Chapter 15
Fifteen
FLYNN
I can’t believe I’ve agreed to this.
Actually. No. That’s a lie. I can absolutely believe it. I agree to anything Talulla wants, even when it goes against every survival instinct I’ve developed over a few centuries of not dying.But she’s right. She needs to keep being the weapon her father created.
The thought sits wrong in my chest—if I still had a chest that did that whole beating thing—but it also makes me feel better. Knowing she can take care of herself.
It makes me also feel better knowing that she can stake me if the time calls for it. She always needs to be ready to take me out of the picture if it means keeping her alive and safe.
Which, honestly, shouldn’t even be on my list of worries right now, considering how close she looks to murdering the owner of this gym.
The man—mid-forties, buzz cut, clipboard clutched like a shield—is very strict on rules. And apparently, very invested in safety training.
“We don’t need training,” Talulla insists. Her fists clench so hard her knuckles turn white, and I know I should intervene. Say something calming. Be responsible.
But fuck.
She’s so hot when she’s mad.
“Ma’am, I understand,” the man says, already sweating, “but these are gym rules. First timers must go through orientation and training.”
“That will take away so much time for something we do not need.”
“Ma’am—”
“And don’t call me ma’am,” she snaps. “What the fuck. I’m twenty-five.”
I bite my tongue to stop myself from laughing.
“Darling,” I jump in smoothly, “we can do the training.”
Oh.
Oh, that was a mistake.
The look she gives me could drop a body. “Or not,” I add quickly, the corner of my lips lifting. I like living. Mostly.
“Flynn,” she says through clenched teeth. “I swear to every fucking god, if you don’t talk him out of it, I will—and then you’ll have to bail me out of jail.”
I tilt my head, fully enjoying the tiny tantrum she’s throwing. She hates rules. Hates being told what to do. Hates wasting time on people who don’t matter.
She’s glorious.
“Don’t look so amused,” she adds. “Do your thing. Come on.”
“I could compel the man,” I say casually, “but bloody hell, you’re so ethereal when you’re mad.”
“I won’t be so ethereal when I stake you for good, fangs.”
The gym owner’s eyes widen.
I laugh. Loudly. “Fine,” I say. “Whatever you want.”
“Sir, it won’t take long—”
“Mr.,” I say, glancing at his name tag. “Ben. Benjamin.”
He stiffens.
“We’re professionals here,” I continue, meeting his gaze. His pupils dilate as soon as they lock onto mine. “Talulla right here is a black belt in—well—basically any martial art you can think of. And I’m…well. Dead. But you don’t need to remember that.”
“Flynn,” Talulla mutters, “just get to the point.”
“You’re going to let us walk in,” I say calmly, “you’re going to show us where we can put our stuff, and then you’re going to let us work out as we please. You’re going to be happy about it. And most importantly—you’re not going to bug us. Understood?”
“Yes,” he says immediately. “Mr. Lancaster, please follow me. I’m so ecstatic to have you and Miss Popescu with us.”
“Okay, too formal,” Talulla says, grabbing her gym bag. “We’re Talulla and Flynn.”
“Of course.” He nods eagerly. “Talulla and Flynn. Pleasure to meet you.”
As he shows us around, I glance at my little hunter. Her sparkle is coming back.
Good.
“Pleasure is ours,” she replies, her hand finding mine as we follow Ben toward the locker rooms.
The feeling hits me instantly. It always does. Her skin against mine—electric, grounding, devastating. It never gets old. It makes me feel…alive.
Which is absurd. I’m dead. Yet, here I am staring at my mate.
The word still feels strange, foreign—and yet every time I think of it, it settles deeper into me.
The reason I still exist.
Talulla.
In my entire existence, I had no idea something this powerful—something usually reserved for werewolves—could happen to me. I shouldn’t feel anything. And yet every time I look at her, I wish I were alive.
I feel alive. Even without a heartbeat. And I don’t think I’ll ever stop thanking whatever god or cosmic joke decided to gift me something this pure.
“Are you done drooling over there?” she asks.
I blink. She’s changed into biker shorts and a sports bra that looks straight out of a fitness magazine.
Jesus Christ.
“I thought you said I could kick your butt.”
“Please,” I say, dropping my bag at the base of the ring, “don’t hold back.”
There are seven people training. Two at the punching bags. One on a treadmill. Two doing push-ups. All men.
And the last two—who were arguing about some televised fight—are now watching us.
Fantastic.
Talulla climbs into the ring, cracking her neck, stretching her arms and legs like she’s about to end someone’s bloodline.
And I can simply follow.
“Do you know anything about mixed martial arts?” she questions, and I raise an eyebrow at her.
“You’re asking me if I can keep up with you? ’Cause I’m pretty sure you know I can.” Or at least I thought I could cause apparently I’m on the mat with Talulla pinning me down.
Apparently not.
“Fuck,” I breathe. “This is nice.”
She giggles, proud. Dangerous.
“You gotta try and keep up, Flynn,” she says. “Or I might have to ask another man to take your place.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” I mutter, narrowing my eyes at her.
“Hey you—” she yells at the guy on the treadmill. But she has no time to say anything else because my hand covers her mouth and I flip us over.
“You get to play only with me, red ruby,” I murmur. “I thought I was very clear about that.”
She pulls my hand away. “Actually, you were very ready to see me commit murder.”
“You’re such a brat.”
“Maybe you should do something about it, then.”
