That he’d been listed as the cause in Lance’s files…
He stared at Scott’s body, his gut churning and his wounds burning.They blamed him for something they had done.They wanted Lance to hate him when, for possibly the first time in his life, he was innocent of the crime he was accused of.
His fingers curled to stop the shaking of his hands.
He’d gotten soft while on the run, feeding on livestock and avoiding fights.He’d made a damn truce with an Orlan, and worse.But he wanted to call Lance for help if only so he didn’t need to clean this up on his own.But that would only endanger Lance, assuming he wasn’t in the middle of his own fight.
Is that all he had to look forward to?Hurting those he cared about?
All because of who his mother had been?
He kicked Scott’s head.
Then he did it again.Bone crunched.
“Fuck you.And cursed feud and lies.”He crouched down as though Scott would be able to hear him despite his ruined skull.“I am so fucking tired of it all.Of the fighting.Of the fear.”He closed his eyes.He’d been enjoying the truce and letting himself believe that there was another choice, but it was a lie.People like him didn’t get choices.
Lance had the chance to be something else.
To have something more than nightmares next to him in bed.
The Orlans would never accept that he was done.That he wanted to walk away.
There was only one way to end this.It’s what he should have done instead of running with Zinnia.
He snarled.“You killed my brothers.My mother.My entire family…You wanted Lance to hate me?To fear me?I will give you all something to fear.I will be the monster you think I am.”
There would be no one left alive to hunt him or Lance.
He picked up Scott’s gun and checked how many bullets were in the clip.Enough to make a start.
While he’d sworn to Zinnia that he wouldn’t seek revenge, this wasn’t revenge.This was putting down a mad dog that wouldn’t stop biting.He’d be doing every vampire in the country a favor by going after the Orlans.
It was rage at the way they had been the ones to take his life bit by bit until there was only bullets and blood left, that pushed him to move.He turned in a slow circle taking in the damage and by the time he faced Scott, he knew what to do.
He stripped Scott and dragged the naked body out on to back lawn where the dawn sun would hopefully turn it to ash before the neighbors got up and saw the corpse.
Getting rid of Scott was just the start.There was still enough evidence to make it look like a murder had happened, and he was still the chief suspect given that he’d been renting the room for the last month.His name was flagged in so many systems already that this would be enough for human cops to do more than question him.
He washed his hands, scrubbing at his nails and then his face.His mouth tasted like metal.Blood was smeared on his skin.He needed a shower, but that would have to wait until he’d cleaned up.
Beneath the kitchen sink were spare rubbish bags and bleach.He bundled up Scott’s clothing, keeping the body armor for himself.His hands shook as he filled the bag with things that would need to be disposed of.He emptied the wallet of cash and IDs and chucked that in too.With the towel, he wiped every surface they may have touched before putting the towel in the bag, too.The cracked TV he couldn’t do anything about.And the damage to the mattress… There wasn’t much he could do about that either.
He stared at the sheets with their neat holes.They’d have to go, too.He pulled them off and shoved them in the bag.Then he flipped the mattress.Scott had shot the bed because he didn’t know about the nightmare that woke Nix every night.
Nix put fresh sheets on the bed and then started cleaning every surface with the lavender-scented bleach.The room was going to be cleaner when he left than it had been when he’d arrived.
Every noise or dog bark made him jump.There was a body in the back yard.And dawn was still an hour away.
The adrenaline that had kept him going had deserted him and left him weak.His lung ached, and the scar was pink and shiny.He wanted to sink onto the edge of the bed and rest, but he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep.He wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to sleep again.
If he’d let Scott shoot him, that could’ve been the end of the matter.He could’ve saved Lance the heartbreak of doing it himself when the truce ended.
He wanted to call Lance, but the sound of Lance’s voice would only open a wound that wouldn’t heal.Even though he knew his lover was a lying, oath breaking Orlan, Nix couldn’t hate him.He could only hate himself for the weakness of always falling for the wrong man.
Nix showered and dressed, ready to leave the moment every part of Scott turned to ash.His hands were raw from the chemicals, and if he ever smelled lavender again, he might puke.He stared at the sky, watching as it turned pink, willing the sun to hurry up.
Scott’s phone rang.He stared at the screen, Mirabella Orlan herself was calling.
