Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 53212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 266(@200wpm)___ 213(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 266(@200wpm)___ 213(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
But I can’t stop myself from taking it further.
Without hesitation, I lift her into my arms—her legs wrapped around my waist—and I kiss her. I back her toward the counter, resting her ass on the top of it, and my hands settle at her hips as I deepen our kiss.
The pulse between us explodes, and that kiss turns into a frantic mess of lips and tongue and teeth and hands.
“Rook,” she breathes.
I rest my forehead against hers. “Tell me to stop.”
She doesn’t.
She slides her hands into my hair, and her mouth finds mine again. I deepen the kiss, every instinct urging me forward, the world narrowing down to this—her warmth, her trust, the certainty pounding through me.
And I’m about to have my wicked way with her right here on the kitchen counter when the sounds of footsteps echo inside my ears.
My head snaps up, every sense flaring.
Kylie stiffens. “What—”
“Stay here,” I murmur, already turning toward the door.
But when it opens, Calloway steps inside like he owns the place—which, to be fair, he does. His gaze flicks from the table to Kylie on the counter to me standing far too close.
“Thought I’d check in to see how it’s going.” A slow smile spreads across his face. “Clearly, it’s going well.”
I roll my eyes. “You have horrible timing.”
Kylie snorts.
And Cal pulls out a chair and sits at the table. “Still nothing major on the radar. Our names are being dragged through the mud. A lot of death threats, but no organized movement yet. I’m confident we’re safe here for now.”
I nod. “Where’s Kane?”
Cal shrugs. “Should be here shortly. There’s one more thing he said he needed to check on.”
The morning moves forward after that. Kylie finishes her breakfast. Cal gives me more updates about what Holland and the other gofers are currently plotting and scheming.
And for the most part, everything feels good.
Until a few hours later, that is.
The door slams open, and Kane bursts in with a woman slung over his shoulder.
Holy fuck.
She’s thrashing in his grip, her arms flailing and legs kicking. Her mouth is wide open in a scream that never makes it past her lips, eyes wild with terror and fury.
“What the fuck?” I snap.
Cal is already on his feet. “Holy shit, Kane!”
“She’s fine,” Kane says, breathless but controlled. “I mean, she’s real fucking pissed at me, but she’s fine. She’s safe.”
Kylie’s eyes are wide as she looks between Kane and me and the unknown woman on Kane’s shoulder. I don’t hesitate to stand up and move across the room to wrap my arm around Kylie’s shoulders. Her body shakes with concern.
“Who is she?” Cal asks, and Kane has to adjust his grip as the woman fights harder against him.
“Her name is Blair.”
Blair’s eyes meet mine—panic bleeding into disbelief—and something hits me like static.
Her thoughts. I can hear them. They’re disjointed and fragmented and fear tangled up with expectation. She’s thinking about elites and vampires and shouting that she’s going to kill Kane. And her mind is filled with names that belong to very fucking powerful people.
I freeze. “Kane, why do you have her?”
“I had to,” he says. “I had to save her.”
Blair tries to scream again, but still, nothing comes out of her mouth. And when I look at Kane again, I’m certain her silenced screams have something to do with him. He’s controlling them. How, I don’t know, but he is.
“She thought she was being chosen,” Kane adds. “Thought it was an honor. A fucking privilege. She was just going to walk into the viper’s fucking den willingly. She has no idea what they were planning to do to her.”
“Fuck me.” Cal sighs. “You met her at the preview, didn’t you?”
“What preview?” I question, but both of them ignore me.
Kane just stays silent and Cal looks enraged.
“I can’t believe you fucking kept this from me, Kane,” Cal snaps, but Kane doesn’t back down as Blair continues to thrash her body on his shoulder.
“She didn’t know the truth, Cal! She thinks it’s some kind of fucking fairy tale! Her goddamn mother was helping her shop for fucking clothes!” Kane shouts, his eyes wild with unnamed things. “I couldn’t not step in. I couldn’t not save her. I had to. I fucking had to.”
But the more he speaks, the more I see the look in his eyes, the more I start to realize.
“Fuck, Kane,” I mutter. “Fucking fuck.”
“She thinks she knows,” he continues. “But she has no fucking clue. I couldn’t let her go there. I had to stop it.”
“You’re locked in,” I whisper, and Cal’s face whips to mine. “This isn’t just any woman, Cal. This is her.” His fated mate.
“Oh fuck.” Cal’s eyes go wide, and he looks back at Kane. “Oh fuck, fuck, fuck, Kane. Do not tell me this is what I think it is. Please, do not fucking tell me.”