Kai

KAI

"Hi there, this is Rebecca Steiner with your six o'clock news," the news anchor said in a perky voice that clashed horribly with the picture of Damon beside her head. "An update on the story of a local lawyer's brutal murder last week. Authorities still haven't released information, though an insider tells us they haven't made much headway in discovering who might have killed Damon Price. Lifelong friends, Callum [Last Name] and [Second Guy] have both expressed their outrage."

The camera cut to Callum, whose boyish face looked far more serious than I'd seen in other interviews. "We know his line of work often meant he had to step on people's toes, but we can't imagine what would push someone to do something like this. It's our sincere hope the Port Dale police department is able to find the person responsible for this crime and allow us to have a measure of peace when his killer is brought to justice."

"Do you know who could have done this?" a reporter off-screen asked, pushing a small mic toward him.

"We've shared everything relevant with the police, but I can't imagine who would want to do something like this. Damon was a good man, and while he might have been good at his job, he didn't deserve this," Callum said, and the poster boy for smiling and waving was gone. Even I believed the grief behind his angry expression. "And we ask that everyone respect the families in these trying times while we mourn our friend."

"Let's hope that justice is served," the reporter said before it cut back to the station, where the anchor smiled and moved on to the next topic.

"Right," I snorted, ending the feed and setting my phone down. "Because anyone's going to buy that a corporate lawyer isn't a giant scumbag."

Clem purred in my lap as if agreeing with me. I didn't know for sure if Hunter had been keeping up with the news, but I wouldn't be surprised. I knew he'd been busy doing more research, but so far, he'd come up with no plans. And I hoped that whatever he drummed up next didn't involve putting him in harm's way again.

Honestly, it was tricky to know what was going on in his head lately. He had been quiet since we'd left Damon's house, having cleaned up what little evidence there was, including footprints in the shrubs. Not that I blamed him for that. Even if he wasn't haunted by what he'd done, taking a life so willfully was still bound to weigh on his mind. At times, you wouldn't even know he'd done something like that, but there were other times he was a million miles away mentally.

He had yet to talk to me about what happened, and I was leaving it up to him to broach the subject. I figured he would eventually want to talk about what he'd done and how it went down, but it had been over a week, and I was wondering if he would ever bring it up. It wasn't like he could casually talk about it with anyone else—at least, I hoped that was the case.

It was definitely on my mind, not just because things hadn't gone according to plan. That alone was concerning because they'd gone wrong when Hunter's emotions had gotten the better of him. If he hadn't managed to get the jump on Damon, the entire situation could have gone differently. I'd tried to make that point to Hunter, but he brushed me off, saying things had worked out.

I had to give him credit, though. The attack had been clean, or as clean as a bloody murder could be. Damon had probably only had a moment to realize what was going to happen before the blade had been driven into his head. If it were anyone else but him, I might have felt bad for how he died. From what Hunter had told me, the guy had some sort of brain damage from the first blow. Though not enough that he didn't recognize who Hunter was.

And wasn't that an interesting little tidbit? I knew it was about revenge, but Hunter had gone out of his way to make sure Damon knew who he was before he'd finished the job. It was a reminder that the Hunter I'd known my whole life was gone, replaced by a Hunter who was still a sweetheart, cared for those closest to him, believed in justice, and tried to brighten other people's days even when he was feeling down.

But there was another him, and that other version would never go away. There was always going to be that part of him that had discovered how sharp its teeth and claws were. Perhaps when all this was over, he would be able to send that part to sleep deep inside again. Or perhaps it might stick around for the rest of his life, always behind his smile.

"You'd probably read me the riot act if you could," I told the picture of Lucas and sighed. "But you know how he is when his mind is set on something. The combined forces of heaven and hell can't change his mind."

That wasn't entirely fair, and I could picture Lucas pointing that out. He'd always been a pretty fair-minded guy, but he'd pin someone to the wall if they tried to get away from responsibility. He and I knew I could have probably talked Hunter out of the whole thing. That was easier said than done, and it probably would have led to a meltdown on his part.

