Garrett Blackwell is not a superhero, and his tattoos arenât just ink. Theyâre the weapons he uses to hunt those who hurt the innocent as he tries to atone for his dark past of violence and crime. And he pays a price every time he uses his gift to summon the darkness around him.
Dory Miller has lived beside Garrett for two months and is torn by her feelings toward her sexy, reclusive neighbor. Heâs the hottest man sheâs ever met, but as more women in her building become targets of a stalker, she doesnât know who she can trustâespecially after she finds Garrett bleeding from a knife wound. Despite her fears that Garrett might be the one responsible for the violence, she feels compelled to help heal his wounds.
Garrett reluctantly lets her, and is shocked to discover that she can heal not only his physical wounds, but also the darkness brought by his powers. But if letting her in means putting her in danger, Garrett may have to keep his distance to keep her safe.
Chapter One
Dark glass shot out from Garrett Blackwellâs palms as he ran down the alley behind his apartment building. The college student from 4A screamed at the top of her lungs, grappling with the man in the black ski mask who held her by the throat. Garrettâs shards of glass struck true as they bloodied the assailantâs hands, giving the girl a quick second of release.
âRun,â he yelled to her, but she was already sprinting down the narrow road without looking back.
âYou son of a bitch.â The girlâs attacker shook his bloody hands in front of him, splattering crimson against the brown brick walls.
âTruer words were never spoken,â Garrett said.
Drawing from the darkness around him and in the man opposite him, he mentally called up a long, double-edged blade into his right hand. A black tribal tattoo from his right biceps slithered down his arm, wrapped around his wrist, and pooled in his palm, materializing as a dagger. He readjusted his shoulders to soothe the crawling sensation as the tattoo did what heâd asked of it. The blade shone midnight-black in the dim light of the quarter moon above them.
The perpetrator started to back away before Garrett had fully gripped the dagger. âOh no, youâre not getting away that easily,â he said.
Garrett launched himself toward the man, and felt a surge of satisfaction as the dagger sliced through the manâs arm. His blood slicked the blade and was absorbed into it within seconds. The man feinted to the right, then lunged to the left. They had reached the end of the alleyway, where bright streetlights gleamed against the night sky, chasing away the shadows that fueled Garrettâs power.
A car came careening around the corner and glanced off the man in the tattered ski mask. He went down, but was back up faster than Garrett would have anticipated. He ran into the middle of the street, loping painfully and cradling his arm against his side.
Before Garrett could follow him and finish this thing, the same car screeched to a halt and the man jumped in, shouting obscenities while the car zoomed off in a heartbeat.
Leaning against the brick building, Garrett dragged in a deep breath and absorbed the dagger back into his body, his tattoos reforming around his biceps. Later, he would need to find the shards of glass heâd sent shooting into the assailantâs hands. He could live without them, but he didnât like to leave pieces of himself lying around. There would be enough fallout from this brawl without the added complication of making a trip to Lissa for a new tat.
He dug his fingers into the bricks, trying to ground himself so he could find the strength to fight the darkness swirling through his blood. His head swam with nausea and his knees almost gave out. Somehow he had to get back upstairs so he could detox. Right about now, he wished he could fly like the mythical Superman. Heâd take Kryptonite over the purging any day.
Each step was painful, though no one would be able to tell from his outward appearance. He might look slightly drunk to the casual observer, his dark hair tousled, his T-shirt untucked from his worn jeans, but that suited his purpose. Hopefully it would keep his neighbors from being too nosy.
He made it to the third landing without coming across anyone. Staggering down the hallway, he only hoped he could make the last three steps without attracting notice.
This was not his night, though, in more ways than one. He snapped to his full height a breath before 3Aâs door opened.
âHey, Garrett,â his next-door neighbor said. âIâve been working on a new recipe. Have you had dinner yet?â
He stifled a groan, not knowing whether it was from the unwelcome promise of another meal cooked by someone who shouldnât even have a kitchen, or from the pain coursing through his body as the darkness sank deeper into his cells.