50. Chapter 50 #2
“Like you become a different person. A Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation.”
Alex laughs. “No. Not like that.”
“Then explain it.”
His smile fades. “When that mask goes on, I become a man willing to step into dark places. Someone who prepares himself to cause pain to people who hurt good people.”
I hold his gaze. “Then I think we’re safe.”
Alex frowns.
“Let’s test the theory.”
“Lina...” he begs.
I step closer.
“Let me be the judge of whether I’m actually afraid.”
For a considerable moment, he stares at me. Then he exhales in defeat. “Alright,” he says, his eyes meeting mine.
A small smile tugs at my lips.
“Just know,” he says quietly, “I would never hurt you. Ever.”
My chest tightens. “I know.”
I take another step toward him. “That’s why I’m not afraid now.”
His expression softens.
“I just want you to know that too.” I reassure him.
He says nothing.
“I want you to see that when it comes to me...” I reach for his hand. “You can still be Alex, even under a mask.”
It’s been about ten minutes since Alex disappeared into the other room with his gear.
I’m lying on the bed with my knees bent, staring at the ceiling, trying—and failing—to convince myself that what I asked for was a perfectly reasonable request. Because it wasn’t. Not even close.
Is this really a good idea? Am I completely fucked in the head for willingly engaging with my stalker?
Although...is it technically stalking if he was watching me to keep me alive?
See? That’s the problem. The fact that I can even make that argument should concern me. Trying to justify this entire situation feels like a mental gymnastics event.
And all I keep thinking about is what I should tell Val. What will my best friend think of all of this?
Oh, by the way, remember Alex? Turns out he was secretly watching me for weeks before we met. Then we had sex. Then he informed me that I’m actually part of an ongoing job. Also, he’s a vigilante who prowls around the city at night wearing body armor and a mask.
Totally normal relationship stuff.
I groan, covering my face with my palms. I’m a complete nut case.
Before I can spiral any further, the bedroom door swings open.
My hands drop and I sit up on my elbows. Every coherent thought abandons me.
I’m gawking at this man. I’ve always known how big he is, how broad his shoulders are, how easily he makes everyone around him feel smaller. But this version of him is far larger—more imposing. Like he takes up the entire doorway.
For a beat, neither of us utter a sound.
He stands there with his arms crossed, dressed entirely in black. The matte mask conceals every feature I know by heart. The hood casts shadows across his shoulders. Small dark lenses stare back at me, revealing nothing.
A shiver races down my spine.
God. I wasn’t expecting this.
I rise from the bed and stand. I then take a step towards him.
“Alex…that is you in there, right?”
“No love.”
The modulator transforms him into someone else entirely. The words are still gentle, but the voice...the voice belongs to The Wraith.
I take another step until we’re almost touching.
“Yes,” I whisper.
His helmet tilts ever so slightly.
“Yes, it is.” I counter.
I lift my hand, letting my fingertips trail along the cool black surface of the mask where his cheek would be beneath it.
“Under all of this...” I murmur, my thumb brushing his jawline. “You’re still my Alex.”
The room falls silent. He doesn’t answer. He doesn’t have to.
I can almost feel the conflict beneath the armor, the man wrestling with the monster he believes he’s become.
“The mask changes your voice,” I continue softly. “It changes how the world sees you.”
I slide my hand down to his chest.
“But it doesn’t change your heart.”
I smile to myself. “It doesn’t fool me.”
Not anymore.
“I know who’s underneath. You may be The Wraith to others. To me…you’re my Alex.”
He reaches for me, gloved fingers brushing gently along my cheek.
The contrast shouldn’t make sense. The intimidating mask. The impossibly gentle touch. Yet somehow they belong to the same man.
I’m not afraid. I know it’s Alex beneath the armor. The man who makes me coffee. The man who holds me together when everything falls apart. And yet, knowing who he is only makes this version of him more tempting.
For years, I’ve read stories about mysterious men hiding behind masks. Men with secrets. Men who lived double lives. Men who stepped out of the darkness and made your heart race for reasons that were separate from fear.
I’d always understood the appeal from a safe distance. A fictional distance. The distance between a reader and the pages of a book. Now one of those fantasies is right here. Real. Breathing. Watching me.
It’s absolutely ridiculous. At least it should be. Instead, it awakens some dark curiosity I’ve carried around for years. A curiosity I never expected to indulge or expected anyone to bring to life.
His head tilts again. “Lina.”
The distorted voice wraps around my name.
I bite my lip in response.
The mask should be unsettling. It isn’t. If anything, it’s making things interesting.
I take another step closer.
His attention never leaves me. Waiting and watching.
“You should be frightened.” he says.
“I’m not.” I reply.
“No?”
The Wraith, my Alex, takes a slow step towards me and my pulse betrays me.
“No.”
His hands settle on his hips.
“Most people are,” he says, tilting his head.
“Most people don’t know who’s underneath the mask.”
An unspoken quiet exists between us.
My hand rests against the center of his chest. The armored material rough beneath my palm.
“You know what I keep wondering?”
“What love?”
I glance up at the dark mask.
“How many times were you there?”
The silence tells me he already knows what I’m asking.
“Lina.”
“The drive home.” My heartbeat quickens.
“The nights I believed I was alone.” A gentle smile flits across my mouth.
“You watched over me.”
He says nothing. Which feels like an answer all by itself.
“I should find it concerning.”
My fingers curl slightly against the armor.
“Instead, I find it strangely comforting.”
The silence that follows feels heavy. Charged.
“You are going to be the death of me,” he says.