"Tell the truth," I told myself with a sigh. "You want these bastards dead and buried, just like he does."

Except in my case, I wanted them dead, but without putting Hunter through the ordeal of doing it himself. Of course, I hadn't said that to him because he seemed intent on doing it himself, which I couldn't blame him for. Yet any chance of keeping his hands clean was long gone. He had killed Damon without hesitation, and to his credit, he had done a pretty neat job.

"If we end up in the same place," I told the picture. "Feel free to give me hell, alright? I know this probably wasn't the smartest decision, but maybe it's the only way for him to find peace after everything that happened to you two. Or maybe I'm just making excuses to make myself feel better about it."

Excusing myself for my actions wasn't something I liked to do, but it was hard not to feel like shit about the whole situation. I should have stepped up at some point to try to be the one who did the killing. It might have counted as ‘stealing' in Hunter's eyes, but I was uncomfortable with him being a killer. A fully justified one, but a killer all the same.

The sound of the apartment door ended my conversation with a dead man. I didn't hear the locks, which had started when we returned from Damon's. There were changes in him that were signs of something going on internally. He clearly felt more secure here, so maybe having one part of his revenge in hand wasn't bad.

"Hey," I called as I heard him passing the door.

"Hey," he said, and when I glanced over, I saw him smiling. "Loafing around?"

"No, that's this one," I said, pointing to Clem. "But yes, I'm being lazy. I realized there wasn't much to do after getting chased out of the café."

He laughed. "You were attracting too much attention."

"I was sitting there."

"Looking incredibly good. I'm pretty sure those girls were sizing you up like a slab of beef at a meat market."

"You severely overestimate how I look."

"Or maybe I can see what you can't, ever consider that?"

"Nope."

"I'm half hard looking at you right now, so you can consider that."

I couldn't twist around to see properly with Clem on my lap, but I certainly made a good effort. "Seriously?"

"I'm exaggerating slightly, though your interest in my possible boner has its attention," he said with a laugh, crossing his arms.

"Tease," I grumbled, turning back to open my phone. While I had been spending my nights in his bed, that bed had been absent of anything sexual. Again, I wasn't going to push or insist, but it would have been nice to know what was holding him back, if only so I could help somehow. "What do you want to do about dinner?"

"Would you believe I'm not all that hungry?"

"Probably because you nibble on snacks all day."

"Probably," he chuckled, and I could hear rustling as he messed with something. "Would you still want me if I got fat?"

I shook my head. "With anyone else, I'd think you were trying to trap me. But yes, I would still want you even if you got fat. Though, if I'm honest, I might stick you on a treadmill and dangle one of those pastries in front of your face."

"I love that your response isn't just that you'd want me, but you'd force me to exercise."

"Getting fat is bad for your health."

"You're so sweet."

"I have my moments."

"So, I've been thinking," he said, standing behind the couch, leaning over. "All week."

"Have you now?" I asked, keeping my voice neutral but wondering if we were about to move on to the next step. Hopefully, the next one would involve me doing more than sitting in some random ass café wondering if he was safe.

"Well, I'm pretty sure you've noticed the lack of, um, well, sex."

"I have noticed but didn't want to bring it up. I figured you'd talk about it when you were ready."

"True, though you are allowed to have your own opinions...and bring it up. I keep saying you don't?—"

"Have to treat you like you're made of glass," I finished. "But I'm not going to push when it comes to that subject, you know that."

"Yeah, yeah, stubborn as ever," he said, leaning forward so his arms dangled over my shoulders. "So, I should start by saying that I appreciate you being so understanding and letting me sort things out."

"You sound so begrudging when you say that."

"Because I am."

I grinned. "Poor thing."

