Chapter 35
Rachel
A ccording to Giulia’s map, the beach house wasn’t too far off the autostrade, and only thirty minutes from the ferry.
Taking this route was the safest option to stay off the main road. The house we were searching for was the ideal place to lie low for the night until we could take the ferry to Greece tomorrow morning.
My only assurance was that the tracker was no longer in my arm. Andrei may have felt my emotions through the guardian bond, but he couldn’t find me. And he couldn’t trap me in my mind again.
Because we still had an hour before the sun finally set, Lucy and Jase covered themselves in their hoodies and gloves as we prepared to exit the car.
As Tony crested the hill, I looked out over the trees. There was a small white beach house at the end of the street behind them, nestled against a sandy bank. We pulled into the driveway, and once Lucy signaled she was ready, we climbed out of the car.
The beach behind the house was serene, with only the sound of waves crashing against the shore. Fading sunlight bathed the house’s stone walls, casting a soft orange glow on the pearl-colored stucco.
“Giulia couldn’t reach her friends—so we may need to break inside unless we can find a key,” Tony said as he stepped onto the porch. He squinted through the window, looking inside. “But at least we won’t be disturbing anyone.” He looked away from the window and then back at us. “They aren’t supposed to be back until August second.”
Tony examined the front door and pointed at a coded lockbox hanging from the handle. “Ah, perfect. We won’t need to break a window. Lucy, you’re up.”
Lucy nodded and walked up to it. She hefted the metal in her hand before crumpling it like a goddamn soda can. The little door popped open, and she fished out a silver key.
“I could have done that, too, you know?” I muttered under my breath. There was a smothered snort from Jase to my right, but I ignored it.
Tony opened the door, and we stepped inside. The smell of the ocean mingled with a fainter, lingering scent of musk, likely left behind by the owners, wafted in the air. Near the back, the windows were slightly ajar, letting in the cool sea breeze. The house was immaculately clean and clearly well-maintained by a housekeeping crew.
My shoes squeaking on the polished tiled floor echoed through the hallway before we reached the living room and flipped the lights on. A heavy silence pressed down on me. The house felt like a warm family home—not a place where a group of supernatural creatures would dwell.
The hairs on my neck prickled, and I looked over my shoulder. Jase was right behind me, close enough to aggravate me but not enough to touch. His clouded aura was like a fucking storm, threatening to break open at any moment.
“Let’s relax for a bit. After dark, we can grab some food and a drink somewhere,” Tony said with a sigh, collapsing onto the couch. “I saw online there’s a club with a kitchen in Brindisi, about two blocks from the ferry we’re taking tomorrow. Probably the only thing open by the time we get there.” He ran a hand down his face. “Fuck, I slept like shit last night. Took me forever to even fall asleep.”
Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and every movement looked heavy with fatigue. Guilt gnawed at my chest as he sank deeper into the cushions. The poor guy had done all the driving so far and was the only one in our group who truly needed a good night’s sleep.
Jase, unfazed by the mention of rest, casually walked into the kitchen, poking around in cabinets and the fridge as though he had a right to do so. He wasn’t going to find any blood bags tucked away in there.
Lucy raised an eyebrow, her voice low as she spoke to Jase. “After we get back from dinner tonight, you and I can keep watch. Make sure no headlights are coming down the path. You take the first shift.”
Jase nodded and turned to Tony. “We should leave at dawn,” he said. “The ferry doesn’t leave until nine, but it’ll give me and Lucy enough time to go through the company’s vetting process for vampires to enter a ferry with humans.” His eyes slid over to mine, like he expected me to object. “Let’s just hope everyone made out of the villa and Andrei is empty-handed.”
And just like that, Jase went from watching, staring, and making me uneasy to reminding me that maybe there was still a trace of humanity in his dark, lonely mind.
We didn’t get out of the house until almost ten, but it was fine. Tony had crashed on the couch for around seven for a two-hour power nap, unbothered by the noise we made coming in and out of the rooms. About an hour before we left, Jase headed down to the beach to stick his feet in the ocean and enjoy the summer night breeze on his face. We still hadn’t spoken much since our argument in the car, and honestly, I was relieved to have some space between us.
For tonight, we wanted to forget all the bullshit surrounding us. I needed to feel normal, even for a few hours.
