Chapter 21 Rasmus
RASMUS
She was in my house.
Aniyah Glovefox, the goddess divine, the pulse of every obsession I’d ever had, was in my house.
I couldn’t help but watch her wander, feasting on every small detail—how she walked, how she talked, how she breathed—like I’d always done.
The way her lips quivered when she was holding something back, the fire that ignited behind her eyes when she was pissed, the way she moved through New York like it was her private kingdom. I was addicted to all of it.
I’d spent years under the radar, keeping my profile low, waiting for the exact right moment to step into the light. I needed to be ready. Worthy. I had a penance to pay, after all.
So, I’d stayed in the shadows, watching her toy with countless men and women. Saw how she was starting to create bonds that she didn't intend to, and although something ached deep inside, I couldn't tear myself away.
Being a glutton for punishment, I had even watched her with the vampire and troll, blocking them out by keeping my eyes trained on her body.
It was after my third rewatch that I’d taken a quick break and jumped back to the main video feed.
That was when I caught Glen in the elevator with some guy that gave me the willies, and that was hard to do.
I noticed Glen’s twitchy movements, the way his gaze kept bouncing around. That tickled something in my memory—his file. He was afraid of elevators. That was why he was given a control room job instead of being placed on any of the upper floors.
My instincts lit up like wildfire.
The stranger with him stayed too close, whispering in Glen’s ear as they got off on the sixth floor. Glen kicked a group out of one of the rooms, three doors down the hallway, and when one of them screamed in protest, the stranger raised a gun and shot him in the head, then in the heart. Dead.
The rest of the group ran as soon as the gun came out. The assailant took a step to go after them before he paused, looked down, and started to enter the room instead.
Before they crossed the threshold, the man unzipped his jacket and carefully pulled out a silver rectangular brick with blinking red numbers.
A bomb.
At that moment, everything crystallized.
I didn’t care what it cost, whether I got caught, whether everything I’d been working toward got ruined, or even if her family got wind of what I’d done and decided to skin me alive.
I’d burn the whole building down before I let a single scratch mar her skin.
Not again. I would not fail her again.
I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, flying down the stairs and through the lobby. I barely paused long enough to toss a half-lie at Randy, something about an emergency server backup. He waved me through, and I bolted straight to her office.
My lungs were burning by the time I got there, chest heaving, and then she turned.
She saw me.
Her eyes locked on mine in full reality, not on the others in the room. Just me.
Being the focus of her gaze in real life, not behind a screen or across a room, was as overwhelming as trying to swallow the sun. Beautiful, impossible, and so blindingly intense you didn’t know if you’d survive it… but damn it all, I’d savor the burn.
It wasn’t like she really knew who I was. To her, I was still just the IT guy her brother had hired, but when she smiled at me, when she gave me that nickname, when she kissed me… fuck, those pillowy lips, every part of me detonated.
I’d fallen in love with her ten times over in the span of days, and now she was in my home.
I’d panicked for a second when the big brute tried to come in with her, but she shut it down. My star trusted me. Even if she didn’t know why, her instincts did. That’s how I knew we were mates. That first night in Vegas, my horns almost broke through my skull trying to reach her.
She wasn’t someone you claimed. You earned her. Coaxed her to bloom and shine that brilliance upon you. That bloodsucker couldn’t understand that, but I did.
She was a thorned flower. You had to bleed for her bloom, but when she did? Radiance. Pure, unfiltered radiance.
I watched her take in my apartment, her head tilting at the abstract paintings, gaze flicking over the couch like she was imagining herself on it. Maybe watching something. Me curled up beside her, head in her lap, her fingers threading through my hair again.
Heaven.
Her gasp broke my daydream, and when I came back to the present, her body was frozen and her eyes wide in shock.
She’d found it—my masterpiece. My sanctuary. The one thing that kept me from tearing people apart.
The mural. My wall of ultimate beauty.
I stepped up behind her, letting the mask drop. No more pretending. No more playing the shy tech guy. I needed her to know me. To see that this was my love letter to her over the years we’d been apart.
“What do you think?” I inhaled her sweet, floral scent with the desperation of a dying man’s last breath. “Isn’t it magnificent?”
She didn’t flinch. Didn’t speak. Just stared.
