Page 60 of Phantom Flower

I would still kill him eventually.

The bleeding guy swayed, one hand on the shattered sink for balance. “Please, man… let me go. I won’t say anything. I’ll disappear. I swear—”

I smiled. It was not nice.

I grabbed his neck with both hands, thumbs pressing into his windpipe, fingers digging into the sides. His eyes went wide. He clawed at my wrists, but there was no strength left in him.

“I’ll see you in hell,” I said quietly.

Then I twisted his neck.

His body went limp instantly, eyes still open but empty. I let go and he dropped like a puppet with the strings cut.

I turned around.

Rei was still against the wall where he had slid down, belt blindfold in place. His head turned toward the sound of the body hitting the floor, but he could not see.

“What is happening… I…”

He probably had not heard everything clearly. The music from the party was still thumping through the walls, and the drug had him floating. Good. I did not want him to see any of this. I lowered down in front of him again. One arm slid under his knees, the other behind his back. I lifted him easily.

“I’ll take you home.”

***

I never meant his home.

I was bringing him to my mansion on the outskirts of the city.

I carried him the entire way from the car.

When I reached my bedroom, I gently sat him down on the edge of the massive bed. Rei blinked slowly, dazed, then tilted his head. The movement was too sudden. The flower clip slipped from his hair and fell onto the mattress.

“Noooo…” he whimpered, the sound so soft and heartbroken it did something strange to my chest. He reached for it with both hands, cupping the fallen flower in his palms.

He stared at it with glassy eyes, lips pushed forward in the most devastating pout I had ever seen.

Fucking hell.

I dropped to one knee in front of him, bringing myself to his eye level. I had never knelt for anyone in my life, but right now, with him looking so lost and adorable, I did not even hesitate.

“It’s okay,” I said, speaking softer than I ever had before. “I’ll get you a new one.”

Rei shook his head slowly, still pouting as he poked at the petals with one finger. “But I want this one… it was blue today.”

I reached out and carefully brushed a strand of silver hair away from his face. “Why blue today, little fairy?”

He looked up at me then. And the smile that spread across his lips was so genuine, it nearly knocked the air out of my lungs. He had never smiled at me like that before.

“Because of you, silly,” he said, voice slurred, then he poked my nose with his finger.

“Boop.”

He just booped my fucking nose and I felt my cold, black heart do a fucking backflip.

I caught his hand gently before he could pull away, holding it in mine. “Do I remind you of blue?”

Rei shook his head, still smiling. “Not just blue… All colors. You’re all colors at once. Dark and bright and scary and… pretty.” He blinked slowly, like the words were hard to find. “You’re confusing.”