I start to tell him no, but a change of location might give me an advantage. “Yes. I’ll follow behind in my car. See you there.” I nip at his lips and add a little breathiness to my voice. I know Tate hasn’t fucked him yet, though it’s obvious that Stuart wants to with how flustered he is now.
The drive isn’t long, but I’m becoming agitated that I’m having to deal with this fucker in the first place. Sure, I could have let Tate deal with the heartbreak and move on, but my sole responsibility is to ensure that no one hurts him. Ever. And breaking his heart by leaving like this is definitely hurting Tate. Maybe not as much as it would have if Corvin hadn’t finally shown his true feelings for him, but he’s still hurting. I can feel it, just like I can feel many of the aftereffects of others’ actions against him.
Once I’m inside Stuart’s apartment I drop the facade of Tate that I’d imitated to get me here. The easy smile leaves my face and a sinister sneer replaces it, unnerving Stuart the moment he notices the slight physical change that distinguishes me from Tate.
“Tate? What’s going on?”
Tate doesn’t usually try to come forward when I’m in control, but I can feel him fighting me now. Perhaps because it’s Stuart, but I can’t let him take over now. Not until I’m done.
I make quick work of Stuart, making it appear like an accident. I take advantage of his distraction and viciously slam his temple into the corner of the small end table that sits just inside his living area. I press down to ensure that the wound is deep enough he will bleed out quickly, then arrange his body to look as if he fell. For added assurance I knock the vase of flowers from the small table onto his face. If it weren’t for Tate, I wouldn’t have bothered with staging anything. I’d have sliced him open with my blade and left.
When I’m finished, I write a note for Tate. I tell him what I did—all of it—then I drive us back to the apartment where Corvin is waiting for him. After parking the car, I set the note where he won’t miss it and drift back into the darkness to watch... ready to take control again if needed.
Chapter Ten
Tate
I’ve been in a fog since the date with Stuart ended, which is strange because I didn’t drink that much. For some reason I have a vague impression that I went to his place, but I don’t remember anything about the drive from the restaurant to my apartment. After the way the night ended, I don’t know why I’d think I went there. Shaking my head to clear it, I noticed a slightly crumpled sheet of paper with writing on it. I pick it up and as I read the words written on the page, my entire body freezes in denial and fear.
The note is signed ‘Will’ but he hasn’t been in my life for a long time. Not since before I met Corvin. My psychiatrist at the time said he had outlived his usefulness, seeing as my abusive stepfather had been imprisoned for his crimes and then shortly after took his own life. She said the threat was gone so it made sense that Will had gone too. But this note and the details it contains suggest he’d never left me, not completely.
Shit. I have to tell Corvin. Fuck. What if he hates me for not telling him sooner?
I get out of the car, the note still clenched tightly in my fist, and somberly make my way into our apartment. I can hear Corvin in the kitchen, and I don’t waste time fighting with myself over what I need to do.
Corvin notices me the moment I enter the room and a smile stretches across his face. “Hey, how did the date go?”
“Uh,” I stumble over my words and instead shove the piece of paper at him. He reads about the horrible things Will has done to keep me safe. His face remains stoic, expressionless.
“Okay. So what does this mean?”
“That I never had a stalker. Not in the sense of a true stalker anyway. Will has apparently been protecting me from heartbreak and any other source of hurt my whole life. I thought he had gone. Dr. Plaske had said he was gone, but she was wrong.” I sit at the small kitchen table, elbows on the top and my head in my hands. Corvin is going to hate me or think I’m crazy—which I guess I am—or maybe even both.
“So he’s not gone. And you think this is a bad thing… that he protects you?”
“Yes. Why wouldn’t I? You don’t understand, Cor. Will is… he’s… he’s me… sort of.”
Corvin takes the chair from the side of the table opposite me and moves it until he can sit beside me. “T, I’m going to tell you something, but I don’t want you to get pissed at me, okay?” I nod in response. No matter what he has to say it will never change the fact that he’s my best friend. Or that I’m in love with him. I might not have realized if he hadn’t kissed me and fried my brain until I could think of nothing but him, but it’s true.
“I already knew about Will. Well, not what he’s done or that he was the stalker, but that he takes control occasionally.”
“What? How long?”
He shrugs. “Since middle school. He thought I would hurt you, so he threatened me. I didn’t back down and we came to an agreement to protect you together. He’s not sure if I’m worthy of you as more than a friend and protector yet. There’s some kind of test I have to pass in his eyes, but it doesn’t matter. I pushed that kiss onto you last night and I know
