7. Cherise

Chapter seven

Cherise

One Month Until Christmas

M y head pounds violently, my mouth dry from lack of hydration. I crack my eyes open and squint from the sun’s radiant glow that fills the room through the large, arched windows. I feel a warm breath against my neck, sending an icy chill down my spine. Where the hell am I? I reach around the strange bed I lie in, my fingers trailing along the smooth satin sheets that encase me.

I tense and go still as the toned arm that I didn’t notice draped around my stomach, pulls me in tighter to the warmth of their body. I’m surrounded by the fragrance of sandalwood entwined with a subtle, sweet touch of vanilla and a dash of sulfur. The mixture of this man’s aroma soothes me and eradicates the onset of a panic attack that was dangerously close to transpiring—I’d recognize his scent anywhere.

“Nik?” I croak, my throat dry from whatever the hell happened last night. My mind is a hazy mess. The last thing I remember was sipping out of the flask of the bad man, the one I was hunting all night to lure him to a dance with death against my blade.

His breaths are steady and warm against my flesh, sending goosebumps cascading over my skin. I turn my head, and my mouth is assaulted with his thick, brown locks trying their very best to pass my lips. I chuckle softly against his hair. “Nik, wake up,” I muse, raising my voice a pitch.

He stirs with a groan. I run my fingers over his smooth, muscular arms that tense to my touch. I trail my nails gently down his flesh and smirk when he visibly shivers. “Cherise,” he says, his voice low and gravelly.

He kisses the length of my neck, trailing up to my jawline. What is it about this man that makes me want to melt into a puddle when he touches me? And why does he care so much? No one cares about me, except for my friend. Being around Nik feels unnatural and strange, he makes me feel things I’ve never had the luxury of experiencing before. And after last night on the dance floor—when I practically begged him to touch me and make me come—he did so without question, like he would get on his knees and crawl to me if I asked him to. No one else on this earth remotely resembles Nik, and I wish I could give in to my desires for him—to give him all of me. But I can’t, not yet. He lifts his head and pins me with those luscious, caramel eyes that pull me into his allure. “How do you feel?”

“Like I got roofied.” I pout my lips playfully. I chuckle, but the motion makes my head throb, and my laugh quickly turns into a pained groan.

Nik frowns, pinching his brows together. “What you did last night was fucking reckless and foolish. What the hell were you thinking? What were you even trying to accomplish other than pissing me off?”

I sigh in annoyance and try to sit up, pushing his arm off me. Nik growls, constricting his arm around me—pinning me firm against his hard, shirtless body. I dig my nails into his arm with a shriek of rage. I fucking hate being held against my will. “Let me go, Nik!” Terror wakes inside me as memories haunt me of being helpless—defenseless against the bad men.

“Look at me, Cherise.”

I thrash around, trying to break free. I struggle to catch my uneven breaths, and my skin crawls with the need to break free. He moves his arm and grips my chin, forcing me to face him. “Hey, you’re safe with me. You know that, right?”

His gaze locks me into his molten brown eyes, riddled with worry. I exhale slowly, and the unease settles now that he’s not holding me taut. “You can’t do that. That’s what they did to me. When they took from me, when they cut me and shed my blood, you can’t do that, Nik!”

Nik sits up on his knees, facing me. He cups my cheeks in his rough hands, his expression stumped like he doesn’t know what to do with that piece of information I just gave him. “Shit. I’m sorry, little reaper. What did the bad men do to you? What did the guy at the club do that made you seek him out?”

I suppress a shiver because of how he’s looking at me right now—like I’m the world’s biggest mystery he wants to solve. I nibble my bottom lip and look away from his harsh stare. “Don’t tell him. He can’t know. This is our mission, Cherise,” my friend whispers to me. She’s standing beside the bed with her tiny arms crossed across her chest. She wears a red party gown, and her chocolate brown hair is pulled tight in pigtails.

My eyes burn with tears that well behind my eyes. I swallow them back—I can’t cry now; it’s too soon for tears. I made a vow to myself a year ago, the last time the bad men held me down and took from me, that I wouldn’t shed a single tear again until I claim my revenge. “I know. You’re right,” I whisper reassuringly.

“Cherise.” Nik grabs my chin, pulling my focus back to him. He pulls my lower lip down, stroking it tenderly. “Don’t do that. Let me help you.” My heart swells at the sincerity in his tone. I believe he really does want to help me, but this is my mission to complete—my revenge to obtain—no one else’s. “Is he dead?”

He quirks a brow. “If you mean the shrimp dick from last night that tried to touch what’s mine, then yes. But stop deflecting and let me in, Cherise. You can trust me.”

My breath hitches. “You killed him?”

He leans closer to my face, a thunderous rumble in his chest. “Yes, I exterminated his rot from this world.”

I slam my thighs together as liquid desire pools in my core. My pulse quickens as I stare at the dangerous man towering over me. I wish I could have seen him in the act of murder—the thought alone awakens something primal deep within. “Good,” I breathe. “How did you do it?”

Nik’s lips warp into a sinful smirk. “Are you getting turned on thinking about me murdering someone, little reaper?” I nod and run my hand along his firm thigh. “Let’s just say... ” Nik grips my throat and squeezes, which allows an unexpected moan to roll past my lips. “His soul serves a greater purpose for Hell now. I unraveled his innards like a ball of yarn and left them sprinkled across the floor.” He squeezes tighter, and a devious, toothy smile emerges. “And that was after I severed his tiny cock from his insignificant body.”