"What I was getting to," he said, leaning forward to look at me. Wanting to be difficult, I continued staring at my phone, though my smirk gave away my intentions, "was that I was sorting through a lot in my head. And as messed up as this probably is, I realized I was more than just feeling good about killing the bastard."

"It's not messed up," I said and then sighed. "Well, maybe a little, for a normal person. But everything you've been through has made you about as abnormal as it gets. So if you're messed up, so am I for not thinking it's messed up."

"Fair enough," he chuckled. "But it also made me realize there was more to it than just getting revenge. I've been feeling...I don't know, more myself. Freer."

"I noticed you haven't been locking the door as much," I said, scrolling through Reddit but not reading anything. "You also left the taser here when you went shopping yesterday. Hell, you used to carry your phone everywhere just in case, but you left that here when you went to go check the mail this morning."

"Sometimes I forget how observant you can be."

"Mmm, it keeps you alive."

"Though maybe not completely observant."

"What'd I miss?"

"The fact that the whole time we've been talking, I've been completely naked."

I paused, lowering the phone to the couch, and turned around, no longer concerned about disturbing Clem. Hunter stood there, looking smug as he crossed his arms and stared back at me. I looked down to find he didn't have a stitch of clothing on. As I watched, my eyes wide in appreciation, his dick began to stir, slowly getting thicker and harder.

"You have my complete attention," I told him, not caring that I was probably a step away from drooling.

"You see," he continued, and the little shit even reached down to wrap his hand around himself and start slowly stroking, "I realized I feel freer, less...wrapped up in the past. It's still awful and always will be, but I've taken back some power. I realized I wanted more of my power back, and not just because we were going to get the other two...but I don't want them to be able to keep any more of me than they already have."

"I'm hearing you but not understanding where this is going. But that might be because I'm a little distracted," I said, forcing myself to look up into his smirking face. "Which was probably the plan all along."

"I want you...to fuck me."

Well, now he had my undivided attention, and I blinked. "Wait, what?"

He smiled gently. "The only reason we didn't do it before was because I was scared. Well, I'm done being scared."

"I'm not sure that's how it works," I told him gently. "You might still?—"

"Freak out?"

"Yeah."

"I probably will, but goddammit, I'm tired of losing out on something as great as being able to sleep with the man I love because of them. This all started because I was done letting them rule my life. Well, that includes being fucked by my boyfriend."

It was hard to argue with logic, though admittedly, the blood necessary for thinking wasn't exactly flowing to the right head. "I have this nagging suspicion you decided to have this conversation like this because it would be harder for me to argue with you."

"Guilty as charged," he said with a grin. "Now, are you going to get off that couch and come into the bedroom, or are you just going to sit there, drooling?"

"Devious," I said with a grin, scooping up an indignant Clem and setting him onto his favorite pillow to assuage his indignation. It wouldn't make him happy, and I'm sure he'd find a way to show his displeasure later, but that could wait. "Sorry, dude, but there's a naked man who wants my attention, and he just called me his boyfriend, so that means I have obligations."

"Obligations make it sound incredibly not sexy," Hunter complained.

"You've got the sexy part nailed," I said as I rounded the couch, grabbing him by the arm and pushing him against the wall. My hands slipped to the curve of his ass and grabbed it, testing to see if he really was up to the challenge of pushing past this final hurdle. If he was feeling any anxiety, he didn't show it as I held him against me, squeezing his amazing ass and kissing him.

"I'd like to retract my previous complaint," he said against my lips. "You can make obligations sexy...clearly."

"Fuck," I groaned as I felt him grow hard against my leg. "To think this is what I'd been missing out on all those years."

"Well," he said softly as I began to kiss down his neck and nibble on his collarbone. "We have time to make up for what we missed."

His naked body enraptured me, and I didn't try to hide it. There was so little body hair on him. What little there was glistened in the sunlight creeping through the windows. I ran my fingers through the fine hair on his stomach, leaving a trail of kisses. I gripped his hips and made sure he stayed against the wall. Leaning back, I turned my head so I could catch the head of his cock with my lips and suck him into my throat with one swift motion.

