My eyes bugged out. “How?” Our government had a massive hate-on for this guy.
“Money. Favors. The usual.” He sounded so bored.
“And it worked?”
X picked up an empty Cup of Soup sitting on my dresser. “It did.”
He set the Styrofoam cup down and fingered the Gatorade bottle next to it. “You’ve been sick.” Not a question.
“I’m still recovering from the Cruel Countess.”
His brows slammed down. “Who’s been taking care of you?” he asked, like I had a slew of servants waiting to heal me. I supposed that to a supervillain, healing as many people as I had earned me some reciprocation.
If only.
I lifted a shoulder and dropped it. “Me.”
He touched my cheek. “Not anymore, Angel.”
The corner of my mouth lifted. “You’re going to nurse me back to health?”
“I am.”
X grabbed Chub-Chub’s bowl off my bureau. “Get what you need; I’m not letting you go until you’ve recovered your strength.”
Oh goody, another kidnapping session. Not that he’d have to drag me away this time.
“Do you even know what nursing me back to health entails?”
X raised an eyebrow and glanced around the room, his eyes landing on the empty cartons of ice cream, the numerous energy bar wrappers, and the horde of Girl Scout cookies Zephyr had bought me earlier.
“Well, for one,” he said, “it appears you require an on-hand grocery store. For another, I know that sick people have to stay in bed. Conserve energy. I’ll be enforcing that rule starting now.”
X handed me my fishbowl, then scooped me up into his arms. I yelped. He began walking us to my open window.
“Wait!” I protested.
X halted. “Do you want me to leave without you?” he asked, his brow furrowing.
No. Not at all. Please don’t leave me again.
“I will, if that’s what you want,” he insisted. He searched my eyes. “I might no longer be a wanted supervillain, but my life’s not easy. You—” He hesitated before continuing on. “You don’t have to be a part of it.”
The Executioner was giving me an out. How very … selfless of him.
Something close to panic rose within me. To find out he survived only to have him exit my life again. I’d hunt him down like the Cruel Countess did me if he decided to disappear.
“I want to go with you. I just … I also want my clothes, and my make-up, and my favorite movies, and my laptop, and my phone.”
He stared at me, a smile slowly blooming along his face. I saw hope flicker in his eyes again. “Good. I’ll provide you your amenities … eventually.”
“Eventually?” I said, raising my eyebrows. “I don’t think so.”
“Fine,” he conceded, the smile continuing to tease his lips. “I’ll come back for them as soon as I put you in the car.”
He resumed carrying me, which was utterly ridiculous, but hey, I’d enjoy the free ride.
“Do you remember how I told you that supervillains will live long enough to see their vendettas through?” X asked conversationally.
I hugged Chub-Chub’s bowl to me. “What about it?”
His voice dropped low. “You tied me to my own bed. I plan on returning the favor.”
Heat pooled in my core. “You’re going to shackle me to your bed?” I tried to keep the excitement from my voice but failed miserably.
“I’m going to do that and so much more.” A threat—or a promise, depending on how you looked at it.
A normal person would be scared. But I wasn’t normal. I ate calamity for breakfast. I healed the sick, took down supervillains, and fell for a man whose touch could kill.
I was the furthest thing from normal.
“You better watch your back, X,” I said. “You’re not the only one with vendettas.”
“Oh, coming to the dark side?”
A hero and a villain met, once upon a time. Mortal enemies. And then the impossible happened. A touch, a kiss, a whole lot of fighting … and then this.
I smiled up at X. “No, just meeting you somewhere in the middle.”
Letter to my readers
I’m always humbled by the fact that readers like you take a chance on my books. Thank you for coming along with me on this journey and making what I do the best job in the world. If you enjoyed Reaping Angels, please consider leaving a review. They’re an author’s bread and butter, and um, I’ll totes appreciate it.
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Hugs and happy reading!
Laura Thalassa
Be sure to check out the Laura Thalassa’s new adult post-apocalyptic romance series
The Queen of All that Dies
Out now!
Click here to buy it on Amazon
Be sure to check out the Laura Thalassa’s young adult paranormal romance series
The Unearthly
Out now!
Click here to buy it on Amazon
Be sure to check out the Laura Thalassa’s new adult science fiction series
The Vanishing Girl
Out now!
Click here to buy it on Amazon
Other books by Laura Thalassa
The Unearthly Series:
The Unearthly
The Coveted
The Cursed
The Forsaken
The Damned
The Fallen World Series:
The Queen of All that Dies
The Queen of Traitors
The Vanishing Girl Series:
The Vanishing Girl
The Decaying Empire
Novellas:
Reaping Angels
Born and raised in Fresno, California, Laura Thalassa spent her childhood reading and creating fantastic tales. She now spends her days penning everything from young adult paranormal romance to new-adult dystopian novels. Thalassa lives with her husband and partner in crime, Dan Rix, in Oakhurst, California. For more information, please visit laurathalassa.blogspot.com.
Laura Thalassa, Reaping Angels
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