Relinquish(76)

“You…” I whisper. “You’re right. You saved me,” I admit. Landon’s hard face and tense body relaxes instantly, his face taking on a softer look as he frowns. Landon may have killed my mother, but he did it to save me. He just saved my life again. Landon leans down, and pushes the black ski mask to the person’s forehead.

Judging my tonight’s events, I know Landon is not innocent in any way, but I can tell by the pain in his voice that he did not want to harm my mother. He was merely a child doing what he thought was right at the time. I bet if he defied his father in any way that day my mother died, Miller would have killed Landon too.

“Niko,” Landon mutters. “I knew it would be him. He’s the only person that knows about this place.” Landon stands and places his gun on the dresser. The dead guy looks about Landon’s age. His face is pale with bright freckles along the bridge of his nose.

“Will there be others?” I question.

“Possibly, but I doubt it. The only reason Niko knows about this house is because he was with me when I got the keys from the real estate agent. Niko and I used to hang out a lot when we were younger. He became caught up with my dad over the last couple of years. When he heard I was not on my father’s side, he went on his way. Looks like he went right into my father’s pocket.”



An hour and a half later, the room is cleaned of Niko and any trace of blood. The way Landon cleaned any trace of DNA is almost terrifying.

“Where did you put him?” I question, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“In the ground,” Landon replies quickly.

I bite my bottom lip, and nod.

“Let’s try and get some sleep. I fixed the door Niko kicked in and set the alarms this time, they will sound if anyone so much as steps on the front step.”

I stand to take my shirt off that has some spots of blood on it. Lifting the shirt over my head, Landon’s fingers trail under the cup of my sports bra, his touch tickling my skin, reminding me I’m alive. He tugs the fabric, pulling it off me, my nipples peaking when the sudden fresh air sweeps past them. My eyes flicker to Landon’s, finding his hooded as he stares at my small breasts.

He grabs the back of his shirt and yanks it over his head, revealing his toned abs and that sexy V leading down into his pants. My gaze catches the square white patch on his chest from where I shot him. I tuck my bottom lip between my teeth and trail my finger over the cotton patch.

“It was an accident,” I whisper, my eyes peering up from under my lashes.

“I’ll live,” he responds, his tone raw.

He unbuttons his jeans and shuffles them down using his feet before tossing them in the corner. I can’t help but take in every inch of him as he stands in his black Calvin Klein’s. I crawl in bed, and shift to get comfortable on my side of the bed. I instantly feel my eyes grow heavy. Landon tucks his hand around my hip, trying to tug me closer to him but I pull away. I just need a moment to myself to comprehend what’s going on in my head. But he isn’t having it. He grabs me by the hips and pulls me toward him, tucking me into the curve of his body, the smell and heat sweeps from his to mine. His fingers trail up and down my spine tenderly.

“You know how I said I saved you?” His chest vibrates against mine as he speaks. “Well, you saved me, too.” I tilt my head back and look at him in confusion. He stares down at me, his eyes full of sincerity.

“If it weren’t for you or your mother, I would have become my father. I would have followed in his footsteps and been a monster. But after what I did, after saving you, I wanted nothing to do with the Blackwell estate.”

I sigh and tuck myself into him once again. Hearing my mother’s life wasn’t in vain, that it had impacted his life, offers me a slither of relief.

“You saved me, too,” he repeats softly into my hair. I close my eyes and let my dreams take me.

***

I wake with a start, lightning cracking in the sky and illuminating the bedroom. My eyes fall on Landon who is fast asleep, his chest slowly rising with every breath. I lie back down and watch him. His face seems so soft and at peace as he sleeps. His closed eyelids twitch, making me wonder what he’s dreaming about. I know I was troubled, had a shitty life growing up, but he killed someone at the age of sixteen. I can’t imagine how that would stain a person’s soul. His eyes suddenly open as he gasps for air. I jump, startled by his sudden reaction.

He places his hand to his chest, panting for breath.

“Are you okay?” I whisper, lying next to him. He nods and swallows.

“Bad dream?” I question, propping my head on my hand.

He turns and fluffs his pillow under him.

“Yeah,” he mutters.

“I get them all the time,” I reply, searching his face in the dark.

“Oh, yeah? What about?” His forehead wrinkles with question.

“Wings. Your wings, to be exact. But you have a white feather on your tattoo. The white feather’s not on the wings in my dreams.”

Landon tucks a hair behind my ear. “That’s because I got it after that day. It represents you.”

“Why me?” I narrow my brows in confusion.

“I got the black wings to represent my imperfections. A symbol of my ominous ways as a Blackwell. A rogue son going against God and turning into something powerful and dark. But after I saved a little girl, I realized I didn’t want to be the villain; I wanted to be the hero. That white feather reminds me that something good resides within me. I’m not my father one-hundred percent.”