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Neither does Kill Feed, Selene, or whatever waits beyond these walls.

I’ve spent my entire life believing survival meant keeping everyone at a distance, needing nothing and no one badly enough to give them the power to hurt me. Now I know better. And understand the words my mother once so lovingly uttered.

Because after everything I’ve lost, there is only one thing I still want.

Him.

And I don’t give a fuck what it costs me.

Epilogue

Dante

There’s something almost nostalgic about October. Nothing sums up Halloween quite like wet leaves, the smell of cinnamon with the added atmosphere of amber and tangerine hues melting into nature with a hint of murder and bloodshed.

That comes later, though, but still.

I glance sideways at Adrian. He’s jogging beside me with his hands tucked into the sleeves of his black hoodie, hair still a little messy from sex and sleep, with cheeks flushed from the cold. He has Ender’s leash—and mine—in a tight grip as she eagerly and ever-so well-behaved keeps her pace at his side.

One glance from me is usually enough to remind her who’s calling the shots, but it seems she has a new master. For the most part, that is, and my chest swells with the afterthought that I’ve trained her well regardless of trading me for Adrian.

Adrian, on the other hand, has never been as well trained. And I won’t have it any other way.

“Pick up your pace,” he scolds, and even Ender side-eyes me.

“Baby, I’ve been impaled by an arrow; how about you slow down?” I tease, throwing a wink his way.

“Dante… It’s been a year,” he replies, shaking his head.

I grin at that, picking up the pace and running, leaving the two behind in the dust just to remind them of my physical capabilities. I come to a stop at a crossroads where we always stop to catch a breath before heading home. Adrian and Ender finally meet at my side. “Show off,” he scoffs. The corner of his mouth twitches into a smile but falters as he gazes upon the apartment building he used to live in.

Each morning, we take this route, and each morning he becomes still, gazing at the place in complete silence before we cross the road.

He’ll never admit it out loud, but the remembrance of his friend, Amani, and the last of her good memories still looms in that building. His brain can’t completely wrap around the loss and her absence.

I let him sit with that, simmer in whatever memento he has carved for her in his life.

Ender nudges her wet snoot against Adrian’s hand, breaking him from his daze. I snake a hand through his hair, kissing him on his forehead—also as I do each morning on our run before evidently heading home, and once inside the confines of our apartment, Adrian rushes to his laptop in even strides.

The email he’s waiting for is from an outdoor lifestyle company looking for a permanent photographer for their marketing team. Most of their work centers around local nature reserves, hiking trails, outdoor gear, and so on, which means Adrian would spend more time behind a camera in the open air than being stuck in the confines of studio walls.

I glance over at him from the sliding doors. “Anything?”

“Not yet.” He shakes his head, closing the laptop shut before stretching his arms over his head.

Ender patiently stays planted at my feet as I slide open the balcony door. “Come on, girl,” I command, and she trots onto the patch of fake grass like she owns the place, which, judging by the amount of time she spends out there, she probably does. She heads straight for her water bowl, drains half of it, then drops onto her side with a satisfied huff.

I close the door and turn back to Adrian. “You’re getting the job.”

“You don’t know that.”

“True.” I lean against the island counter. “But if they reject you, I’ll burn the company down.”

I drop onto the couch, stretching my legs out in front of me. On the coffee table sits gear ready for Kill Feed; black leather straps laid across the wood, my knives beside them, freshly cleaned and lined up with perfect precision. My ram skull mask sits at the centre of it all.

Adrian strolls into the living room, takes one look at the scene before settling onto the armrest.

He scoffs, cocking a brow. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that looks like a bondage setup.”