ADRIAN'S POV
I wanted to kill.
Not fight. Not punish.
Kill.
Peter had been too close to her. Touching her. Looking at her as though he had any right to her attention.
My fingers curled into fists. The marble beneath my feet cracked with a sharp snap.
I barely noticed.
All I could think about was finding him, wrapping my hands around his throat, and wiping that arrogant expression from his face.
I wanted to make certain he never came near her again.
Then a hand landed on my shoulder.
Instinct took over.
I seized the intruder and hurled him across the room.
CRASH!
Drek slammed into the wall, sending an expensive Italian statue crashing to the floor. It shattered across the marble.
"You've gone mad!" He pushed himself upright, brushing dust from his clothes. "What if I died?!"
"I wanted to kill him."
The words emerged in a low, vicious rasp.
"I wanted to rip his throat out."
Drek's amusement faded.
"How dare he touch her?" I snarled.
The memory of Peter standing so close to her made my hands clench again. Centuries of discipline did nothing to dull the fury coursing through me.
Drek studied me for a moment.
"Oh."
That single syllable grated on my nerves.
I turned toward him.
"Adrian, you've never cared about me this much," he said cautiously. "You've never cared about anyone this much, either."
"Drek."
"You know, you're behaving like a jealous husband."
My expression hardened.
Drek swallowed, but his curiosity got the better of him.
"You care too much about her."
"Stop talking."
He tilted his head, a slow grin spreading across his face.
"Are you in lo—"
"Finish that sentence, Drek, and I'll make you regret ever having a tongue in the first place."
His grin vanished.
For once, he recognized a threat worth taking seriously.
I turned away.
"I don't care about her," I said coldly. "Use whatever brain cells you have left and stop talking."
"Of course," he muttered. "You don't care at all."
I glanced over my shoulder.
He immediately raised both hands.
"Not another word."
I left before he could test my patience further and slammed my bedroom door behind me.
The silence should have helped.
It didn't.
Peter's hand on her. His proximity. The sheer audacity of touching her without consequence.
My jaw tightened.
I had survived wars, betrayals, and centuries of bloodshed without allowing emotion to dictate my actions. Yet one insignificant human had brought me closer to losing control than any enemy ever had.
I despised him for it.
And I despised her for making me feel anything at all.
Whatever this was, it wasn't care. It couldn't be.
Because acknowledging that Eira mattered would mean admitting she had the power to make me lose control.
And I would rather burn the world to ashes than give anyone that kind of power over me.
EIRA'S POV
I couldn't stop thinking about Adrian's expression.
I'd seen him irritated, arrogant, and infuriatingly rude. Those were practically his natural states.
But the fury I'd witnessed today had been different. For one terrifying moment, he'd looked like someone who wouldn't hesitate to kill.
And I believed him.
A shiver crept down my spine.
"Get a grip, Eira," I whispered.
My phone vibrated beside me. Grateful for the distraction, I reached for it.
Then I saw the photograph.
Peter and Tessy, smiling at the camera with their fingers intertwined.
Beneath it was a headline announcing their engagement this Sunday.
"No."
I stared at the screen, hoping I'd misunderstood.
I hadn't.
"No, no, no."
Tessy had no idea who Peter really was. She didn't know what he was capable of or how easily he could turn someone's trust against them.
She was my best friend. I couldn't let her walk into a nightmare believing she was getting her happily ever after.
I dragged my hands through my hair, forcing myself to think.
Who could stop this?
Who could expose Peter before Sunday?
And who would believe me?
I had no proof strong enough to convince everyone, and time was running out.
Then one name surfaced.
Adrian.
I lifted my head.
He was dangerous, arrogant, and quite possibly the most unpleasant person I'd ever met. But he was also the only person I knew who could make Peter afraid.
The only person who might be able to stop this engagement.
Hope flickered briefly before reality caught up with me.
Adrian Blake helping me?
He'd sooner throw me out of a moving car.
Actually, considering today's events, he might throw me out of a building.
I swallowed.
Still, I had to try.
For Tessy, I'd endure his insults, his temper, and that terrifying stare.
I grabbed my phone and stood.
"Please don't kill me," I whispered to the empty room.
Then I hesitated.
"At least not before you help me."
And left.
ADRIAN'S POV
Fifteen missing people.
I stared at the reports spread across my desk, my patience wearing thinner with every passing second.
Every disappearance had occurred near the forest. No bodies. No blood trails. No useful witnesses.
Nothing.
It was as though the victims had been erased from existence.
Impossible.
We knew every creature inhabiting our territory. We monitored unfamiliar presences and investigated anything that threatened our borders.
Yet fifteen people had vanished without leaving so much as a whisper behind.
Something was wrong, and I despised mysteries that refused to yield their answers.
Mike and Elisa had gone to the places where the victims were believed to have been killed. I was waiting for their report, hoping they'd found something the rest of us had missed.
The doorbell rang.
I ignored it.
Whoever stood outside could wait.
Then a familiar scent drifted through the air.
My fingers stilled against the file.
No.
I lifted my head, my senses sharpening.
Her.
I was on my feet before I consciously registered the movement. By the time I reached the entrance, irritation had already settled beneath my skin.
I yanked the door open.