I waited, but she didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Of course she was overwhelmed. There were three-hundred-and-sixty-nine pictures on that wall, and I had each carefully chosen moment memorized.
She just needed a guide.
I stepped in beside her, pointing to a framed newsletter.
“This was the first one you ever sent out. The theme announcement with you blowing a kiss.” I traced her image with my finger.
“And this,” I pointed to a picture of her walking to the Winged Palance, “your first night at the club. You were leaving your apartment, remember? The beginning of it all.”
She moved closer, eyes devouring the timeline of her life. Our life.
Her gaze landed on her white lacy thong pinned in a glass case. I rushed to explain.
“That was from—”
“Angel night,” she said quietly, stepping closer. “I did a strip tease and threw that into the crowd after disappearing behind the curtain.”
She was remembering. Verifying. Making all of this so real, so worth all the time and dedication I put into this.
That night, I’d followed the sick fuck who caught it, broken into his place, and killed him while he was jerking off with it pressed to his nose. He wasn’t worthy. Not of her. Not of anything that had to do with her.
Now, it was here. Safe. Treasured. As it should be.
She leaned in to study the photos, and my heart soared. She understood. She got it. She was my soulmate. Even if she never wanted me back, I’d still love her endlessly, still be in the shadows watching… but I craved so much more.
And then she pointed. “How did you get this?”
My heart stuttered as I looked at the picture, knowing this could go either way, but I would never lie to her. Not once. If she wanted to burn me down, exact some violence for the intrusion, so be it. I’d die in her fire, smiling.
“That was after the sensory show you did. The first night you and Van…” My voice faltered when I saw her expression, eyes wide, lips tight.
Scrambling, I pointed at the picture to show her why it was here. “But look at it. It’s perfect. He’s not even in the shot. Just you. Glowing. Luminescent. You stole the whole damn night.”
She didn’t soften or look back at the picture. Her eyes were on me, her face not giving away any of her thoughts.
“I want to see it.”
I flinched, but she jabbed her finger at the picture. “The video. I want to see the video you took this from.”
I turned slowly, nodding because I would never deny her anything, I just hoped she wouldn’t hate me. Turning to the keyboard, I tapped on a few keys, waking up my system. I opened the folder and clicked the file.
The six screens lit up at once.
There she was. White corset. Wings out. Hair flowing like the wind was blowing it. Her eyes burned, lips curled in a sinful smile as she stalked forward. An angelic vision that would take you straight to hell.
“Fuck, you have a gorgeous body.” Her sassy voice came out the speakers. “Do you know how much I need to fuck you right now?”
She shoved Van down onto the bed by his throat, climbing on top of him as she smiled.
“Hold yourself up.”
He instantly complied with her command, grabbing his cock and guiding it to her as she dropped down onto him, riding him like a goddess taking her sacrifice.
His moan, pure painful devotion, was cut off when she squeezed his throat tighter.
“You like that, my pretty boy?”
I was lost in her again. I could watch for hours, days even. Just to bask in the way she moved, ruled, burned with power. Those thighs. That mouth. That fire.
She was a creature carved by the divine, and I her faithful worshipper. Forever.
“You like this? Watching me while I didn’t know?”
Her voice, Aniyah’s real voice, cut through the haze like a blade. I jolted out of my trance, heart stuttering as I turned to face her. She stood with arms crossed over her chest, her expression unreadable, but her eyes locked on mine.
“I—I…” Words stumbled out, useless and broken. What was the right answer? What would she want to hear? Would the truth ruin everything?
I inhaled sharply and bowed my head. “Yes.”
The word was soft, but in the silence that had fallen between us, it had the strength of a scream. I kept going, hoping the silence would end and she could tell me what she really thought.
“I enjoy watching you,” I admitted, lifting my gaze to hers, “in every way. It makes me feel closer to you, like I’m getting to know pieces of you that no one else sees.”
She didn’t speak, didn’t move, but she also didn’t leave. That had to count for something.
“I want to feel your glow, bask in your aura… but you keep your guard up.” I rushed to soften the sting of that truth.
“Not that it’s wrong. I get it. With everything you’ve gone through, with your position, of course you’d have walls.
You had to survive, and you’ve built something incredible all on your own. ”