I moan loudly, dragging my nails down the flesh on his upper thigh. “You’re like me. But do you only kill the bad men, like I do?”

“You really are my little reaper. The name suits you. Your soul is black and stained with the sickest of sins, but I see the light that shines through the darkness. I smell the rot that lives inside you, but there’s also an overwhelming aroma of sweetness to you—like cotton candy mingling with a spring meadow. I only mark the most vile men and women for death, just like you do. We have similar objectives, Cherise. So I’ll offer again. Let me help you.” He removes his hand from my throat, and it trails slowly down my chest over what I assume is Nik’s tee shirt.

I arch my back as his hand teases me, traveling down past my breasts—down to the area where I crave his touch the most. His words are walking a fine line that makes me want to crack and spill my deepest, darkest secrets to him. Almost. “You mentioned candy? Do you have some?” I tease.

Nik tsks, shaking his head. “You are such a fascinating creature.” He cocks his head and observes me. A playful smile pulls at his lips. “Hold that thought.”

I feel the bed shift under his weight as he moves to stand.

He leaves the bedroom for a beat and then stalks toward me with his hands behind his back and a feral grin. “I hope you like this candy. It’s almost Christmas, and, well... they’re my personal favorite.”

I perk up, excitement jolting my nervous system. I sit up and make grabby hands at him. “Gimme!”

He laughs, a deep, resonant sound that fills the air. “You make me smile more than I ever have before. What the fuck have you done to me, little reaper?”

He still stands before me, hiding the goods, and I grow impatient. I leap off the bed in a flash and lunge for his arms. He playfully puts one hand on my forehead and holds me in place. “Easy now, killer.”

I whine, crossing my arms and stomping my foot. He whips his other arm from behind his back and flaunts a candy cane before me. My eyes widen, and my cheeks flush. I snatch it from his hand and inspect it closely. “I haven’t had one of these since... ”

Memories crash into me like a tsunami, which have been long lost in my mind’s deep, vast oceans. I jolt backward and slam my eyes shut. One moment, I’m staring down at my mother’s bloody while I weep. The next, I’m a child sitting in my bedroom, my mother sneaking in to give me a candy cane she stole from our family’s festivities. I scream out—rough hands grip my arms and shake me, but it doesn’t stop the floodgates from opening. The eerie sound of the stairs creaking while I hide under my covers, I know what’s about to happen—that he’s coming to show me that I’m his favorite little girl again. I’m helpless while he takes from me. He peels back the covers, lifts my nightgown, and gets into bed with me. I have to be quiet, so no one hears us. Be a good girl—good girls get rewarded.

I shake my head. Wave after wave washes over me, each memory drowning me. The Saint’s face, a tall, slender man with peppered black hair, and a thick, dark mustache that reeks of corruption. Whispers flood my mind, candy canes falling from the sky, cloaked figures walking closer to me, and blood everywhere. Bile rises in my throat, and I try to swallow it down. Something still feels so wrong. Dread looms large over me. As the crash of The Saint’s skeletal horse’s hooves land on our roof, his vicious laughter rings inside my ears. I cover my ears and drop onto my ass. Screams tear out of my throat, but nothing will drown out the screams inside my head.

“Cherise! What’s happening?” My eyes flutter open. The screams quiet around me, and my mind becomes clearer.

I’m hugging the candy cane to my chest, held tight in a vice grip. I lift it to eye level with trembling hands. “The Saint must die.”

Nik lifts me off the floor with his rough hands, and he pins me against the wall. His features are unreadable. “If you tell me nothing else, just tell me this. Why The Saint? What did he do to you?”

I lift my lashes to his punishing stare. “He killed my family. He’s the reason I lost everything. This Christmas, I’m going to kill him.” I shove the candy cane in his face. “Can I keep this?”

A harsh sigh escapes him. “Are you sure The Saint killed your family? You’re absolutely sure of this?” I whine and tap the candy cane on his nose. He growls and jerks his head back. “Yes, obviously, you can keep that.”

“Yes, I’m positive.” He searches my eyes wildly like he’s exploring deep within my essence to find hidden truth. “I have to go. There is much I have to prepare for.”

I push past him and snatch my phone on the nightstand by the bed. I skip over to him, get on my tip toes, and kiss him hard and fast. “Don’t come to me until after Christmas. I’m going to rid the world of The Saint once and for all! I can’t have you getting in the way, Nik. I’m sorry.”

He purses his lips and bows his head with a defeated sigh. I ache to stay with him, but my mission is too critical. If I’m successful, then I look forward to the day when I can freely spend my days with Nik, and I will give him all of me—every dark, sinful part, along with all the good in me, too. He deserves nothing less, and so do I.

I move toward the door, my hand on the handle when Nik’s haunting voice stops me. “You can’t kill him, Cherise. I promise that this will not end well for you.”

I turn to find his back still to me. “I’m a lot stronger than you think, Nik. Next month, The Saint will die—by my hands.”

I don’t wait for his reply. I storm out of his bedroom and find my way out of his mansion of a home. My heart aches; some unknown emotion suffocates me—leaving me breathless and shaking—making me want to rush back up the stairs to him. Feet, don’t fail me now. You cannot yield. I leave Nik’s home and don’t look back.