Deadly Discern - Book Three ✔️

Chapter Two - In The Shadows -

Alex POV

It tore me up inside when I realised that I'd have to leave Danica, the pull to stay and help her deal with what had happened was almost completely insurmountable, but if I stayed I'd only be creating more problems between us and she needed to realise her mistakes on her own.

I'd hesitated momentarily in my decision, thinking of how she would manage without me, but I had enough faith in her to know that she could keep herself in check while alone.

With that knowledge in mind, I walked away from her and also reminded myself that every effort I'd put in so far to protect her from herself had literally gotten me nowhere, I'd only managed to dig a deeper hole with her.

Being true to her personality, she had only succeeded in being stubborn and reluctant to see that she is paving the way for her darkness to break free from her shaky hold. I couldn't stand by any longer and watch her fall apart. I wouldn't.

The fight with her hadn't pushed me over the edge, I could handle any fists she threw at me, no, it was her insistence that she didn't need my help that shoved me clear over the line.

Fighting Danica's inner beast had shown me that my earlier tactics to slow her down had been wasted, I needed to break away from it before it took her over wholly. But my fears were telling me that I might be too late to help her.

There had to be something I could do to get through to her.

Driving along the dark, empty streets of Pasadena, the calming sound of my engine surrounding me, Ditz still curled comfortably on my lap as I stared dazedly out of the windshield.
I had no idea where I was headed.
No plans of stopping, no definite route.

But I needed to figure something out. Leaving Danica simply wasn't an option. That woman is my life, that much I know. Although she is the one person who can drive me utterly insane, she is also the person who makes me the happiest. And I refuse to give up on her, no matter how hopeless it seems. My heart wouldn't let me. My head knew that it'd be the most difficult fight of my life, but it too understood my need to fight for her, for us.

Before Danica, I didn't have much. When we met she gave me a reason to smile and another reason to want to fight harder for the lighter side of life. She has helped me as I continue to suffer with PTSD and the least I could do is try and return that gesture, be it a completely different kind of situation.

I refuse to believe that there is no going back. There is an answer to every question. And I will figure this shit out, even if it kills me in the process, she means that much to me.

Rounding a bend, my headlights illuminate the front window of a bookstore, giving me a brief glimpse of a poster with a quaint looking house, a tall oak tree in the front yard and the smiling face of a kind eyed, middle aged woman.

Thoughtlessly petting Ditz, my brain begins to tick over. I need to get to the bottom of whatever has been happening with Danica. This thing couldn't have manifested itself over night. As much as she thinks that is the case, there is surely more to it than that. Not only does she now have a penchant for torturing and then killing her victims, but she does, admittedly, have some skills in combat, but they are completely unrefined. There must be a reason behind how and why she can do these things without any previous training to back her up. You don't happen to stumble upon combative skills like that.