Lucy and I got dressed for the club, and I did our makeup. I chose black shimmering eyeshadow that made the blue in my eyes practically glow in the dark, paired with a pink-nude lip. Lucy opted for wine-red lipstick and black smokey eyeliner that made her look like a damn goddess. I wore a flowy green summer dress that I had packed for Ireland, while Lucy changed into jean shorts and a black corset-style tank top that accentuated all her gorgeous curves.
Between laughs and inside jokes that left my sides aching, it was the first time in a while that I could just breathe—no chaos, no danger, just us.
When we stepped out of the bedroom, the room fell silent. Tony turned beet-red, suddenly focused on his shoes as he bent down to grab them. Jase, though—he swallowed hard, his eyes dragging over me before locking onto mine. Something about the look in his eyes sent a shiver through me. His jaw muscles tensed, seemingly battling an internal torment. I forced myself to look away, pretending I hadn’t noticed. And just like that, the moment was over, and we headed to the club.
Once past security, Tony pointed to the green neon-lit sign of the nightclub right above our heads. “An hour, max, and then we need to head back and get some sleep.”
It’d been a long time since I had been to a nightclub. Before Andrei essentially kidnapped me and coerced himself into being my guardian, Lucy and I had a favorite spot in New Orleans. If one of our days off fell on the weekend, we would wear glamorous makeup, tease our hair, and dance all night. Most of the time, it was a lot of fun. Dancing was a good outlet for me. It allowed me to release all my frustrations and loneliness into the music’s rhythm.
I didn’t miss it now. Some nights would be a sensory overload—flashing lights, the intense bass, and the crushing bodies around me. My vampire nature would make it a lot worse. I could sense everything : the heat, the sweat, the energy my intuition powers would pull from people. I didn’t want to read their intentions, but with all those bodies and the onslaught of their emotions, I couldn’t control it—an endless wave with no escape.
Anxiety twisted in my stomach, and I took a breath to settle it. We didn’t have many choices for food venues tonight. Most restaurants had closed early because of the new regulations after vampires became public knowledge. However, like in the States, many nighttime businesses welcomed the latest surge in clientele. Nightclubs were exempt from the restrictions. They had enhanced security to keep humans safe, and some even served warmed bottles of blood for vampires. Other clubs catered to blood sharing, but the one we walked into wasn’t one of them.
Once inside, everything hit me, and I immediately regretted it. Yup, tonight is a bad night for me.
The overwhelming scent of sweat, alcohol, and perfume clung like a thick fog. Blue and white lights pulsed over the crowd in a hypnotic pattern. The bass pounded against my heart, and drunken laughter and shouts mixed with the music. This place reminded me of Andrei’s club back home. I had been shitfaced, but it was the only way to deal with the chaos of that place, as well as the mess my life had become.
How did Andrei deal with this shit? Being an owner—well, former owner now—meant dealing with this every night. No, thank you.
Tony, as usual, remained unfazed by the noise. He scanned the room, searching for an open booth or table. Lucy was already tying her thick hair into a messy bun in the reflection of a mirrored column. The gesture tugged at my heart, and despite my trepidation, I smiled at her. Being a vampire hardly changed a thing about her. During the car ride, she told me she often snuck out of the mansion to go to one of the government-run clubs to feed—on voluntary humans, of course. Lucy never went hunting for unsuspecting people.
I glanced behind me to look at Jase. He was, as always, unreadable. He leaned against the wall near the door, his sharp features half-hidden in shadows. Those eyes looked over all the writhing bodies like a predator selecting his next meal. He fed from Tony yesterday, but now, with that heated look in his eyes, I knew it wasn’t enough to hold him over until we reached Athens. Some vampires could go at least a day before their next feeding. It seemed he was a lot like Andrei, needing someone to snack on every ten hours or so.
I should have assumed it instead of cutting him off Tony’s wrist before he took too much. Even after he pushed my friend away, my gaze lingered on him longer than intended. At that moment, there was something about Jase—an invisible pull, something magnetic around his aura. And it was very fucking annoying.
Jase’s presence was dangerous, alluring, and all-consuming.
And the bastard knew it.
“Let’s order something at the bar!” I shouted, my voice barely rising above the music. “I don’t see an open table.”