"Mmph," he grunted in surprise, his fingers gripping the hair on my head, and groaned as I sucked him deep. I could feel his legs already shaking as he instinctively pushed forward, trying to bury himself as deeply as possible. "Was...trying to make it to the bed first."

I didn't care about his intentions at that moment as I bobbed back and forth, swiping the sensitive head with my tongue as I nursed. And despite his protest, he didn't try to push me away. On the contrary, he kept pushing into my mouth, clearly enjoying the squeeze of throat muscles around his dick. I could taste him on my tongue as his excitement made him leak, and I relished the sounds rolling out of his lips as I sucked him with unbridled enthusiasm.

"Fuck," he breathed, nails digging into my scalp as he thrust back into my mouth. "How are you this good at this?"

I pulled off long enough to wet a finger. It was one more test and a bit of fun. I could feel his tension, but my finger slid into him without much resistance, and he once again thrust, this time back onto my finger. His cock jumped in my mouth, and he groaned harshly when I curled my finger inside him, finding the nerves that made his legs shake harder.

"I swear if you ruin this by making me come," he groaned but made no attempt to stop me beyond that one complaint, which was fine because I had no intention of getting him off. All I wanted was to test how far he could go while also having fun. "I'm...going to forgive you, but I'm going to be really grumpy about it at first!"

With how riled up he already was, an orgasm might actually help, and getting him super excited might help whatever nerves he was doing his best to conceal. He had barely tensed when I slid a finger into him, so that was a good sign, and that alone was enough to build my excitement even more quickly than before.

With a grunt, I reluctantly pulled away, knowing if we kept going, I'd get carried away, and he'd end up getting off. I yanked off my shirt, tossed it onto the floor where he'd discarded his clothes, and began walking, taking him with me toward the bedroom. Unsurprisingly, he practically skipped and followed close behind. However, he made sure to push me against the wall at one point so he could kiss me and undo the string to the comfortable pants I'd put on earlier.

By the time we finally made it into the bedroom, I was kicking off the pants and dragging him onto the bed with me. His eyes were bright with excitement as he followed, scrambling to perch above me. I groaned heavily when his cock pushed against mine, pinned between our bodies as his lips met mine.

"Hold on a second," he muttered against my mouth, rolling over to open the drawer and dragging out the toys we'd used and the lube. My brow shot up when he quickly lubed the smaller one up and made me watch as he slid it into him, only to crawl back over so he could kiss me hard enough I couldn't breathe.

"Tease," I repeated, reaching down to grab the flared base of the dildo to slowly fuck him with the toy. He nipped at my bottom lip, releasing a soft gasp as I worked the toy deeper. I knew his impatience would get the better of him, and after a few minutes, he wriggled away to lie on his back and fill himself with the bigger one. "Trying to get as close to the real thing...before the real thing?"

"I want you to slide into me as smoothly as possible," he said, then his smile faltered slightly. "I don't want to associate pain or discomfort with your dick."

It was the first time he'd shown any sign of fear and I nodded to show I understood. "I'm in no rush. Take your time."

"Hell no," he said, mood immediately returning to sass and excitement that made me laugh.

"Well," I said slowly, hoping I didn't upset him. "You should probably be on top, just so?—"

"I have control," he finished, and I nodded. "Probably not a bad idea. I'm still slightly nervous, even though I really want it."

It was surreal having this conversation with him while he seated the dildo in his ass and began to move it. It felt like a conversation we should have next to one another while lying down or perhaps before entering the room.

Shaking my head at the absurdity, I slid up to take him into my mouth again, gripping the base of the dildo. His cock twitched when I pulled the toy almost out of him, only to slide it to the base. He groaned, and I felt his grip around the toy loosen as I moved it in and out, making sure to get as deep as possible. Even with the toy, getting all of me into him would be a snug fit, and the looser he was, the better.

