Page 21 of Reaper and Ruin

Amusement played out all over her mouth. “I’m getting the impression the location actually doesn’t matter to you.”

“I’d marry you in a dumpster if that was your lifelong dream.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Even that one out behind my place that always smells like piss?”

I cringed. But nodded.

“You hate piss.”

“I also hate vomit and shit, but maybe you haven’t been paying attention for the last few weeks. So if that’s the case, hear me now.” I stared at her, all the laughter fading away. “I’d do anything for you.”

She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me down on the mattress beside her. “Loving me is enough.”

I drew her in tight, so her head rested on my chest.

For maybe the first time in my life, I slept without demons in my head, or in my heart.

8

VIOLET

Voices in the hallway outside my apartment woke me, and for a long moment, I was confused as to why it was so dark in my room at this time of morning.

Only to realize I had slept the day away and night had fallen again.

The front door to my apartment jiggled, the voices muffled, but someone was clearly trying to get inside.

My heart rate picked up, and before I’d even properly woken up, I reached beneath my bed for the baseball bat Toby had put there years ago, just for situations exactly like this.

I’d asked why the hell he was giving it to me? I wasn’t going to be any use against an intruder. Then we’d both realized the alternative had been him being the one with the bat, which was laughable considering the man had screamed and run around like a headless chicken at the sight of a spider. So I’d taken the bat, stashing it beneath my bed, praying like hell I’d never be in the situation where I’d need it.

So far, I hadn’t.

But apparently, my luck had run out.

Because someone was definitely trying to break into my apartment.

“Don’t worry, Omelet. I’m armed and dangerous.”

I jumped at the voice next to me in the darkness, my brain taking too long to remember it was X. I breathed out slowly, reassured by his presence.

And then curious. I had the baseball bat. I knew he didn’t carry a gun. What the hell was he armed with? Had he brought another freaking knife into my apartment?

I flicked on the light.

He was sitting upright in the bed, his attention focused on the door, his body primed for action.

My vibrator clutched in his hands like a bat.

“Oh for God’s sake, X.” I threw the actual baseball bat at him. “Would you go already!”

He dropped the vibrator and took it from me, leaning in to steal a quick kiss. “In my defense, if I’d known you had that under your mattress, we could have gotten a whole lot kinkier last night.”

I shoved him. “X! There is no point being in love with a psychopath if you can’t even take care of a couple of street thug home invaders!”

He gave me a look like I was being incredibly insulting and then launched himself out of bed.

I followed tight behind him, creeping along the hallway and then through the living room to where the doorknob twisted and turned uselessly, thanks to the deadbolt Levi and Whip had installed.