Page 186 of I Never Stopped Loving You

Iwaited another ten minutes after her breathing had slowed to slip out from behind her. I couldn’t will myself to leave yet, though, so I walked around to her side of the bed and sat down so I could see her face. Her eyes are barely moving behind her lids as if she's enjoying her deep sleep. I’ve been watching the steady rise and fall of her chest for at least twenty minutes. There have been so many times over this past week that I’ve had to pinch myself just to prove I’m awake. That this isn’t a dream. That the other half of my soul is finally here.

I meant every fucking word I said to her. She’s my priority now. My purpose. My reason to live. She’s my everything. Nothing will stand in the way of our happiness. That’s why I need to show her everything. The hidden staircase. The labyrinth. And the monster I’ve had locked down there for four fucking years just waiting for her to steal his final breath.

He will die, one way or another.

“Noah,” she sighs in her sleep before snuggling deeper into my pillow.

Grabbing the blanket, I pull it up to start covering her body, but she shifts to lying on her stomach. The clouds shift allowing the moonlight to spill into the room from the skylight bathing her in its ethereal glow.

She is stunning. Everything about her is stunning. Those green eyes are deeper than the largest forests on earth, alive and vibrant like the trees after a rainstorm. Her dimples when she smiles. Those perfect lips that draw me in for every kiss. The way my hands run over her perfect curves. The way she fits perfectly, because she was always meant for me.

No one will ever change that.

The sound of the old grandfather clock strikes two times. Two a.m.. Time to get things set up.

I place kisses along her spine until I reach her shoulder blade. Pressing one last kiss, I take a moment to enjoy the feeling and the sight of her lying in my bed…Our bed.

“I love you, Little Rabbit. I’ll be back soon,” I whisper before placing one last kiss between her shoulder blades then pulling the blanket up to fully cover her.

She doesn’t move. Doesn’t stir a single inch. She's completely asleep, as she should be. The last thirty hours have been insane for her. She learned so much about her past in a short time. I'm honestly surprised she didn’t fall asleep sooner because that nap we had earlier was too short.

I quietly make my way out of the bedroom door, leaving it slightly cracked. I don’t know how light of a sleeper she is, but I don’t want the sound of a door closing to be the thing that wakes her up. I need to make sure everything is perfect before I bring her down here tomorrow night. My little rabbit will finally be able to get the justice she deserves. James Parker will finally die.

The house is dark and silent, just like it should be. I sent a text to Jeremy letting him know things are handled for tonight, so he can stay with Jenna. He doesn’t have to come back to help with Parker or to keep Willow distracted. He read the message but didn’t reply. Probably too busy.

Good for him though. Jenna is honestly the first woman I can see being a match for my cousin. She’s a bit more dominant than what he normally likes in a woman, but according to Willow, she’s just as much of a hopeless romantic as he is. A match made in heaven.

The secret panel pushes in and clicks. I release it letting it swing open and reveal the dark stairs just beyond its threshold. The air feels thicker tonight, almost as if it’s charged. It’s unnerving, and I don’t know why.

As I make my way down the steps, I don’t even bother with the mask or the dim red lights. He’s watched me set this up for so many other men…Finally, it’s his turn. I drop the mask on the bottom step of the staircase before making my way into the labyrinth.

There’s a steady dripping coming from deeper inside. I’m not sure if it’s from a leaky pipe or if the structure of this place is starting to fail and letting the groundwater in. Either way, it’s a task for another day.

“Hello, Killer,” James snarls as he looks at me, then past me into the darkness.

“She’s not here,” I answer before he can even ask.

“Where is she?” he demands.

“Asleep. In our bed.”

“Your bed? Is she that broken that she’ll climb into the first man's bed who shows her love…Or whatever it is you think you show her? A slut, just like her mother.”

I react without thinking, rushing him and wrapping my hand around his throat before I even realize what I’m doing. He doesn’t react, not even a flinch. He just sits here smiling at me as my fingers continue to crush his windpipe.

“If you ever speak about her like that again, I’ll…”

“You’ll what, Killer? Kill me?” he manages to squeak out.

I ease my grip around his throat and watch as that defiant spark in his eyes comes alive once again.

“The problem is, Noah, after all the torture you’ve put me through, the only thing left would be to kill me…but you won't. Otherwise, the last four years will have been a waste. You would have kept me alive for nothing other than to torment your pathetic soul.”

He spits on the ground at my feet and glares up at me through those dark eyes.

“Does she know?” he asks with his sickening, nearly toothless grin widening on his face.

There are only a few remaining teeth hanging on by frail roots that haven’t been knocked out or rotted out on their own.