mari

t, sleeping town and then turned onto a private road marked by a discreet sign: 'Cedar Creek Estat

red the property. They were too large, too fast to be human. Guards. Wolf guards, patrolling the perimeter. A shiv

oked like it had been pulled from the pages of a gothic novel. It was beauti

f. He held the large black umbrella over me, his other hand resting lightly on the small of my back, guidi

cast a warm glow on the polished marble floors. A line of uniformed staff stood at attention, their eyes wide with s

hand in his, his grip firm and warm, and led me up the sweeping gra

uline space, decorated in dark woods, rich leathers, and shades of grey and black. A huge bed dominated the center of the room, and

sian rug, dripping water onto its intricate patterns. I f

s standing open. He rummaged for a moment before pulling

leaving no room for argument. He gestured toward

melled of him. My cheeks flushed. Without a word, I

pray of the rain shower, the warmth seeping into my chilled bones, and tried to process the whiplash of the last twelve hours.

huge on me, the sleeves hanging past my fingertips, the hem fallin

rvously fiddling with the top butto

e. He had a thick, dark cigar in one hand and a lighter in

ned loosely at my throat. His gaze lingered on my bare legs. The air in the room grew thic

rong. I wrinkled my nose instinctiv

igar in his hand, then back at me. And then, without a word, he broke th

shocking than any of his previous displays of power. It was a con

stomach. I hadn't eaten anything since the day before. Heat

time I had heard anything resembling a laugh from him. "I suppose y

d up. "

nal-grade kitchen. "The staff has retired for the night," he said, leaning

something mundane, felt like an anchor in the storm of my life. "I

, a silent assen

kitchen with a practiced ease, the simple, repetitive motions of chopping and stirring calming my frayed nerves. For

ble. But I could feel the intensity of his gaze on my back. And for the first

he large marble island in the center of the ki

ks against the bowls. The warm light from the overhead lamps ca

ooked up, I saw that he had barely touched his. He w

low murmur. He reached across the isla

wiped away a stray drop of tomato sauce. The touch wa

rs brushing against his. "Thanks," I

en lights, my heart did a strange, unfamiliar flutter. It skipped a beat