"God, get on your back," he groaned, and I could feel the anticipation coming off him in palpable waves.

"Bossy, bossy," I said affectionately, pulling off his cock but leaving the toy inside him so I could lay on my back. Not that I was going to complain, but I dearly wanted this and knew it was an important next step for him. If this was his way of getting some of the power back in his life, then I was all for it...and I was certainly going to reap some benefits as well.

He snatched the lube from the bed and straddled my waist. His eyes were still glittering with excitement, but as he pulled the toy out after lubing me up heavily, I thought I saw a bit of hesitation. I wanted to tell him to take it slow, that there was no rush, and that he just had to say if we needed to stop. Instead, I trusted he would do right by himself and kept my mouth shut as he got into position, gripping the base of my cock to steady it.

Time seemed to slow when I felt the head of my dick touch his body, and then practically freeze when, with a push, I felt the tight heat of his body close around me. Hunter remained still as he stared at me with wide eyes. There was nothing but surprise in his expression as he stayed there, keeping me in a special kind of torture as I was forced to endure the barest pleasure of his body, but only that tiny part.

"You okay?" I had to ask, worried as the seconds ticked by and he didn't move.

"I'm kind of freaking out and amazed that I'm not freaking out more," he said after a moment, then laughed nervously. "Sorry."

"You being comfortable is more important to me," I told him, squeezing his thigh affectionately. "Everything else on my end can wait."

"Not in my book," he said with a laugh, pushing himself down further.

"Careful," I hissed, knowing he wasn't loose enough for that and feeling my body suddenly tense with the unexpected added pressure around my already sensitive shaft. "Or I'm going to lose it before we even begin."

It was apparently a good cover for my other worry because he let out a little laugh. "Sorry, I'm trying to take it easy on both of us, but I'm also trying to get the worst of it over with...and that came out wrong."

"You're okay," I told him with a smile. "Just get comfortable and take your time. We've got all night."

I gave his hips another squeeze, which calmed him down slightly as he forced himself to take a deep breath. There were still tremors in his leg muscles, but I couldn't tell if that was from excitement or discomfort or if his nerves were getting the better of him. What mattered was that he managed to get through it without losing his peace.

"I'm sure you remember how to do this," I said, hoping that was comforting as he eased himself back another inch.

He snorted. "Yeah, but it's been a long while since it was someone as big as you. Plus, you know...trying not to freak out."

I reached up to take hold of him, hoping to add some stimulation that would separate this from his attack. I felt him loosen up as he slid down another inch and let out a sigh that could have been pleasure or maybe relief as his body eased its death grip. At least, he seemed to be taking my advice and taking his time. It was torturous for my poor, aching cock, but that was far better than him pushing himself too hard mentally and physically.

"Phew," he let out a sigh of relief when his ass finally pressed against my thighs, and I could feel myself lodged in him to the root. I focused on his face and his state of mind because I was still worried and because it kept me from losing it on the spot. One of my oldest sexual fantasies was happening in live action, and that knowledge was as intensely pleasurable as the act itself. "Going with the toys first was the right call."

"Any pain?" I asked him, figuring that, more than anything, would have been a major trigger.

"No, just that," he held up a hand, pinching his fingers together repeatedly, "stretchy feeling, you know?"

"I know."

"I don't know why, but it just occurred to me that I never asked if you'd bottomed before or if you liked it."

"I have, and I...can enjoy it."

He smiled. "Verse under specific circumstances but not really your cup of tea, got it."

"It's always been an option for you," I said quietly, resting my hands on his thighs as I looked him over. "I guess I should have brought that up before, huh?"

"It wouldn't have mattered," he said with a shrug. "This is what I wanted. Bottoming was always more my thing, and like I said, I'm getting that back, one way or another."

"How are you?" I said, tapping my head so I didn't have to ask if he was close to losing his shit.