A brush of intent rolled over my shoulders, and I glanced around. The humans nearby were uneasy about our presence. Not that we were foreigners but that we were outsiders . Humans and vampires still didn’t mix well in public spaces, regardless of the laws put into place—the facade of order and safety. Here, it was even more obvious who didn’t belong. Lucy and Jase seemed to be the only vampires in the club. Several people walked past to the dance floor, giving my group a wide berth. Their instincts warned them to stay away. As for me? They likely assumed I was one of them—a weak, unsuspecting human.
Oh, if they only knew.
We walked over to the bar, finding a gap in the crowd. It was as if, on cue, people around us suddenly had somewhere else to be. Some shot Tony and me anxious glances, but we ignored them. A young man with dark tanned skin and a perfectly combed pompadour was busy making some drinks. His black name tag with yellow text read “Adrian,” and he moved with the grace of someone who had seen it all. The man remained unbothered despite the undead waiting for him at the bar.
I liked his energy.
When Adrian approached our group, he smiled broadly before focusing on Lucy. “Cosa vi posso offrire?” he asked. Lucy hesitated, shooting me a confused look. Adrian’s thoughts clicked instantly. “English?”
She nodded, and Adrian handed her a drink menu printed in English but faltered when he looked at Jase.
I could see the calculations in his head as he fully understood who stood at the bar. Lucy quickly spoke up. “I’ll have a mojito, extra mint, please.”
Adrian reached under the bar and pulled out a different menu marked with a single red drop.
“Of course, and if you want, we do have—”
Lucy shook her head, smiling warmly at the bartender. “Just the mojito, please.”
Adrian blinked once in surprise before nodding and putting away the second menu. He then turned to Tony.
“A bottle of Moretti, please,” Tony ordered, sliding a couple of euros across the counter. “Actually, can we see the food menu, too? Is the kitchen still open?”
Adrian nodded and pulled out a black leather menu. “Sì. It’s open until one.”
Tony slid the two menus over to me. “Rachel, do you want anything?”
I read through the menus quickly, a defeated sigh passing from my lips. Despite my anxiety, a drink wouldn’t kill me. “I’ll have an Aperol Spritz and the fried calamari.” My Italian was really rusty, so I was grateful for the English translations underneath the items.
“Jase?” Tony asked. “Anything for you?”
Jase shook his head.
Adrian raised an eyebrow but wrote the order down on a notepad. Our group dynamic clearly confused the bartender, but he handled it well—which was probably for the best. He walked to the other end of the bar to put in our order and help other customers.
Right at that moment, Jase came to my side, intense silence rolling off him in waves. Of course, he didn’t order anything. He hadn’t said a word since we pulled up to the club.
At least order a blood product, for God’s sake. He’s completely on edge from thirst.
I should’ve let him drink more from Tony. Regardless of my fear that he’d take too much, I didn’t like this version of Jase. Being around him now felt almost more dangerous than how he behaved back in the church.
At least there, he showed me exactly who he was. But now? I couldn’t read him at all. That obscurity over his intentions scared and annoyed me.
“You’re not drinking?” I asked, hoping that the concern in my tone didn’t provoke him. I wasn’t expecting an answer until his voice echoed close by my ear.
“Alcohol dulls the senses, angel. Even for us. You should know that.” His voice felt like silk against my ear as I turned toward him, his lips curling into that infuriating smirk again. “I prefer to stay alert tonight.” His smile faded, replaced by something colder. “You never know if someone is watching you, ready to grab you when your guard is down. And no, I’m not hungry … at the moment. You can quit looking at me the way you’ve been doing since we left the beach house.”
My eyes narrowed at him. “Well, I suppose you would be an expert on that .” I couldn’t get a sense of what he was thinking beneath that threat. Something shifted significantly between us since I tasted his blood—and I found myself being drawn closer to him despite his arrogance and fucking audacity. I hoped, in time, it would fade, and I could go back to hating him again.
“Suit yourself,” I said, turning back to the bar and away from those piercing green eyes. My focus needed to be on anything other than him. Fuck, why did he smell so good? My eyes swept over the bar—drinks made, a mix of Italian, English, and other languages were melting into the throb of house music, and people were dancing behind us. Any of this should have been a welcome distraction, but no, my mind stubbornly kept going back to wondering what stupid Jasen Halpert was thinking.
Lucy shot me a look as Adrian returned with our drinks. She grabbed her mojito and took a long sip before speaking. “I’m going to dance for a bit,” she said, sliding off her stool. Lucy then gave me a playful smile. “I suggest you join me after you eat, or we might be mopping up blood tonight. I’ve seen you when you’re hungry.”
