Chapter Seven
Seraphine
I woke to the wind howling against the cabin walls and a familiar ache in my shoulders. This wasn’t the first time I’d spent days couch-surfing at a friend’s place, but it was the first time I’d been shacked up with a man I’d put in prison. At least my other friends hadn’t handcuffed me to them.
The events of two days ago played on repeat in my mind. The secret room, the photos, Cyrus’s twisted face staring back at me from that stupid photo.
A chill had run through me at the look in his eyes. Just looking at that photo, you could tell there was something dark about him. His eyes were soulless.
And now, Valen and I were partners in crime.
Forty-eight hours ago, I was crushing sleeping pills into his drink and trying to escape.
Now we were working together to hunt down and kill his lunatic brother.
The brother who’d killed my friends and let me live just so I could destroy an innocent man’s life.
My life had officially turned into a Lifetime movie, except with more murder.
Six goddamn years.
Everything had been a lie. A false sense of security. Cyrus could have come back for me at any time. The thought sent a shiver down my spine.
And Valen…
I’d helped destroy his life. Pointed at him in that courtroom, let the cops and DA put words in my mouth because I was too scared to think straight. When they’d exonerated him six months ago, I’d known then he was innocent. It just hadn’t fully hit me. But it did now. He wasn’t the villain. I was.
How was I ever going to fix something like that? Send him a fruit basket with a “sorry I ruined your life, prison probably wasn’t as sweet as these strawberries” card?
The only thing I could do was help make sure his brother never hurt anyone else. And if I died in the process, then I’d say that was some type of karma.
I was seeing Valen in a different light now, one that took my self-loathing to new heights. The last two days, he’d seemed withdrawn. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected after accepting his proposal of an alliance. Certainly not making friendship bracelets and roasting marshmallows in the fire.
For the most part, he carved things with that knife of his that always sent a waiver of apprehension through me.
Yesterday he’d finished up what looked like chess pieces, and in between that, he’d gone to his shed more than once.
I wasn’t sure what was so interesting in there, but I hoped it wasn’t another woman he’d been holding captive.
I’d kept myself busy sketching and then decided to organize his kitchen cabinets. He hadn’t seemed too thrilled when I alphabetized the spice rack, even though I explained the practicality of it.
On the bright side, the snow had finally stopped falling. Not that it mattered. We were trapped in the cabin. And with over five feet of snow out there, something told me I should make myself comfortable.
I stretched, wincing at the pain in my shoulders. The couch in the living room was definitely not built for comfort, but it was better than lying next to the giant six-three beast in his luscious bed. I’d practically been riding him last time. Heat burned in my cheeks as I threw the blankets off.
It wasn’t intentional.
I’m not attracted to him.
The cabin was eerily quiet except for the non-stop wind outside. I changed into the extra shirt he’d laid out for me and slipped on my jeans. I needed to get to my car and get my spare clothes. The last thing I wanted was to keep wearing his.
I padded to the kitchen, desperate for coffee and some sort of feeling of normalcy. While the water heated, I pulled out eggs and bacon, humming as I prepped to make breakfast.
Yes, world, I am a domestic goddess. Cooking was apparently my new apology language. I wonder if Valen likes French toast?
I glanced out the window above the kitchen sink, the world white.
Then I saw it.
Some type of shadow moving beyond the tree line. It was large, too big to be an animal. My blood ran cold as I pressed my face closer, trying to make out the exact shape.
There. Again. A figure moving between the trees.
He’d found us.
No, that was ridiculous. It had to be the storm playing tricks on my eyes. I shook my head, annoyed that I’d gone straight to “serial killer in the woods” as an explanation.
But the trembling in my body refused to believe it. Especially when I saw it move again.
My heart hammered in my chest as I backed slowly away from the window. The cold reality of the situation washed over me.
I wasn’t prepared for this. My gun was gone, and without it, all I had was a cast-iron pan I could barely hold and a pair of kitchen scissors.
“Valen,” I hissed over my shoulder.
There was no response.
I’d heard the creaking of pipes about ten minutes ago, so I knew he was awake and probably in the shower. I rushed down the hall, pushing open the bathroom door without thinking. “Valen, there’s someone—”
The words died on my lips. Steam filled the tiny space, but I could clearly make him out through the shower door. Water ran down his muscular tattooed back, scars marking parts of his skin. He turned slightly, his hair wet and sticking to his forehead.