" Part of me is freaking out about the entire thing," he admitted and then shrugged again. "But the rest of me is screaming, in the best way possible, that I have Malakai inside me. Also, the squeezing is almost gone, and it's now that pleasantly full feeling."

Rambling was usually a good sign. It was nerves, but it came from an excited source. Unless he had changed, it was his way of quieting the worries and fears instead of embracing the positive side.

"O...kay," he said, tucking his knees under him and lifting, his eyes widening as he slid back down slowly. "Okay, it's probably because I'm biased and have wanted this forever, but I was right."

"In...what?"

"You feel amazing inside me because, holy shit, do you."

"That's just my dick, I haven't done any work fucking you yet."

"If you fuck like you do everything else..." he trailed off, but I could hear the anticipation in his voice as he rose up further than last time to slowly ease my cock back into him. The conversation had started as an excellent way to distract myself from every sensation trying to drive me crazy, but now it had shifted, making it even harder to maintain control.

You're...throbbing."

It was a sign that he was still tensing up, which wasn't surprising. "Yeah, well, you trying to get comfortable is having the side effect of driving me to the brink. I'm trying to keep a grip, but...I'm really wound up."

"Oh?"

"I...what is that look?"

"What look?"

"It's evil, you're plotting something."

"No?"

"Yes."

"Nah," he said as he pushed himself up so high I whimpered when I thought the head would slip out. Only for him to fall with more force than earlier, pushing me up into him.

" Fuck ," I gasped, not caring how pitiful I sounded as I felt myself throb again. "Hunter?"

"I know for a fact that when you're revved up," he said, moving with more practiced ease, sending me flying toward the edge, "as much as I think you are, you've got almost zero recovery time if I'm quick. And what's quicker than you already inside me, rock hard, having filled me with cum?"

The little shit knew precisely what he was doing. Those words were the final tug on the tatters of my self-control. My fingers dug into his thighs when he came down one final time, pinning him to my groin. My vision narrowed as I spurted up into him, feeling another twist of pleasure in my gut when he let out an uncontrolled groan as he felt it. I couldn't help but push my hips upward, trying to make sure I was as deep as possible as I came hard.

It took me a full minute after I was done to control my breathing and glare up at him. "See, evil?"

"No, that was hot," he assured me in a low voice, rocking his hips back and forth in small motions. "I actually felt that...Christ."

"I certainly felt it," I said and then groaned when he picked himself up to slide me back in.

"Too sensitive?" he asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"A little, but I'll live," I said with a low growl. "Since you were right, I'm revved up all over again."

"Oh good, because feeling that made me forget being worried about anything," he said, leaning forward to hover his face over mine. "So, why don't you follow through on that inferred brag of yours and do the fucking?"

"Can do," I grunted, reaching up to grip his hips in a firm hold and carefully roll us over, so it wouldn't startle him too much but also because I didn't want to dislodge my dick. It had the added bonus of moving me inside him, forcing me to thrust as I took position and earning a soft moan.

"Good?" I asked him as I perched over him, now knowing I was in complete control and needing to know that he was okay with that.

"I'm okay," he said, wiggling his hips slightly. "Just...impatient. Which is a really good sign if you ask me."

"A perfect one," I purred back at him, pushing myself back so I could get the angle right, sliding my hand down his chest and stomach as I did so before looping my hands into his thighs and gripping. "God, you're beautiful."

And he was, and always had been, in my eyes. But now he was stretched out on the bed before me, naked and leaking all over the place, my cock inside him, his face flushed, and he was all mine .

My reservations were gone as I began to move. The lube, the cum inside him, the toys, the fucking he'd done, all of it had loosened him up, and I moved smoothly. There was still that incredible grip around my cock, and I sought it out, both for the pleasure it sent zinging through me and the sounds he was making.