She headed to the dance floor, blending into the crowd. At least Tony was still here with me.
“Alright, I’m joining her until my food is ready,” Tony said suddenly. Before I could protest, he disappeared after Lucy. Traitor.
“Great,” I muttered, taking a sip of my Aperol. “Just what I wanted.”
“Don’t act too excited,” Jase quipped, a touch of dry humor in his tone. He leaned in closer, giving me zero space to avoid him. I tried to move back, but the counter’s edge bumped my lower back. He’d caged me now between him and the bar.
“Why the hell are you hovering over me?” I asked, taking another sip of my drink. My throat was tight, and the smell of his cologne was goddamn delicious.
Jase’s eyes locked on mine, and a lump started to form, strangling my breath. The look on his face was unnerving—piercing. Though he and Andrei shared similar jawlines and hair colors, that was where the comparisons stopped. While Andrei was incredibly handsome, Jase was breathtakingly gorgeous.
Stop thinking about his dumb face.
“I don’t know. If you die or get kidnapped, I can’t stop Andrei. I figure someone has to keep an eye on you,” he said, sounding amused. “Might as well be me. You have a real talent for disobedience—and reckless stupidity, and I feel like I’m the only one who can rein it in.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I snapped back, sarcasm dripping over every word. “I’ll try harder to be a good girl while we race to stop your brother from bringing about the end of the world.”
Jase’s smirk widened, and to my surprise, he laughed a little. “I never said you had to be a good girl.” Those words flowed from his lips, and my mouth parted, heat rising between us despite his body being as cold as fucking ice.
I had to shake my thoughts away to think about my comeback.
I didn’t have one.
“Well.” I swallowed. “It’s unlikely that something will happen while I sit here and eat fried squid.”
Jase went to respond, but Adrian returned with a small plate of calamari, and Jase pressed his lips together instead.
Thank fuck. My stomach growled as the savory food hit my nose. I scooted away from Jase’s looming figure but felt his eyes on my back as I settled on the chair to eat.
“What?” I snarled, looking over my shoulder. “Do you want a bite of my food or something? Do I need to order you a blood pack, so you chill the fuck out?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Bitchy isn’t a good look on you.”
“Looks like my plan to be repulsive to you is working,” I muttered, biting into a crispy tentacle while letting the aioli drip down my mouth. “I’m glad you’re getting the hint.”
Every muscle of his seemed to tense, but he didn’t move away from me. Trying to ignore his looming presence, I continued to eat my food.
He was way too damn close.
Before Jase could respond, Lucy emerged from the crowd, her black hair hanging in pieces around her face. She looked impossibly gorgeous in that frazzled state.
“What did I just walk into?” she asked, her dark eyes darting from me to Jase. The look they shared caused me to pause. It was like an unspoken thought between them I wasn’t privy to.
“Rachel, you’re too stressed. Dance floor. Now,” Lucy ordered. “Whatever you’re bottling up, you need to let it go.”
Before I could answer, Jase held out his hand to me. “I’ll take her.”
Is he serious?
“Good enough for me. I’ll see you out there. Tony will be back from his smoke break, and I need to find him before someone snatches him up.” Lucy set her empty glass on the bar counter and danced back into the fray. I stared after her, dumbfounded.
“Come on, dance with me,” Jase said, his mouth close to my ear. “We’ve done it before. Twice.”
I frowned. “Against my will.”
Jase’s smile widened, making his eyes sparkle. “That’s not a ‘no.’”
I hesitated, staring at his hand. He was wearing black gloves now, and as my fingers brushed against his, a flood of memories hit me—not from the masquerade ball Wendy erased from my mind but from the night in Andrei’s club. Jase had been dancing behind me at the time, preventing me from seeing him. He wore Andrei’s cologne, pretending to be him. But that wasn’t the only thing I remembered. Jase was sitting at the club bar before that. He wore the same gloves and intense look as he stared at me across the bar. That night, I was only a conquest and tool for a sadistic plan to awaken my mother and steal her ring. I didn’t know then that I was staring into the eyes of a killer—a stalker—my worst fucking nightmare.
Jase waited for me to respond. When I didn’t, his voice hardened. “I won’t ask again. This isn’t a request.”
