Page 35 of The Ecstasy of Sin

I close the chat, shake my head, and run a hand through my hair as I glance up at the storm-heavy sky. The sun is kissing the horizon now, setting the clouds on fire—vibrant streaks of orange and crimson blazing against the encroaching darkness.

And all I can think about is her.

I can’t help but imagine Wren sitting inside, a tray of food in front of her, eating whatever the organization could scrap togetherfor the day.

She deserves more, she deserves better. The thought of her enduring starvation, or not having the nutrition she needs every day, makes my skin crawl with an unfamiliar discomfort.

I don’t know why I care so much, but I do. Our encounter at the clinic changed my DNA, re-wired my fucked up circuits, all because she needed me. A complete stranger, but she needed me nonetheless.

It’s almost as though for the time she was in my arms, I was her god. Her vulnerable life was in my hands, and the part of me that finds so much pleasure in taking a life… evolved. It shifted against my will, changing into something different.

Something that craves her more than I crave the way the light leaves someone’s eyes when they die under my blade. An obsession I’m sure will be my downfall.

Thoughts of Wren fill my head as night falls, blanketing the city in shadows. I watch people go about their lives, completely unaware of the serial killer lurking just beyond the alley.

A myriad of unfortunate souls filter in and out of the building, and I find my patience wearing thin. Just as I begin contemplating slipping inside just to catch a glimpse of her, Wren comes walking out of the front doors.

The moment I see her, I feel the wrongness of her mood as sharply as I feel the errant drop of rain as it strikes my cheek. My gaze narrows, my focus sharpening as I push off the wall and step out of the darkness to follow her.

The look in her eyes is haunted; so full of ghosts that look foreign and familiar all at once. Her story may be a mystery to me,but I’ve seen that same expression in the eyes of my brothers at one time or another.

An expression Torin wears far too often.

Pulling the hood of my sweatshirt up over my head, I fall into step close enough to monitor her but far enough that she doesn’t feel me too close.

Her eyes are fixed ahead, glassy and hollow. She wouldn’t notice me even if I were breathing down her neck.

She’s heading toward the women’s shelter, the only one that has her ID on file. She tries to get a bed there every night, and they’ve kept a record of her check-ins. She’s moving like she thinks she’s invisible, like she’s on autopilot. Unseeing, and unaware of the people she weaves through or the danger that surrounds her.

I see her. I’m with her. I won’t let anything bad happen to her.

She doesn’t hesitate when we approach St. Augustine's Cathedral, abandoning the relative safety of the bright street lights in favour of the dirt path winding behind the old, towering church.

My phone starts ringing, but the quiet melody reaches Wren. I curse under my breath as I yank my phone out of my pocket to silence the call, turning down a darker side street just in case she decides to look back and locate the sound.

My eyes follow Wren as she disappears into the darkness, and with a scowl I stare at the name on my screen.

Torin.

Remembering his most recent episode, I don’t hesitate to answer the call.

“Yeah?” I don’t mean to sound as fucking mean as I do, but I hate that I’ve lost sight of Wren at this hour of night.

“Mind if I stop by later? I need to talk to you about something.”

The conflict I feel is making my skin itch. Wren just disappeared in the shittiest part of town, but my brother might need me. I could kill two birds with one stone and follow her while I talk to him, but that would definitely alert her to my presence, and I’m not ready for her to know that I’m stalking her yet.

“What’s going on?” I ask, my eyes lifting towards the sky as a flash of lightning breaks through the dense cluster of clouds.

“Nothing that can’t wait until later, I just want to make sure you’re gonna be home if I swing by.” His voice sounds normal, which helps to alleviate some of the tension thrumming through me.

A few drops of rain had fallen earlier as we walked, cold taps against the skin—like warning shots from the sky. But now the sky has split open, unleashing a torrent of rain over the night-soaked city.

“Yeah. Stop by around one.” I pull my hood down tighter, shielding my face from the worst of the downpour.

“See you then.”

The line goes silent, and I tuck my phone away, already heading in Wren’s direction. I fucking hate walking in the rain, but at least it’ll mask my footsteps as I follow her through the quiet side streets she’s chosen tonight.