, Bloodbayne mulled over the bold request. Leniency had no place in the Organization, but she didn’t need to know that just yet. It could be fun to manipulate her into thinking she could get what she wanted from him. “Make it quick,” he replied.

Nodding a reply, she reached towards Leo’s cheek with her left hand.

Mindful of his various lacerations and bruises, she carefully caressed his face as lovingly as possible.

She would try to make his last moments as happy as she could.

He was so close to death’s door that she didn’t think it would take much for him to slip into the final memory she wanted to leave him with.

“Hey, handsome,” she began, bringing her face mere inches away from his.

“Mmm...myyy Sunshinee,” Leo whispered, “howsss my boy?”

Stiffening from the dying man’s words, Kade clenched his hands into fists at his sides. The moron still believed he was the father. He wanted to set him straight and send him to hell with the knowledge that he wasn’t man enough to get her pregnant.

Don’t you dare, Kade! If you pull that crap, you will lose her. Simmer down, ok? Let her believe she’s being merciful and giving him a good death and console her afterwards. Don’t be a prick and just keep your mouth shut, Demitri barked.

Purposefully blocking out the evil trio surrounding her and her husband, Lexi gave him the brightest smile she could muster. There wasn’t any harm in him believing he was the father. She wanted him to cling to that as he slipped away. “He’s good...he’s uh..sleeping right now.”

“Mmm...sleep...I want...to go to sleepp,” he mumbled.

Stifling a whimper, she traced the pad of her thumb along his blackened cheekbone. “I know you do, baby. Hey...remember the night you begged me to let you sleep?” she asked.

Licking his split lips, Leo hummed as his fuzzy brain recalled the memory. That week was the best week of his life. Her excitement had made it even more special.

“Disneyland,” he breathed.

“Yes!” Lexi exclaimed, thrilled that he was coherent enough to recall their vacation.

“You took me there for our first anniversary.

I had never been, and you surprised me with that trip out to California.

I was so excited to finally be at the happiest place on Earth.

I dragged you all around that park for hours the first day.

..remember how I made you ride on ‘It's a Small World’ five times in a row?”

“That...that damnnn song,” he murmured.

Lexi laughed, “Yes, that damn song! But you were such a trooper, you even wore those silly ears because I asked you to.”

“Hated them...but I’d...do anything...for youuu,” he replied.

Holding in a sob, she carefully pressed her forehead against his, mindful to not press too hard on his swollen skin. “I know...and I will forever love you for that,” she said, her voice filled with heartbreak. “You were so tired by the time we had dinner. Remember where we ate?”

“Mmm...Carnationnn Cafe.”

“That’s right! We had hot fudge sundaes and stayed there nursing our coffee until the fireworks,” she continued.

“Ahhh...the fireworksss,” he said.

“Yes! They were so beautiful. Remember how we stayed until they told us to leave? Then we went back to our hotel room at the Grand Californian—”

“Ohhh...that bed,” he interrupted.

Grinning at her husband, she was thankful that he was mentally able to follow along with her story. She wanted him to remember the details of that night. How they had spent hours upon hours creating passionate fireworks of their own. That’s where she wanted him to stay.

“Yes. That amazing bed. Can you remember what we did in that bed?” she asked, ignoring the livid energy radiating from the man standing behind her.

Closing his eyes, Leo quirked his lips into the signature cocky smile that Lexi had fallen for the first time they had met. Oh, yes. He remembered everything.

“Mmmhmm,” he murmured.

Letting out a shaky breath, she raised her right hand and steadied the razor-sharp metal of the switchblade near his neck.

Once his flesh was split, it wouldn’t take long for him to bleed out.

She was counting on his weakened state to speed up the process.

She hoped he wouldn’t even realize what had happened before he slipped away.

“Good,” she said, giving him a long and tender kiss goodbye. “Stay there...just... stay.”

Counting down from five in her mind, she prepared herself to let her alter step in. Nikki was ready and eager to take control, she knew there wouldn’t be any hesitation on her part. The takeover would be fast and vicious. It was how Nikki handled everything.

Five…

Four…

Three…

Two…

One.

Within a split second, Lexi found herself being thrown into the dark recesses of her mind, locked behind a stone wall made specifically to hold her while Nikki took the wheel. There was nothing for her to do but watch silently as her alter took full possession and carried out the grisly task.

Smiling wickedly, Nikki gripped the handle of the switchblade tightly in her hand.

It felt amazing to finally be in charge of her body, but she knew it would feel even better once she released all the pent-up anger she was harboring.

It was almost poetic that she would have the chance to kill Leo.

It was because of him that she hadn’t been allowed out. He deserved this.

“Goodbye, Leo,” she purred, placing the blade against the skin of his neck.

Not wanting to give him a chance to squirm, she quickly sliced the blade through his throat.

In one clean, efficient swipe, she cut him open from ear to ear, ripping through muscle, tendon, and both carotid arteries.

A warm shiver of euphoria raced down her spine as she watched his ruby blood spurt from his split flesh.

With every helpless jerk of his body, she could feel her confidence growing stronger and stronger.

She was finally right where she belonged.

Releasing his grasp on Leo’s hair, Bloodbayne lifted his melted lips into an evil smile as he listened to the man’s dying gasps.

It seemed as if his son was correct in his assessment, the girl did indeed have a gift.

She knew exactly where to cut, and how deep.

It was a skill that was bred, not learned.

It bode well for the future of his empire.

With his lineage, the child she carried would be a force to be reckoned with.

Knowing her test was over, Kade stepped behind Lexi and yanked the switchblade from her hand.

Wiping the blood from the knife on the arm of his blazer, he sheathed the blade and stuffed it into the front pocket of his slacks.

Although he couldn’t see her face, he could tell something was a little off.

Her unbothered body language made him slightly uneasy.

Glaring at the empty shell before her, Nikki pulled back her lips in disgust. Of course the pathetic moron would die quickly. He was premature in most of the things he did. “Well?” she asked coldly, moving her eyes from the corpse to Bloodbayne.

Lifting his chin, the mob boss gave her a long and critical once over. It was odd that her demeanor had changed so drastically. But perhaps this was her afterglow, the dragon felt different for everyone. Who was he to judge? She had proven herself, that’s all he cared about.

“Welcome to the Bloodbayne Organization,” he replied.

“Thanks,” she said nonchalantly, turning on her heels to face Kade.

Searching her face for any sign of distress, Kade was surprised to find the opposite. His love seemed almost giddy with excitement. Not in a thousand years would he have predicted this reaction. He didn’t know if he should be frightened or turned on.

Tossing her blood splattered hair over her shoulder, Nikki raked her golden hued eyes over Kade’s well-built body.

In the back of her mind she could hear her alter yelling, demanding her to fall back into place.

Lexi was stupid to think she would relinquish her control once Leo was dead.

The dumb bitch would just have to wait. There were things she wanted to do first.

“I think I’ll like it here,” she said with a devilish smirk, relishing in Lexi’s frantic screams.