I pulled my hand away and turned back to the bar. I finished the last few pieces of calamari before grabbing my drink and slamming back the remaining liquid. Lowering the glass, I glanced at him. “One second.”
Adrian was busy, but the second bartender, a slender Black woman with long braids draping over her right shoulder and wearing light pink lipstick, came over to collect the empty plate and take my order. I ordered two vodka shots, knowing that would be the quickest way to get through the night. She filled the shot glasses and slid them toward me. Jase reached for one, but I snatched them up and downed them back-to-back.
“Two more, please,” I called, ignoring Jase’s indignant face.
“Rachel,” he scolded, his voice sharp with disapproval.
“Don’t worry,” I waved him off. “Alcohol is like water to me. I’ll be sober within the hour. Perks of my heritage, remember?” I took the two shots and then turned to face him. I wished alcohol would have more of an instant effect, but I barely felt the softest tingle of a buzz in my head. For now, it had to be enough. “Okay, let’s go.”
Jase’s jaw clenched, but his expression softened as he looked at my outstretched hand. He took it gently and led me to the dance floor.
The music was near deafening levels, and the pulsing beat mimicked my own pounding heart. I moved back to put some space between us and swayed to the rhythm, but it didn’t last long. As the music hummed in my chest, Jase’s hands settled on my waist, pulling me in. His body moved against mine, matching the pace of the music. My body was acting of its own accord, moving with him, leaning into his touch. It could have been the alcohol taking a more potent effect than I realized—or the tension between us since last night in the kitchen.
Or, to be honest, since that night in the church when his blood touched my tongue. The thought made me stumble a little.
“Angel,” he said, his breath like ice against my ear. “Can you handle yourself, or will you need my help to walk by the end of the night?”
As if to emphasize his question, Jase pulled me even closer. His hands roamed over my shoulders, back, and hips like he wanted to memorize every curve of me. The flicker of emotions in his eyes told me he enjoyed this and hated it.
“You don’t get to judge me,” I shot back, arching against him.
“Oh, I think you’re doing plenty of that yourself,” he replied, his hands shamelessly trailing up to my chest. “Those perky little nipples are a clear sign that you’re enjoying this, and you fucking hate it.”
How dare —
I wanted to slap him for that remark, but the way he said “nipples” did something to my restraint that I didn’t hate. A sudden pulse of wetness formed between my legs, and I pressed against him further.
Goddammit. Alcohol and stress are making me lose all self-control.
I was now hyper aware of every sensation between us—his gloved hands, cool breath, cologne, and energy radiating off his body. It was all too much, but I didn’t care. I wanted to forget the fucked up world outside those doors and let go.
As I swayed my hips, the mark on my stomach flared, almost as if it were burning. I relished the sensation while our bodies moved in sync. The music—“The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed, remixed into a dubstep-techno beat—filled the crowded room, and the lights swallowed us whole.
My head fell back, and my eyes closed, shutting out the crowd. Jase’s hand pressed against my back, keeping me upright. The vodka’s effects were more potent now, clouding my mind, so I kept my eyes closed, lost in my bubble. My intuition ability was mercifully quiet as well.
Jase’s breath skated over my exposed neck. Then his left hand slid down my back and cupped my ass.
And I let him do what he wanted. Again.
“Jase,” I breathed, my eyes opening. He carefully removed his gloves and ran his hands through my hair before gripping it at the scalp possessively.
The realization quickly settled in my mind. A yelp escaped my lips as Jase yanked my head back, pressing his mouth to my neck. A wave of goosebumps covered my skin, and my pussy throbbed.
“Fuck,” I swore, feeling his lips graze so close to my pounding vein. “Don’t you dare fucking bite me.” The sharp warning caused him to pause. His lips pulled away from my neck, and when I thought he was going to step away from me, Jase released my hair and spun me around so my ass pressed against his crotch. Jase was fucking hard for me.
My breath froze in my lungs as his cock pressed harder against me, twitching as I ground against him to the beat of the music. While one arm slid over my waist to keep me pinned, his other hand moved to the front of my dress before slowly lifting the hem, his fingers trailing to the seam of my underwear, sliding his fingertips beneath the fabric. Prodding. Testing. He wanted to see how far I’d let him go.
It feels so good. He’s making my skin burn. I’ve never felt this much desire. I need to make him stop.
