Primal

Chapter Thirty-Two - The Monster That Loves Me

I refused to leave the bathroom. 

I heard Adam call someone to ask for the body to be disposed of and then I heard the men come and go, no questions asked. 

The smell of bleach soon filled my nostrils and Adam reappeared in the threshold of the bathroom door. 

"You can come out now," he said. 

I shook my head, pulling my knees up to my chest and resting my chin on top. 

"You need to rest."

"You think I can go back to sleep after that?" I asked incredulously. 

It was the first time I had spoken in a few hours, my voice was scratchy. 

Adam sighed and walked over to where I sat on the lid of the toilet. He extended his hand to me and I gingerly reached up to hold it. 

"Come on," he said, pulling me out of the bathroom. 

I stood up and pulled my robe together tighter as I followed him into the bedroom. Immediately my eyes glanced over to where Barret had been lying on the floor and I saw no trace of him. 

I then looked down to Adam's hand, which was still holding mine, realizing that was the hand that had ripped Barret's spine from his body.

It occurred to me all over again that Adam had killed a man to protect me.

If that wasn't love, I wasn't sure what was.

I let go of his hand, causing him to turn and look at me. 

Wrapping my arms around his waist, I held onto him tightly. I hugged him like I was scared of letting go, like I was holding on to life itself.

Adam took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around me, his hands moving up and down my back soothingly.

"Thank you," I whispered.

He put his hands on my face and made me look up at him.

"I promised you that I would do anything to protect you, didn't I?," he asked giving me a tight-lipped smile.

"It couldn't have been easy, though," I said to him.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Killing someone," I explained.

I searched his eyes for a sign of remorse and, when I couldn't find one, I was reminded of who I was mated to. This man was an Alpha Superior. He was the Lycanthrope equivalent of a king. He had conquered nations. 

I was a naïve fool if I thought for one second Barret was the first man he had ever killed and I knew he wouldn't be the last.

Adam had a certain darkness in his blue eyes that made me wonder how many people he'd killed, but his smile... oh, his smile made me realize he had probably lost count.

"The only thing I regret is that you saw me do it," he said honestly.

I sighed, chills erupting across my body at the thought.

I brought my hand up to rest on his hand that was still pressed against my cheek, wondering how the soft touch I felt belonged to hands that had done unspeakable things.

- - -

Adam's P.O.V.

I was angrier at myself in that moment than I had ever been in my life.

I couldn't believe I had let her watch me do that, no matter how much the bastard deserved it.

I didn't regret it, and I knew she could see that. I would have done it all over again twenty times if it had meant protecting her. But, I saw the way she looked at me as I held her.