lia'

n't g

hat had existed before Lucien Blackthorne-felt wrong now. Unsafe. Like goi

d, I w

night. Traffic roared past, horns blaring, people brushing against me withou

new bet

't inv

s ma

n my head no matter how ha

ou are to him... there's no su

eps s

aloud, tasting the words. They

I wasn't alone-not really. No matter how far I walked, no matter how har

ted

ted

part of me understood

didn't come w

I was one of the w

ction stared back at me from a darkened storefront window. I looked the same, but I w

n't h

t, not

ran down

ed green, but

when I

s o

gers. Not curiosity. This was f

lse s

de road. The noise of the city faded, replaced by the d

ing things, I

smell

Lu

hing

. Shar

ammed again

shadow detached itself f

thly. "If I wanted to hurt

as tall-almost as tall as Lucien-but leaner, his presence less suffo

ely not

manded, forcing my

s been sent to make sure you don't get yourself k

twisted.

studying me openly now. "Yo

w wh

e most discussed topic

nt a chill

pack," I

ed. "And you just walked strai

for any of thi

plied calmly. "That doesn

ell whoever sent you t

"That's not how th

from his mouth m

th me," he continue

f I sa

briefly to the

you," he said. "And t

led in m

asked.

't have activated. Because Lucien Blackthorne rejected you-and lived. And becau

eath

me... a

ens now?"

er Lucien keeps pretending you're

espond, the bond

my chest, sharper than before, like somethi

ci

ing wa

under his brea

asked, panic cla

t lost control,

d seemed

he continued. "You are not safe here an

pounded.

es

Luc

ed. "Lucien is

ed again, err

he said urgent

d answer, the

ysical force, knocking the breath from my

at the far en

llar. His eyes glowed bright gold, unrestrained, feral. Powe

locked

cross his face-b

n r

from her,"

tepped forward inst

ce cracking with barely contained

i

arder than any re

surged, b

ook a st

time, I realized s

ere to reje

ere to c