Page 36 of Until December (Until Her 5)
“Do you want to tell me what happened after I passed out? I don’t really remember.”
I wasn’t sure if he was asking me because he wanted to know, or because he wanted to give me something to concentrate on so I could calm down. Whatever the reason, I threaded our fingers together before I started to speak.
“There weren't many people left by the time Kade got to the room. We killed off the stragglers and stole one of the computers so Jensen could try to figure out what happened to you. Kade didn’t want to at first, but…” I trailed off—he’d been reluctant to let anyone else know about the drugs and how to make them, but he’d let me take the computer anyway.
“You mentioned there were others? Did Otto get away?”
“He took London and left. The only people we left alive were the people who weren’t involved.” Kade had been reluctant about that, too, until I mentioned that Seth might be angry about him killing innocent people.
Well, as innocent as someone who’d been a killer in a past life could be.
“So… it’s done then?”
“There are stragglers, but… fuck…” I knew what he was trying to do, I understood it… but I couldn’t concentrate. I couldn’t think about the fact that I’d brought him home and called in a doctor to tend to his wounds. I couldn’t think about the way he’d either stayed so still and silent on the bed, or murmured like he was having dreams and nightmares that made him thrash and squirm.
I didn’t want to think about how terrified I was that he’d be caught up in some fucked up limbo of past lives forever.
“Axel—”
“I didn’t know if you were going to wake up.” I cut him off before he tried to distract me again. “I didn’t know if you were going to be you when you woke up. Xavier… I thought I’d lost you. Again.”
He shook his head, tracing his fingers along my jawline, my brows, gently through my hair.
“I’m not going anywhere, Axel. I promise.”
“You promised before, too. But you—”
He cut me off with a kiss, and I didn’t have it in me to argue any more. I opened my mouth to the soft press of his tongue and let him lick his way inside in a slow exploration, like it was the first time we’d touched all over again. It made my lungs feel like they were on fire, made me want to fly apart, to run away and roll beneath him all at once.
It made me want—
“It’s nice to see you awake, Xavier.” The soft voice coming from the doorway made me jerk back from our kiss.
“You’re still here?” Xavier actually sounded a little confused when Seth stepped into the room. That confusion melted into full disbelief when Kade followed behind him.
“The way I see it, you owe us, right? We’re going to hunt down every last person who worked for Nathaniel West… and you’re going to help us.” Kade sounded almost reluctant, but Seth looked pleased.
I knew he was behind them staying, though—he was the one who’d brought me food and forced me to eat while I sat beside Xavier and waited for him to open his eyes. Seth was probably the reason I wasn’t laid up in bed beside him.
Xavier seemed a little less enthused.
“Oh, come on. What are we, some kind of little fucked up vigilante psycho group now?” He sounded impatient, but a part of me was relieved. It wasn’t safe being around Kade and Seth, because dangerous people together seemed to draw more danger…
But at the same time...
Well, at the same time, there was something nice in knowing we weren’t in this alone. Kade had come with Xavier to the facility, and he’d reluctantly listened to me when I told him hunting down Otto wasn’t going after the people who’d hurt Seth.
He didn’t even bother opening the door where the twins huddled in the corner, but he’d mentioned it then. You owe me.
Apparently, it was time to pay the piper.
“We’re whatever the fuck Seth wants us to be. If he wants a little fucked up psycho family, fine. Anyway…” Kade sounded only slightly begrudging when he finished. “It’s probably easier to hunt everyone down with help.”
It looked like it hurt him to say it, but the absolute delight radiating from Seth seemed to soothe his irritation. For a psychopath, he seemed awfully willing to let such a slender, pretty man have his way.
Maybe a part of him knew that if something did happen to him, Seth wouldn’t be alone if he had us. Then again… Kade was arrogant—I didn’t know if he thought in those kinds of eventualities.
And it wasn’t up to me to figure out the why. I just turned to Xavier and waited to see what he’d say. He finally nodded.