Stunning was the first word that popped into my head.
The next words were Get the fuck out of here before he turns around.
He turned the shower off while I stood there frozen like a deer in headlights. I had about two seconds before he turned and found me standing there like some perverted voyeur.
Run.
Run.
Run.
It was too late though. I knew it. The universe knew it.
Valen stepped out, steam rising around him like he was some type of dark angel that had fallen from heaven. He reached for his towel, and that was when our eyes met.
For a heartbeat, neither of us moved. He stood there like he’d been carved from marble by a perverted sculptor who knew exactly what they were doing.
My brain screamed at me to look away, to apologize, to do anything other than stand there with my mouth open as my gaze traveled down his body. He was covered in tattoos, his abs a thing of beauty. I couldn’t have stopped myself even if I wanted to as my eyes drifted lower.
Sweet mother of God, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
“Somnophilia, water sports, and now voyeurism? My, my, Seraphine. For someone who claimed to be a dead fish, you certainly have a healthy list of kinks.” His voice was dangerously low as he took me in.
I swallowed, my mouth dry as I clenched my fists at my sides. It took a second for his words to register, but even then, words refused to form.
He grabbed his towel and dried himself off, then wrapped the towel low around his hips.
I cleared my throat, my sanity coming back to me now that he was covered. “I think I saw someone outside,” I mumbled.
The playful smirk slipped from his face instantly, his gaze flying over my shoulder. “Where exactly?” Not a question, but a command.
“The kitchen window.” I exhaled sharply, my shoulders slumping. “I’m not sure what it was…”
“Show me.” He was all business as he stormed past me to the kitchen, and I scrambled right behind him. His towel had loosened slightly, and I tried my best not to watch his muscular back as he moved.
When I tried to look out the window from beside him, his arm shot out, blocking me. “Stay behind me,” he growled. My eyes widened at his tone, and I felt like a puppy that had just been scolded. But I did as he said and stood behind him.
He was silent for a few minutes, his back tense. My arm was warm from where he had gripped me. I counted the scars on his back, resisting the urge to trace each one of them.
“I don’t see anything.” He visibly relaxed, but still hadn’t let me go.
There was nothing out there now. No Cyrus. No Bigfoot. No downed tree branches. Just pure white snow.
“Oh,” was all I could say.
Oh? Really? You barged in on him naked just for “oh?”
He gripped my wrist, not in a painful way, but firm enough that I couldn’t pull away. “Get in the bedroom.”
His bossy tone sent a signal straight to places that had no damn business getting excited. My body warmed at the look in his eyes, and I barely protested when he dragged me down the hall and slammed the bedroom door shut behind us.
Was this the part where he handcuffed me again because I was losing my mind? The thought sent a feeling through me, but oddly enough, it wasn’t fear.
Focus, Seraphine. Possible serial killer outside.
He moved to his dresser and pulled out some clothes, and I tried not to look as he dropped his towel. But apparently my eyes had a mind of their own at this point.
A filthy little mind.
Stop staring at his ass like it’s the first time you’ve seen a man naked.
Well, technically it almost was, besides the videos I’d watched.
Valen pulled on his clothes then reached into the back of the dresser drawer and pulled out a large knife.
“Um, what are you doing?” I quirked my eyebrow as he towered over me. He pressed the handle of the knife into my palm and closed my fingers around it.
“I’m going outside. Anyone comes through that door who isn’t me, stab them.” He tapped over his heart. “Right here. Understand?”
The weight of the blade sent a chill through me, and I had to stop myself from dropping it. For obvious reasons, I had major trust issues when it came to knives.
“Can’t you just give me my gun?” I bit my bottom lip, my gaze going from the knife that was shaking in my hand back to his hard stare.
“It’s in the shed,” he muttered over his shoulder as he marched back to the living room.
He pulled on his boots and heavy jacket and then grabbed what looked like a fucking machete from underneath the couch.
“What if it’s him?” I took a step forward, not understanding the weight of the feelings racing through me. Fear. Uncertainty. Dread.
“Then I’ll handle it, little lamb.” His gaze traveled over my face to my shaking hand, a strange looking crossing over his face. “I’ll be right back.”