Free Denouement (The Darkness Series Book 3) by Cassia Brightmore

wheezing startled him. Mila clutched a hand to her chest and to his horror, sat up, looking around in confusion. Spotting him holding the broom like a baseball bat, she tried to speak, her voice low and hoarse.
    “Well done, Deputy. I knew you had it in you. I knew deep inside there was a dark nature just waiting to be let out.” Mila patted her hair and brought a hand to her throat, grimacing when she prodded the tender skin. Sam could already see the purple imprints of his finger prints starting to pop out.
    She gained her feet and walked towards him, not breaking their connection. “You’ve kept it inside, you’ve been hiding out here, away from everyone because you know—you know what you’ve become.”
    “Stop it. Shut the fuck up. How are you alive? I fucking killed you!” Sam yelled. She kept coming closer, kept worming her way inside his head with her words, slicing down into the very core of him.
    “You killed me. You wrapped your hands around my throat without any hesitation and didn’t stop until I was dead on the floor. You know what you are, Sam. You’re a killer. A monster. You’ve got the devil dancing in your veins waiting to be unleashed. You just need the right instruction.” She stopped in front of him and took the broom from him, setting it aside.
    Sam looked away, refusing to meet her eyes. She took his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her.
    “You killed me, Sam,” she repeated. “You. Are. A. Killer.”
    “No,” he shook his head, trying to knock her hands away. Mila stayed put and knew she had him when his shoulders slumped and he locked eyes with her once again.
    “Yes, Sam. You have become me. And I’m going to teach you exactly what that means.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

    A ubrey placed a plate of buttered toast on the kitchen table and began cutting the slices into fours. Greta was behind her chopping up an apple while Caleb and Hope banged their plastic cutlery on the table, impatiently waiting for their breakfast. She smiled as she put a few pieces on each of their plates and they grabbed them up to stuff into their little mouths. Hope was rougher than Caleb, filling her mouth until her cheeks puffed out.
    “Hope, that’s enough,” Aubrey warned, watching to make sure the little girl didn’t choke. She chewed and swallowed, grinning up at Aubrey.
    “Jam,” she demanded, pointing at Greta. Greta rolled her eyes and cast an apologetic look at Aubrey.
    “She loves strawberry jam. Do you have any?” she asked.
    “In the fridge. I think there’s grape jelly as well if they like that,” she told her, watching as Greta pulled open the fridge and hunted through the jars of condiments stored in the door. Nora came into the kitchen just as Greta shut the door, strawberry jam in hand.
    “Good morning,” she called out as she kissed Caleb and Hope on their cheeks. Caleb made a face and Hope squealed happily at the contact. Bringing over the new slices of toast coated with a thick layer of strawberry jam, Aubrey smiled at Nora.
    “There’s fresh coffee in the pot. Help yourself, Greta and I have breakfast handled.” Nora smiled gratefully as she pulled down a blue mug from the cupboard.
    “How did you sleep?” Aubrey asked as they watched Greta clean the children’s sticky faces with a wet wipe. She cleared the remnants of the toast away and placed the apple slices in the center of the table.
    Nora offered her a weary smile. “Not bad. Had some crazy dreams. I was really hoping coming here for a few days would help me relax and concentrate on why things with Gabe feel so tense and off.”
    “What’s going on? Are you two having problems?” Aubrey laid her hand over Nora’s and gave it a gentle squeeze in a show of comfort and support. Seeing her cousin this conflicted broke her heart, she knew how hard Gabe and Nora had fought to get back what had been taken from them; what the horror of Caleb’s kidnapping did to them. If they’d lost their way, she wanted to do