Eira stood on my doorstep as though she hadn't witnessed me nearly tear someone apart only hours ago.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"I... Adrian..."
Her fingers tightened around her phone. For once, she seemed uncertain.
"Can I come inside?"
"No. Tell me why you're here."
I remained in the doorway, making no effort to conceal my impatience.
She hesitated, and for the first time since I'd met her, I almost hoped she'd choose to retreat.
Almost.
EIRA'S POV
Unbelievable.
I'd travelled all the way to this man's mansion, and he couldn't even pretend to possess basic human courtesy.
Could he not say hello? Ask why I'd come before treating me like an unwanted delivery?
Actually, that might have been too much to expect from someone who considered kindness a personal insult.
I straightened my shoulders.
"Thank you for helping me today."
His expression remained blank.
"I'm really grateful."
"That's all?"
Before I could answer, he began closing the door.
"Leave."
"What?!"
I thrust my palm against the door, stopping it just before it shut.
"I didn't come all this way just to thank you!"
He looked down at my hand, then back at my face.
"What do you want?"
I swallowed.
"Please help me stop Peter and Tessy's engagement."
His expression changed almost imperceptibly. His jaw locked, and the muscles along his forearm tightened.
"You."
His voice dropped.
"Get."
The door began moving again.
"Out."
"Please, Adrian!"
His gaze hardened.
"I will kill you."
He delivered the threat with such calm certainty that my mouth snapped shut.
I should have moved my foot. I should have apologized and run all the way back to my hostel.
Instead, I blurted, "Her life will be ruined!"
"Not my problem."
"But—"
He pushed the door harder.
Panic shot through me.
Think, Eira!
I had no idea how to persuade a man who considered murder a reasonable response to an inconvenience.
Then desperation took over.
"AAAHHH!"
I clutched my leg.
"My leg!"
The door stopped.
For one glorious second, I thought I'd won.
Then I looked up.
Adrian wasn't concerned. He was studying my perfectly unharmed leg with open suspicion.
I summoned the most pitiful expression I could manage.
"Please?"
He stared at me.
"I don't care about you."
Ouch.
"I don't care about her."
He started pushing the door again.
"Leave."
I was preparing another desperate argument when a voice rang out from somewhere behind him.
"Wow! You two look adorable together!"
Adrian froze.
So did I.
The door swung open abruptly, and I lost my balance.
"Oh—!"
My foot slipped. My arms flailed, and I stumbled straight into him.
He caught me instinctively, one arm closing around my waist. But my momentum carried us backward, and we fell.
My back struck the floor with a startled gasp. Adrian landed beneath me, one arm braced against the marble, the other still holding my waist to keep me from crashing down on top of him.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
I was sprawled across him, one palm pressed against his chest, the other gripping his shoulder.
Our faces were inches apart.
I tried to push myself upright, but my palm slipped against his shirt. My fingers caught the fabric, bringing me closer instead.
Oh, no.
His hand remained at my waist. When I shifted, his grip tightened reflexively.
I went still.
Beneath my palm, I could feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing. His jaw was clenched, and his body had gone rigid beneath mine.
My heartbeat accelerated.
"Um..."
Brilliant, Eira.
A magnificent contribution to the English language.
I tried to move again, but my fingers remained tangled in his shirt.
His gaze dropped briefly to my lips.
Then returned to my eyes.
The movement was fleeting, almost imperceptible.
But I saw it.
For one suspended heartbeat, neither of us moved. His fingers stayed at my waist, and his expression gave nothing away, though the tension in his jaw suggested he was fighting to regain control.
Then—
A cough.
The moment shattered.
Adrian shoved me off him and rose in one swift movement. He straightened his shirt with an irritated tug, then adjusted his cuff as though the entire incident had been a minor inconvenience.
He didn't look at me.
I scrambled upright, my cheeks burning.
Why was my heart still racing? And why couldn't I stop thinking about the brief moment when his gaze had fallen to my lips?
I needed professional help.
Preferably from someone who wasn't standing in front of me looking as though he wanted to throw me off the nearest cliff.
Unfortunately, the man on the staircase seemed to have reached an entirely different conclusion.
"My Adrian has finally grown up!"
I turned toward him.
He was grinning like a man who had just discovered the greatest entertainment of his immortal existence.
"Why didn't you tell me about her?"
His grin widened.
"Is she the one you've been hiding?"
I blinked.
Hiding?
Me?
I turned toward Adrian, hoping he'd explain what this man was talking about.
Terrible decision.
Adrian's face had become frighteningly still, every trace of the moment on the floor buried beneath an expression of controlled fury.
His jaw was clenched. One hand curled at his side while the other adjusted his cuff with deliberate precision.
He wasn't looking at the man on the staircase.
He was staring at me.
The man chuckled, apparently oblivious to the impending catastrophe.
"Oh, don't look so murderous, Adrian. You'll frighten the poor girl."
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
I stopped breathing.
I knew that look. I'd seen what happened when Adrian Blake stopped pretending he was in control.
I took one cautious step backward.
His gaze followed me.
I stopped.
The man on the staircase was still smiling. Adrian was still staring, and I had the horrible feeling that falling on top of him had somehow turned a terrible situation into a catastrophic one.
Oh, no.
What had I done?