Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE

Lu handed her the knife, and she took it with a respect that made her even more stunning in his eyes. She held it gently, ran her finger carefully across the blade, and held it to her face to inspect it. Her breath fogged up the metal and Lu grit his teeth to keep from moaning.

“From your father to you, and now you’ll let me use it?”

“For your first kill. For any kill you want. Until you find something that you like better. Or always.”

They parked far away, walking to her house. It was dark. The gravel crunched beneath their feet. Montessa held Lu’s hand and ran her finger across the bones of his knuckles.

“This is . . . crazy,” she said, keeping her voice low.

“This is what is meant to be,” he answered back.

How many times had he prowled this area? He knew it backward and forward. But Montessa still knew it better. They strolled under streetlights, through darkness, past addicts and drunks and frightened runaways, through alleys and parks and cemeteries.

“This i