“I need time to pass faster so I can do plenty of things.”
“Hey, don’t look at me—you wanted to punish me.”
“Actually,” I say, tightening my hold, “you asked to be punished because you did something terribly idiotic and risked your life when you could’ve just asked me for help.”
“Yeah, well,” she says, flipping us again, “you were being secretive.”
We’re basically tackling each other around the ring, and fuck, this is fun.
“Yes,” I snap, laughing despite myself. “Because as you found out two hours later, I was trying to surprise you with the perfect house.”
“A house that I told you I love, but you can’t just expect a woman to be like ‘cool, sure, go to a meeting that I can’t know what it’s about, I’ll be here waiting’ come on, Flynn, I’m pretty sure you know me.”
“I do know you,” I say. “And I know you’re sabotaging yourself because you think you don’t deserve to be happy.”
This gets her to stop whatever move she was going to do on me. She’s frozen on top of me before she mutters, “What are you talking about?” Her eyes sharpen. “You’re the one who thinks he’s not worthy of being alive.”
“Because I’m not.” My jaw clenches. Her blood hums beneath my skin. It usually calms me. Not right now. Right now, I just wanna shake her and have my point down. So I tackle her just like she’s been doing with me, and I get her completely immobilized under me.
Her eyes narrow on mine. “You’re unbelievable.”
“And you’re pinned to the mat,” I say, my tongue swiping across my lips. The thirst growing as the seconds pass by. “Thought you were going to kick my ass, red ruby.”
“Well this is weirdly entertaining,” one of the men around us says. “I feel we should bet on who’ll tackle last.”
“Enjoy the show, boys, ’cause this is exactly how a woman can handle you,” she says, before kicking my shin and then elbowing me on the nose.
And fuck that hurts, but holy shit I’m also insanely turned on.
And suddenly I’m on my back again.
Talulla on top of me. Talulla straddles me. One hand pins my wrists. Her forearm presses against my neck.
“Having fun, fangs?”
“Best time of my life.” I grin. “Gods, you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Flattery will bring you nowhere.”
“You’re frustrated.”
“I’m—” She exhales. “I don’t know what I am.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I say softly. “You know that, right?”
“Deep down,” she whispers, “I know.”
“Where’s this doubt coming from?” I ask. “Do you miss your parents? Because I’m ready to deal with Emil if—”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I don’t miss my father. I just…it’s the first time I can do whatever I want. And it feels like someone’s going to take it away.”
My eyes soften at her words. “No one is taking anything away from you. You got a prestigious job in a big city, you have a house, you have me, nothing is going to happen.”
“But that’s the thing,” she says quietly.
“I don’t think I’m following.”
“I have too many things. And you.” Her voice breaks. “I can’t lose you.”
“And you won’t, Tal, I’m right here.” I wrap my arms around her, not even worrying about the people in this gym. “And if I have to remind you every day of my existence, I will.”
“God, I’m such a girl.”
“I happen to like you the way you are.”
“That’s not what I mean. I don’t whine about stuff like this, I don’t complain or act crazy.”
“Well, you also can’t control how you cope with your own trauma,” I say gently. “Which by the way, you need to work on.”
“Says the one that wanted to kill himself until a couple of months ago.”
“Almost a year ago, and you’re making it sound worse than what it is.”
“You’re not serious, right?”
“I’m just gonna say that I’m not so that we can go grab some food and move on with the day, cause well, you’re hungry.”
“I hate how you just know what I need all the time.”
“No you don’t,” I say, smiling.
“Okay well, I do need food after that continuous tackle we just had. Wanna do the same tomorrow?”
“Whatever you want, red ruby.”
She groans. “I still don’t understand your need for horrible nicknames.”
“You love it, and you know I know you love it.”
“Stop it.”
I grab her bag, laughing—until she stops me. “What is it?” I turn, and I see her focused on a board full of flyers.
“This,” she says, pointing at a very colorful one.
I take a look and—fuck no. “Tal.”
“Oh come on, it’s a party!”
“It’s a costume party,” I precise. Because she knows very well I don’t do that shit.
“We gotta go, please.”
She’s batting her eyelashes. This freaking woman is doing the puppy eyes and literally shoving her incredibly beautiful tits right up my face.
“Yeah, dude, I think she won that battle,” a guy says walking past us. Yeah, no kidding. Unfair. So very unfair.
I press the tip of my tongue on my fangs and make myself bleed so that I stop the urge to rip her clothes off and fucking her right here in front of everyone.
“Talulla, it’s a costume party,” I repeat, because maybe she actually didn’t read the paper properly.
And I groan to myself because of course she read it right, that’s why she pointed it out in the first place.
“Yes.” She beams. “It’s Halloween time, of course it’s a costume party.”
“I don’t wear costumes.”
“You do if the love of your life asks you to because well, you love her very much.”
I groan, but I can’t help it. I can’t stand a chance when she wants something and she wants me to give it to her, it’s stronger than any other urge.
If she needs me and asks me to give her something, I just can’t say no…
even when I pretend to be the dominant in bed, I know very well she owns me and everything I am.
I belong to her, beneath her, above her, anywhere she wants me, that’s where I’ll be. “You really want to go.”
“Yes, it would be fun!”
The corner of my lips lift up again. “I did say I’d do whatever you wanted.”
“You did.”
“Then pick a costume, little hunter,” I say, grazing my fangs on her neck. “I guess you’re taking me to a Halloween party.”