EIRA'S POV
Please, God—send a tsunami. An earthquake. A meteor, for all I care. Just make the ground swallow me whole.
I should have listened to him. I should have come another day.
Adrian hadn't taken his eyes off me. His stare was so merciless that I could practically feel it carving through my skin. Every muscle in my body had locked up, and my trembling knees were doing a terrible job of holding me upright.
Then, suddenly—
Laughter.
Wait.
What the hell?
That boy was actually laughing? Clutching his stomach, no less, as though watching me stand on the verge of a nervous breakdown was the funniest thing he'd witnessed in his entire life.
"Look at your face, dear! You look as if you've seen a ghost," he managed between bursts of laughter.
"No… worse than that," I whispered.
Oh, shit.
Had I said that aloud?
His laughter erupted all over again.
God, I needed industrial-strength tape for my mouth.
Adrian, meanwhile, hadn't moved an inch. His dark eyes remained fixed on me, and the longer he stared, the more convinced I became that my funeral arrangements needed to be made immediately.
"Hi, I'm Drek. Adrian's best friend," he announced cheerfully, as though we were meeting at a coffee shop instead of standing in the middle of what might soon become a crime scene.
My lips parted.
Nothing came out.
Apparently, my voice had decided that abandoning me was the safest available option.
"Come inside!" Drek urged.
I couldn't move. My feet felt rooted to the floor, my body refusing to cooperate no matter how desperately I wanted to escape.
"Don't be terrified of him. I'm his brother," Drek added lightly, glancing at Adrian. "Stop frightening her like this, Adrian."
I barely had time to process the word brother before Adrian moved.
One second, Drek was standing beside us.
The next, Adrian had seized him by the collar and hurled him out of the house.
"HEY—!"
BANG!
The front door slammed shut with a bone-rattling thud.
A second later, pounding erupted from the other side.
"ADRIAN! YOU INSANE—"
The shouting continued for several seconds before abruptly cutting off.
Silence.
He was gone.
I stared at the closed door before slowly turning toward Adrian.
Shit.
I was dead.
My heart hammered against my ribs as I tried to think of a way out of this disaster.
"I… I should… also go," I stammered. "I'll come later."
I edged toward the door, praying he would let me leave without further incident.
My fingers had barely reached for the handle when a hand clamped around my elbow.
Before I could react, Adrian spun me around.
My breath caught.
Those dark, merciless eyes were suddenly inches from mine.
I instinctively retreated, only to hit the cold door with my back. The impact sent a shiver through me.
There was nowhere left to go.
"Adrian…" My voice emerged as little more than a whisper. "I… I'll talk to you in college."
I tried to slip past him.
He planted both hands against the door, one on either side of my head.
I flinched at the sudden movement.
He hadn't even touched me again, yet I felt trapped beneath the sheer force of his presence.
"Why do you never listen to me?"
His voice was low, controlled, and infinitely more frightening than shouting.
"This house is in the middle of the forest. Can't you see the danger?"
I swallowed, my throat painfully dry.
"I told you to stay away from Peter. But you never listen."
His jaw tightened.
"Why, Eira? Why can't you ever listen?"
His fist slammed into the door beside my head.
BANG!
I jerked violently, a frightened whimper escaping before I could suppress it.
He stared down at me, his expression darkening as a muscle jumped beneath his cheek.
"I… I just came for Tessy," I gasped. "I need your h-help."
He seized my wrist and yanked me toward him.
I stumbled, crashing against his chest. My free hand caught against his shirt to steady myself, my fingers curling into the fabric.
For one disorienting second, I forgot what I had been about to say.
He stood rigidly before me, his fury radiating through every tense line of his body. His fingers encircled my wrist, holding me in place, while his unrelenting stare made it impossible to look away.
"How can you even think of going near him again?" he snarled.
His grip tightened.
"Are you stupid, Eira? Tell me! Why do you always want to throw yourself into danger? Why do you always want to die?"
The last question struck harder than the others.
I stared at him, struggling to draw a full breath.
"You're… you're hurting me," I whispered.
The words barely escaped my lips, but he heard them.
His gaze dropped to my wrist.
For a fraction of a second, something in his expression faltered. His fingers loosened before he released me completely.
I pulled my wrist against my chest, rubbing the reddened skin.
He stepped away, his face hardening as he turned his gaze elsewhere.
The sudden distance should have been a relief. Instead, I found myself wondering what could possibly be happening inside that infuriating head of his.
I forced myself to speak.
"Her engagement is on Sunday."
He didn't respond.
"He will destroy her life."
"Does it look like I care?"
His glare cut through me.
"Please, Adrian. Don't say that." My voice trembled despite my efforts to steady it. "Please… please!"
For a moment, I thought he might listen.
Then his expression hardened.
"Leave, Eira. And close the door behind you."
He turned toward the staircase, dismissing me as though the conversation had never mattered.
I stared at his retreating back.
How could he be so heartless? Didn't he understand what would happen to Tessy if she married Peter?
Something inside me snapped.
Fine.
I didn't need him.
"I don't need anyone. I'll handle this on my own," I snapped.
He continued toward the stairs.
Anger surged through me, overpowering the fear that had kept me silent.
"You're a coward, Adrian! A coward!"
He stopped.
Every instinct screamed at me to take the words back.
Slowly, he turned.
His dark eyes settled on me, and the atmosphere in the room seemed to grow suffocating.
I swallowed.
Perhaps calling the most terrifying man I'd ever met a coward hadn't been my brightest decision.
"Stay away from Peter," he said.
His voice was so sharp that the warning seemed to slice straight through me.
I lifted my chin, refusing to retreat now.
"I won't let him marry her."
Then I turned and stormed out before my courage could abandon me.
✦ ADRIAN'S POV ✦
I ran.
Deeper into the forest, away from the mansion and the girl who had once again managed to turn my self-control into a liability.
The trees blurred past me. Branches snapped beneath my feet as the cold air rushed against my face.
It did nothing to clear my head.
Her eyes followed me.
The tremor in her voice.
The moment she'd whispered that I was hurting her.
My jaw tightened, and I pushed myself faster.
Why did I lose control around her?
I'd spent centuries mastering every instinct, every violent impulse, every weakness that could be used against me. Nothing had ever required this much effort to keep in check.
Yet Eira could push me to the edge with a few reckless words.
And I despised it.
She never listened. She walked straight into danger, challenged every warning I gave her, and somehow expected me to tolerate her stupidity.
Goddammit, Eira.
Why couldn't she listen?
Just once.
I slowed, my hands curling into fists.
If she went after Peter again, she could get herself killed.
The thought sharpened my irritation. She was reckless, infuriating, and far too determined to meddle in things she didn't understand.
I needed to make sure she stayed away from him.
That was all.
I pulled out my phone and made the call.
"Hello. I want every single piece of information on Peter Dawn," I ordered, my voice cold as steel. "His background, his connections, his movements. Everything. I want it on my desk as soon as possible."
I ended the call before the person on the other end could ask questions.
Then I started running again.
Peter Dawn had no idea what he was dealing with.
And if he so much as laid a finger on Eira again—
I would make him regret it.