Page 36 of Where Sinners Repent

He doesn’t reply. He never does. The shadow takes one slow step.

Fear floods my system, icy cold and sharp. My pulse beats in my ears, and adrenaline trickles through me. It does something far more dangerous than make me want to run. The terror swirls through me until it feels more like need. It pools in my core, heating my skin and tightening my nipples.

His face remains hidden, consumed by the shadows. But I can recognise those eyes, even in the darkest of nights.

Cold and impossibly dark. Swallowing the night whole. Unblinking. Unfeeling.

The air tightens around my body, my skin prickling as his presence draws closer and closer. Every cell in my body screams that he’s here, even before I dare to look.

My lips part to scream... and my entire body jolts upright.

Air heaves into my lungs. Cold sweat beads on my chest as it rises and falls in violent bursts.

“What the fuck,” I mutter, searching the room.

The very empty room.

Completely devoid of men with leather cuts and intense eyes. Just silence.

I drag a trembling hand over my face, trying to shake myself from the dream.

The nightmare.

Even awake, I can still feel him. It’s how it’s been for the last day. I haven’t seen him since he shoved me against the window, but I’ve felt him. Always guarding. Always watching.

It should scare me.

I force myself to take slow breaths. In and out. In and out. Eventually my pulse settles and I flick on a light. My fluffy socks barely touch the polished floor before something catches my eye.

On the bedside table, a black case rests harmlessly in the centre. My brows pinch together. I reach for it carefully, half expecting something to jump out and scare me.

The latch clicks open, and I gasp, bringing my hand to my mouth.

“Oh my fucking God,” I whisper.

It’s beautiful. A sparkling new matte black tattoo machine. Every piece sits nestled inside dense foam. It’s so stunning, I can barely bring myself to run my fingers over it.

All I can do is stare.

I don’t understand.

A disturbing possibility slips into my mind.

Kai was here. This was him.

I swallow the emotion building thick in my throat. No one has gotten me anything like this.

A sharp ringtone slices through my thoughts, and I jump so violently the machine nearly crashes to the floor. My phone vibrates next to me, and I blindly reach for it, unable to take my eyes off the machine on my lap.

My voice is thick with sleep. “Hello?”

The silence makes me pause, bringing the phone in front of my face to see if it connected.

Unknown number.

I bring it to my ear.

“It’s one in the morning,” I grumble.