I woke up with the sun shining on my face. Wanting to avoid it, I tried to bury my head in the pillow, but instead, I felt something much softer against my cheek, followed by the scent of freshly picked strawberries.

Ah.

I smiled.

Cassandra.

My arms tightened around her, pulling her close, our bodies locking together like a couple of puzzle pieces. I knew that now that I truly had her as my own, I would never let her go.

Gently, I ran my fingers through her hair, brushing it out of her face so I could see those angelic features.

She was perfect.

I was just about to kiss her when my phone started to buzz atop the nightstand. I snatched it up quickly so that it wouldn’t wake her up.

Still a bit sleepy, I glanced at the screen. The name instantly woke me up.

Mavis.

But… he was dead.

My heart quickened.

It couldn’t be… could it?

Quickly, I slid my arm from underneath Cassandra’s body and headed out of the room to take the call.

“Hello?” I whispered hesitantly, pacing around the kitchen.

For a few prolonged moments, there was no answer. I thought that maybe it was just a fluke or something, but then came the raspy voice I had been dreading. “Well, hello. Have you missed me?” I shivered, picturing that sinister smile on her face. “Cat got your tongue?” she teased.

“What do you want?” I hissed.

“Rude.”

“Roxanne, I’m not here to play games with you.”

She laughed. “I don’t play games, Emil. You know this.”

“What do you want?” I asked once more.

“I need you to come see me.”

I scoffed. “What kind of a fool do you take me for? I’d be walking right into a trap.”

“You can’t fool me. You can play the good boyfriend all you want, but deep down, you were never meant for that sort of life. You belong on the edge of society. You’re a misfit, just like me, Emil. Admit it.”

My fingers tightened around the phone. “I’m nothing like you.”

“People don’t change. Once a criminal, always a criminal. You’re just too much of a coward to face who you really are.”

“Ironic, coming from a woman who’s been in hiding for the past three months.”

“It’s not hiding – it’s strategic divergence.”

“Call it what you want, but you still ran out with your tail between your legs.”

She was quiet. “Are you going to meet me or not?”

“Burn in hell.” With that, I clicked off the phone.

When I looked up, Cassandra was standing in the door, tilting her head to the side, wearing nothing but my shirt. “Who was that?”

“Roxanne,” I said, my voice heavy.

Her eyes widened. “What?”

I nodded. “She wanted me to meet with her.”

“What did you say?”

“No, of course.” I walked up to her and took her hand in mine. “Trust me, Cassandra, that part of my life is gone. I’ll never go to that dark place again. Now that I have your trust, I’d never do anything to jeopardize it. I love you way too much,” I said, kissing the top of her head.

She smiled, wrapping her arms around me and pulling me into a hug. “I love you, too.”

When we pulled away, I could see that Cassandra was already coming up with a plan.

“What are you thinking?”

“We need to call Ned.”

* * *

In no time at all, Ned had traced the call, finding the exact location where it was made. There was a discussion about the whole scene being a trap, but we were prepared. The gun pressed against my chest felt heavy and cold. In a way, it was almost like I was back on the force, about to go on a mission. It was both terrifying and exciting. I was just glad to have Cassandra by my side.

As long as we were together, nothing could defeat us.

We arrived at the abandoned building. “You ready?” I asked, looking at her.

“Let’s end this once and for all,” she said. “I’m done looking over my shoulder.”

I nodded, and together, we advanced toward the building, weapons in hand. I walked a few steps ahead of her, prepared to defend her by any means necessary. My instincts had kicked in, the alpha inside of me coming to the forefront. It was time to protect my mate.

Inside, the building was filled with cobwebs and broken lightbulbs. It was hard to see, but still, we continued, navigating through the maze of halls.

I stepped on a floorboard, which groaned under my weight. The sound made me jump, my finger tightening around the trigger. I remembered my time on the battlefield, my muscles locking with the flashbacks.

Gently, Cassandra placed her hand on my back, urging me forward. “Come on. We have to keep moving.”

With her words, I found the courage to continue.

It seemed like we were walking around in circles. “Are you sure this is the right way?” I asked her.

She nodded.

Then, all of a sudden, I heard footsteps behind us. I turned around quickly, but there was no one there. “Be careful,” I warned.

We continued forward, slower now.

My heart was beating so fast that it threatened to deafen me.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Again, the sound of footsteps. This time, I stopped completely.

“What is it?”

“There’s someone following us,” I whispered, pulling Cassandra behind me. I squinted into the darkness, but it was impossible to see further than a few feet. Whoever it was, they could ambush us at any moment.

Bang!