The Unbreakable (Ghost #3)

Chapter 25

Lia

He's right.

I never realized it, but he is.

I've killed people before, with no remorse. I beat people up without any guilt, leaving them broken or even incapacitated.

I don't need to do that, I have enough money to live comfortably, but I still fight. I hurt people.

Whenever something happens, my first reaction is aggression. When Victoria bothered me, I hit her. When Declan hurt Blake, I almost killed him. I even tortured my step-mother to death.

I'm a monster.

And one day Blake will see it too.

"Kitten, please, talk to me. Don't listen to that fucker, he's just trying to hurt you." I hear Blake's frantic voice as he crouches in front of me. I slid down the wall a while ago, wrapping my arms around myself, curling into a small ball on the floor.

"He's right. He's right. He's right." I keep mumbling like a broken record, only half aware of my surroundings.

"No! He's not!"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" I cry out, hiding my face in my knees, not daring to look at Blake. I'm afraid of what I'm going to find in his eyes. Surely he's disgusted by me. Surely he can see that Declan's words are nothing but truth.

I catch some other voices around me, no doubt belonging to Blake's friends, as they call out to me in concern. That's when I realize I'm hyperventilating.

My breathing gets heavy and labored, and I struggle to stay conscious. Everything starts to fade out as black spots block my vision and dull noise fills my ears.

"Shit, Lia! Breathe!" A pair of familiar arms engulfs me, pulling my trembling body to a hard chest that smells like... home. Blake is my home. He's my safe haven. He's my everything.

And I don't deserve him.

But even though I know that, his embrace still comforts me. His familiar scent surrounds me, helping ease the tension in my muscles as my lungs finally start working again.

"That's it, kitten, breathe. I'm right here, you're okay." Blake soothes, stroking my hair comfortingly, whispering sweet nothings into my ear.

"I'm so sorry!" I sob, hating how he always has to take care of me. I was supposed to be strong, but I feel so weak right now that I can't even raise my head to look at the guys around me.

"What are you sorry for, baby? You did nothing wrong."

"I'm a monster." I cry out, burying my face further into Blake's chest, not even caring that we have an audience.

Blake tenses slightly for a moment then sighs heavily, as if finally realizing the impact Declan words have on me. He's going to leave me now. He sees what I am. A beast.

"Are you for real now? Kitten, what the hell are you talking about?!"

I'm still crying when I pull away from his arms. "He's right! I'm a killing machine! I'm a monster!"

"Stop it! – he yells at me furiously – He's not right! It's not true! Why are you letting him get to you?! You're not a monster, you're my sweet kitten. Just because you have claws doesn't make you a bad person." I can't help but laugh at his ridiculousness. Claws, really?

"Blake, please. You have to see it too. I killed people! With no remorse! And I don't even feel guilty about it! What kind of person takes lives and feels nothing about it?!"

I don't even care that Blake's friends are still watching us or that I just openly admitted to killing people. They deserve to know what kind of freak I am.