All the times we'd screwed around before had been a treat, especially how he'd gradually become more comfortable each time. While he'd been pretty expressive before, it had grown more potent each time, and now it felt like it was in full force. His hands slid down to wrap around my wrists and hold tight as I fucked into him, slow at first, getting a feel for his body, and what worked now I was in control.

All those times, using fingers and toys had made it much easier. I knew exactly how to angle my thrusts, and the first time I successfully slid my girth along the nerves inside him that drove him crazy, he cried out beautifully. With the intention of getting some payback, I continued thrusting into that spot, grinding myself on him and forcing his leaking dick to make an ever-greater mess of his stomach as it swayed back and forth with my thrusts, slapping against his abs.

His expression was pure bliss, his body utterly compliant as he showed just how much he trusted me. I found myself glad he had ‘made' me get off first so I could enjoy the slow build-up as I held him, stroking his thighs and stomach as I thrust into him. His eyes rolled up, and his fingers dug into the sheet and my skin.

Then his body coiled tightly, his ass pushing more insistently into my thrusts, his eyes squinting, and his stomach went flat and defined as he clenched. He tightened around me, and I instinctively held onto his wrists to keep him from jerking himself off. It paid off when, only seconds later, he cried out louder than ever before, and I watched as he spattered himself with cum, his back arching as he forced himself onto me entirely.

I hadn't realized how close I was, but with a groan, I bowed forward and felt myself come hard again. I had no idea if there was even much left but I knew full well I had made a mess of him, inside and out. Before I'd even finished, I was able to get my hands under his shoulders and scoop him up so he was sitting in my lap as our orgasms finished.

His head fell against my shoulder, and I stayed upright, cradling him in my lap and kissing him, not caring that I was making a mess of both of us. That moment had been as erotic as it had been damn near transcendent. He had conquered his fears, the demons that lived in his head, and he had shown me complete and utter trust. The weight of what that meant sat on my chest as I held his relaxed body, squeezing him as tightly as I dared while he got his breath back.

He stayed there long enough for me to slip out of him, and our bodies start to cool before he nuzzled his face into my neck, and I felt fresh warmth. I didn't need the shuddering of his breath to know he was crying, and I continued to hold him tightly. So long as he needed to be held, I'd be there because there were no words to describe his monumental achievement or how absolutely in awe and in love I was with this man.

"Sorry," he said in a muffled voice, wiping his face.

"Nothing to be sorry about," I told him gently as he pulled back, his eyes puffy and red but with a wobbly smile on his face. "As far as I'm concerned, you get it all out. I'm not going anywhere."

"It's not going to come out," he said, pushing his face back into my shoulder and letting out an irritated huff. "It's going to keep following me around. There's only one way to get it out."

"Them being dead is only going to help. It's not going to solve it."

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I need all the help I can get."

I couldn't help my snort. "Okay, fine. Offing them will help, but so will stuff like this. Give yourself some credit for going this long and surviving."

"I think we both know how I feel about surviving."

"This is a lot more than just basic survival. You put a lot of the pieces of your life back in place before I even showed up. And now you're starting to get on even steadier feet. You're getting there."

I curled around him so I could comfortably roll us on our sides. I wanted to look into his eyes when I asked the next question to confirm the suspicion in my head. "You already have an idea, don't you? A plan."

He hesitated, afraid to answer me, but then dropped his gaze and nodded. "I do. I never stopped researching and wanted to be sure my plan was good before I brought it up."

"Okay," I said, unsure if I should be disappointed that he was planning without me or worried. And maybe I should have been both, but at the end of the day, I had decided to go along with the entire thing, so I had no one to blame but myself. This was the bloody justice I had signed up for, and if the next plan went well, that left only one to deal with, and the true healing for him could begin. "How soon?"

"Mmm...Saturday."

"Cutting it a little close, aren't you?"

"No worse than last time."

"Yeah, tell me after dinner?"

"Sure...burgers or roast chicken?"

"Burgers, for sure."

"Burgers it is."