Page 35 of Unholy Masks

“Is that…”

“The dragon book, where he uses his tail to fuck her, yes.” He gave me a sarcastic look. “I almost want to grow a tail just so that I can fuck you with a tail.”

“I mean, I almost said no to you because you didn’t have a tail. It was a real dealbreaker.”

“Preposterous, Yara West.” Pouting, he pulled me closer. “I’ll have you know that I do just fine without a tail.”

“Well, you do,” I said, stepping toward the bathroom, and he followed. He filled the bathtub as I stripped before lowering myself into the warm scented water. His arms came around me, tracing my skin with soft strokes as he settled behind me.

“The gardenia,” I said, leaning against his chest. “Track down Sofia’s family? See if they know anything more about it? If she had it, do you think the cops found it? At least the box, even if the flower’s wilted by now?”

He pressed a kiss to the back of my neck.

“I’ll see what I can do about it. I have to send the list to Reah. She’ll find something, even if it takes a while.”

I frowned. “How did the detectives not know about this?”

He paused, running a hand through my hair. “If they hadn’t found Daiken’s note, they probably would’ve moved on to the next lead, like they always do.” He let out a frustrated breath, meeting my eyes. “But Detective R, he found that note, and it threw him off track.”

“Because of a note!”

“At least Daiken’s behind bars. That’s the one good thing that came out of all this mess.”

Ryden soaped my back.

“Yeah.” I yawned.

“You are sleepy.”

I yawned again, and Ryden laughed. “What about…”

“We have a lifetime to do it all, love. You can make me scream your name another night. Come on.” He pulled me out of the tub and carried me in his arms. He settled me on the bed and dried me with the towel, his eyes soft, his hands softer.

I hated most men with a fury that burned hotter than anything else in this wretched world, because the men I had met showed me what true evil looks like; they wore it like a second skin.

Some men didn’t deserve to live, to breathe, to exist. They played the good guys, but stood by while women were raped, beaten, and buried. They made excuses for the bad ones. They benefited from the violent men.

But Ryden wasn’t most men.

He wasn’t agreeable or accommodating. He didn’t offer empty sympathy. He acted. And when he saw a woman in danger, he did not turn away—he became the thing they feared in the dark.

That was what pulled me to him. That was what kept me there.

“Let’s get you to bed, darling.”

“I love you, Ryden.” I sighed with a smile. “I love you so damn much.”

The next morning, Ryden went to do more research on the gardenia, while I drove to my work.

I worked on Leo Kesler’s body. I cut, knowing very well the Strangler wouldn’t have left anything. I needed to go back to the orphanage. If Tany’s sister was the Strangler, I could only find her if I started from the beginning, from where the darkness started.

I was deep in thought when I heard a knock.

“Yes?”

“It’s Rosario.”

“Come in, Detective R.” I was surprised to see he was not alone. He was with Detective Nia.