Prey

Chapter 32

Doe's POV:

I stared motionless at the door in front of me in this dark closet, hand pressing hard against my mouth.

Because I could not believe what just came out of Xander's.

Dead.

Dead!

Of all things why did he decide it would be a good idea to go with that?

I shouldn't be this surprised, coming up with good plans has never been one of his strengths, especially when it included her.

I couldn't even decide at the moment how I felt about this, a strange mix of reactions I wasn't used to growing by the second once I heard the door shut, signaling her to leave.

Did I think that whatever Xander's plan was had the potential to go horribly wrong?

Absolutely.

I couldn't fathom how he expected to make this work in the long run.

She'd be bound to sense me in one way or another, either on his clothes or in this room in general.

Although with my supposed demise, she'd have no need to come over here.

Which was the prime reason that relief of all things was coursing through me once he blurted out that idiotic lie.

He said that he'd figure something out, and I was expecting that that 'something' would possibly be another week without having to worry about her.

Not the permanent solution he just handed out.

Foolish or not, the intention of it was there, and that's what surprised me.

I didn't expect him actually go through with 'figuring something out' let alone for him to be this serious about it.

The thought that I'd never end up in her hands again nearly brought tears of relief into my eyes.

But my insistence of never holding onto hope stopped them from growing into anything other than a lump in my throat.

Which I then tried to swallow once another wave of entirely new concerns began growing.

What was he going to do with me now that I wasn't bringing over Layla?

That was the reason he agreed to keep me in the first place.

That was the role I've been playing for nearly two years now.

And it didn't sound like my supposed death was stopping her from trying to keep him close.

"you do have a knack for finding good ones, and you're going to need a new one as well for us to split,"

He had already agreed to go with her to find a new one... And if he does, what then?

Just hide me away every time she stops by, hoping that she gives him a warning beforehand and enough time for me to hide?

And if we mess that up somehow...

My next breath trembled, the words she spoke replaying in my head.

"I was beginning to think she was reaching her expiration date, but you beat me to it,"

My fingers lowered from my mouth to gently trace over the skin of my throat, where my dreams have shown her slicing on multiple occasions.

I'm sure even Xander didn't want to figure out what would happen if she figured out that he lied to her about this