Chapter 25 #4
He nods and guides me to a table, handing me a menu before leaving me to it. A quick look around confirms they must be seated separately. Just my luck. I’ll have to wait until they leave, which hopefully won’t take hours.
I’m finishing dessert when they finally emerge from a booth in the back.
Thomas first, followed by a man I recognize despite the glamor that hides his inhuman features.
His long dark brown hair is bound in a ponytail, and his mint-green eyes enchant me.
He wears a dark green and black suit with a corset under the jacket, the outfit accentuating the reddish sheen of his hair.
With my hand under the table, I conjure the tracking spell, confirming my suspicions.
This inhuman man shares a magical signature with her, indicating they must be blood-related.
It’s an assumption, yes, but I don’t see anyone binding themselves together, like Malakai and I are bound, which is the only other way for this to be possible.
That sure is a lot more than mere observation, isn’t it?
If the family is attempting something against Malakai, and this inhuman and his sister are helping them, things are bound to get interesting.
That all-too-familiar gaze prickles my skin.
My stomach twists, and I bite down on my tongue to suppress my discomfort.
The inhuman looks at me over his shoulder while Thomas pays, not even trying to hide that he’s looking at me.
Our eyes inevitably meet, and a predatory smile spreads across his face.
Those sharp canines break through his glamor as he clearly sees through mine.
Fear spreads through me, clutching my chest and freezing me in place. Those green eyes keep me rooted while my body screams at me to run—fast and far, never to look back. An awful sense of familiarity washes over me. I’ve met him before, somewhere in my previous life.
What if he’s one of the men who passed me at the end of that life?
Part of me wants to call Malakai, asking him to return early because I can’t handle another moment of this seemingly endless paranoia of being alone.
A more rational part of me tells me I’m overreacting, that I’m safe despite feeling anything but.
The wards are in place, designed to prevent unwanted guests.
I know I’m driving myself crazy. Besides, I don’t want Malakai to think I can’t take care of myself.
But the bounty hunter did tell me someone entered the house…
Truth be told, I’m unsure of what I’m doing.
I have no idea how to find proof against the family.
There might not even be anything to prove.
It could very well be a misunderstanding and the red-haired woman is someone else altogether.
The one I saw with Isabella might just be a friend of theirs.
That man could be a legitimate business partner—or he could be stalking me on the side.
A groan escapes me when I’m in the bedroom, slipping into a nightgown. The fabric falls down my body when unease creeps in. Still, I take a moment to breathe deeply, then turn slightly to look behind me. I’m alone.
It’s all my mind needs to spiral again. My breathing becomes heavy, and I close my eyes to fight the rising panic, but it’s futile.
My head starts to spin, and I take a few moments to close my eyes and focus on my breathing.
When I feel slightly calmer, I open my eyes and reach for my dressing robe.
Putting it on, each small movement thankfully loosens the knot in my chest until I can breathe more easily again.
Until I turn around and freeze when I see a twig with the same blossoms on the vanity tabletop. I feel myself empty, void of emotion, as I realize Malakai isn’t the one leaving these for me.
Unable to help myself, I pick it up and lift it to my nose; it smells sweet and delicate.
A fragment of memory flashes through my mind, and I gasp, dropping the twig to the floor.
My body trembles as I step back, my eyes fixated on the blossoms. Desperation pushes me to see more than there is, seeking either truth or confirmation of my overreaction.
Something to explain why I had these same flowers on my bedside table in the whorehouse.
Unable to touch the twig again, I use my magic to destroy it utterly and completely, leaving no trace behind.
But the damage is done, and images, feelings, scents, and sounds invade my mind.
No matter how hard I try to keep the memories at bay, I want nothing more than to remain blissfully unaware of the months—years—that drove me to suicide.
Flashes of those green eyes, the scent of apples and nutmeg, and now these blossoms... they overwhelm me enough to unsettle my equilibrium. My breathing quickens, my pulse races, and my skin feels clammy. I think I might hyperventilate as panic settles in my bones.
My phone dings from where I set it on the bed, and I let out a surprised yelp. My hands tremble when I pick it up, nearly dropping it through my shaking fingers. The screen displays an unfamiliar name, and I’m about to dismiss the message when it clicks.
The bounty hunter.
Azraella
Are you alone in the house right now?
Me
Yes, why?
My hands shake as I type, fear gripping me tightly.
Azraella
They’re inside.
The message hits me like a jackhammer, and I stumble until my back hits the wall, stars dancing in my vision as I struggle to breathe. No, no, no, no, no.
Azraella
I can’t come near the house. Did you retract your permission for me to enter?
I push away from the wall, spinning around as my magic surges. It sweeps through the house, urgently searching every nook and cranny. It comes up empty, but my anxiety skyrockets, refusing to settle as easily as I wish.
Right then, I decide I don’t care what Malakai might think. I need him here with me, right now.
A chuckle sounds in my ear just as I’m about to message him. A hand clasps around my mouth, my phone slipping from my fingers and falling onto the carpet.
A second hand grasps my wrist as I thrash against my captor. Panic takes over all of my senses, locking me into a downward spiral, my magic sputtering and falling short.
All my warning bells scream, alerting me to how familiar this situation feels.
A silky yet dangerous voice whispers in my ear from behind, “Here we are again, pet.”
There’s a kiss and then a sharp, piercing sting in my neck. My eyes roll back, my body turns cold, and darkness envelops me.