But I didn’t want it to stop.
“Fuck it,” I said, my alcohol-fueled bravery taking root. I leaned my head back, so my mouth was closer to his ear. “Yes.”
The dance floor was dark, with only the strobing lights above. We were just a pair of intertwined shadows in a sea of rhythm. The crowd was so dense that no one would suspect what we were doing. Slowly, Jase eased his hand down between my legs. My wetness was soaking the fabric of my underwear, and I was sure I’d soon be dripping down my inner thigh. The tips of his index and middle fingers parted my opening, gently massaging where I needed it most. My lips fluttered as heat pulsed through my body. I could barely think. The arousal, music, vodka, his scent—it was all too much.
“I could already smell your arousal for me at the bar. Stop pretending to be afraid of me.”
“I am afraid,” I said honestly. But it wasn’t because I thought Jase would kill me. It was because my feelings for him were suddenly shifting. Being so close to him now made it almost impossible to pretend they weren’t. The desire for Jase to ram himself inside me and fuck me into oblivion was burning me alive.
As I leaned back against his chest, his fingers slipped inside me, his other hand wrapping around my stomach to keep me flush against him. Stars filled my vision as he pumped in and out while his thumb pressed and circled my clit. God, he knew all the right spots—how to pleasure me. That made sense since he watched me for four years. Watched as I touched myself on those lonely nights.
I can’t believe we’re doing this.
And in public.
And while his brother could quite literally walk through the door at any moment.
My heart pounded against my ribs, and I knew Jase could hear it. My body and mind betrayed each other. Shame and arousal warred within me, but I no longer knew which one I was angrier at.
I reached up and grabbed the back of his neck. His cologne and the delicious scent of his blood were driving me mad. The buzz in my head made me feel like I was about to collapse.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered, fucking me harder now, faster. By now, some people likely could see what we were doing, but I didn’t fucking care. I wasn’t dancing anymore; I was shaking, barely hanging on as pleasure swirled through my body.
“Oh, fuck,” I cried out as my orgasm crashed through me. I sank my teeth into my bottom lip to stifle the moans, but it was useless. My moans remained muffled as I shook against him.
“Jesus, your cries are fucking beautiful,” Jase said, pressing his lips to my jawline and trailing down. “But try not to scream too loud.”
As my pleasure started to fade, his teeth sank into the crook of my shoulder. That sensation unleashed a renewed wave of euphoria that stole my breath completely.
I bit down harder on my lower lip as he fed on my blood, my drenched pussy clenching around his fingers as he thrust mercilessly. The music was a dull roar in my ears, and nothing existed outside of Jase’s rough touch.
Yes, I told him not to bite me only minutes ago, but as he drank from me, that hesitation melted away completely. This was so different from Andrei. He only fed from me for control, pleasure, and the addictive taste of my dhampir blood. What Jase had just done was different. I couldn’t explain why; it just … was.
His fingers slowed like he was savoring every fucking second of me clenched against him. Jase’s fingers felt like heaven.
“More,” I said. No, I begged. “Take more.”
Jase’s lips pulled into a smile against my skin before he sank deeper into my vein. Euphoria gripped me like a vise. By now, the haze of vodka wrapped me in a fog of ecstasy, losing myself in it. Jase owned my body then.
My eyes fluttered open, and I saw Lucy approaching us through the throngs of oblivious humans. The sensation of cold water splashed over me as I grabbed Jase’s wrist and pulled his hand out from under my underwear. Understanding the hint, he pulled his fangs out of my neck. There was a sudden feeling of loss as he moved away. When Lucy reached us, her eyes went wide as she saw my healing puncture wounds and the bloodstain on my dress straps.
“Holy shit,” she said, glaring at Jase behind me with murder in her eyes. “Do I need to kill him?”
I shook my head, which made the room spin. “No,” I told her. “He … I …” I wanted to tell her I’d let him. “I need some air.”
I pushed through the crowd toward the back door near the bathroom. No one noticed me as I ran by. I didn’t want to look back.
When I touched the handle, I felt two hands grip my shoulders, spinning me around. Jase’s eyes, those emerald eyes that seemed to swallow me whole, looked dark and intense. He pinned me against the wall aggressively, pressing against my body as I attempted to free myself. His expression was so unreadable that a feeling of dread pulled at my stomach.
And then he kissed me.
And I let him.