Page 27 of Unholy Vows

Malachai

M y gaze locked with Layla’s, and I ground my teeth together as rage unfurled inside me, low and deep. Her wide eyes searched mine, fearful and uncertain.

Something within me twisted and snarled. I was the only one allowed to incite fear in my Little Sinner.

“Show me where you found it, baby.”

Stepping into Layla’s apartment, I let the door click shut behind me.

Layla’s eyes filled with tears, and she nodded. Before she could turn away, I reached out and took her wrist, gently tugging her to me as I wrapped my arms around her.

“Shh, Layla. I’m here now. No one is going to hurt you.”

I didn’t like that someone had already gotten this close to her.

Layla sucked in a steadying breath and nodded her head.

“It’s this way.”

She turned and led me down the familiar hallway to her bedroom.

When I pushed open the door, fury hit me anew. The bastard had scattered rose petals across her bed, as if his transgression were some twisted romantic gesture.

The card burned between my fingers as my gaze swept the room. I could almost smell him — the lingering scent of intrusion thick in the air.

“Who could have done this, Malachai?” Layla whispered as if she were pleading with me to find an answer.

“I don’t know, Little Sinner,” I admitted. “But whoever they are, they’ve made a fatal fucking mistake.”

Layla moved closer to me, the heat of her body pressing into mine as if she was seeking my comfort, my protection. When she peered up at me, it was trust I saw shining in her eyes.

Even after everything she had seen, everything I had done, Layla trusted me.

And that lit something dangerous inside my chest.

“I’m moving in,” I announced.

Layla opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

“Don’t bother arguing, Little Sinner,” I murmured as I closed the space between us.

My hand darted toward her face, and my fingers gently brushed her hair aside as I tucked the loose strands behind her ear.

“It’s already done.”

“You’re a priest, Malachai. You can’t just move in with me. I’m pretty sure there are rules against that kind of thing.”

“I’ll take an immediate leave of absence.”

“You can do that?”

“I can do whatever I want, Layla. And besides, even if I couldn’t, you know I’m not above breaking the rules.”

Layla gave an involuntary shiver, but from the heat banking in her eyes, her thoughts hadn’t wandered to my more unsavory pastimes.

“Keep looking at me like that, and I’ll bend you over right now.”

Layla swallowed before clearing her throat, her cheeks flushed crimson, and her breathing caught as though she didn’t quite trust her voice.

But the moment passed. Her gaze dropped to the card in my hand, and reality came crashing down.

“How are we going to find him?” Layla asked.

My jaw clenched, and I stepped back, forcing my attention to the message again. Everything about the scene suggested this wasn’t some random psycho getting off on the threat.

The rose petals.

The poem.

The timing.

It was personal. Calculated even.

Someone, other than me , had been watching her. They wanted her isolated and afraid.

They wanted her away from me .

“From now on, you don’t go anywhere alone. Not to work. Not to the store. Not even that cafe you love so much. If I’m not with you, you aren’t going.”

“Malachai,” she sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “I can’t just lock myself up in my apartment. I have a life, responsibilities.”

“You will do as I say, Little Sinner, because I won’t give them a second shot at you.”

Layla studied me for a moment, and whatever she saw in my expression had her conceding.

“Okay,” she whispered.

I tossed the card on the bed and reached for her, but she raised a hand to stop me.

“But we have to set some ground rules. I can’t have you hovering over me when I’m at work.”

“You work at a cafe,” I snickered.

“I meet clients at the cafe, and they will get uncomfortable if you’re leaning over my shoulder while I review their manuscripts.”

I rolled my eyes, and Layla slapped my chest.

“I’m serious, Malachai. This is my livelihood. I can’t jeopardize it.”

“Fine. I’ll observe from a distance.”

“And no glaring at them.”

A smirk tugged up the corner of my mouth. She knew me well.

“Scout’s honor,” I promised.

Layla snorted. “Like you even know what that word means.”

Touché.

“So, what now?”

I walked over to the window and parted the curtain with two fingers. The street below was quiet, but that did little to soothe my unease.

Whoever left the note wasn’t done. It was only the beginning.

An invitation.

“We get ahead of them,” I said without turning around. “They left a message, which means they wanted us to see it.”

I turned back to her, my expression hardening.

“In my experience, that usually suggests they want you to find them. They’ll be careless. Somewhere out there, they’ve given us a breadcrumb to follow. I’ll do some digging. I’m surprisingly good at tracking people,” I said, giving her a wink.

It was Layla’s turn to roll her eyes.

“Don’t I know it.”

Layla crossed her arms over her chest, and she gave me a weak smile as she tried to lighten the mood, but I could see the trepidation behind her eyes.

It clawed at something feral inside me.

I slowly moved towards her, watching for any sign that she would push me away again.

She didn’t move.

I cupped her cheeks in my palms and brushed my thumb along the curve of her jaw.

“I don’t care how long it takes, Layla, I’m going to find them.”

Layla rose on her tiptoes and gently pressed her lips to mine.

“I believe you.”

Her declaration tipped me over the edge. I slammed my mouth against hers and thrust my tongue past her lips. The kiss was wild and animalistic, fueled by a desperation we both felt to our bones.

When we finally broke apart, only the sound of our ragged breathing could be heard throughout the apartment. I rested my forehead against hers, my gaze penetrating hers as though I could find all the answers if I only looked deep enough.

“You belong to the darkness, Little Sinner, and the darkness belongs to me.”

Before she could respond, a loud ringing sound erupted between us. Layla jumped back, her hand flying to the base of her throat as if to steady the frantic pulse pounding beneath her skin.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and glanced down at it. The name Reece flashed across the screen, and my hands curled into fists.

Layla groaned and rubbed her forehead in a soothing gesture.

“What is it?”

“Reece,” she sighed.

“Should I kill him?”

Layla burst out laughing, but immediately swallowed the sound when she realized I wasn’t joking.

“Oh my God, Malachai! No, you should not kill him. He’s one of my clients.”

“He’s taking your attention away from me.”

Layla openly gaped at me. The ringing died off, but not a second later, it started up again.

“I should take this,” she said, sounding resigned.

As she headed back into the lounge room, I swatted her ass with my palm.

Layla yelped, and I grinned.

“Let me know if you change your mind,” I called to her retreating form.

I wasn’t kidding. I’d do it.

With Layla otherwise occupied, it was time for me to start hunting a dead man. I cracked my knuckles one by one.

This was going to be fun.