Warning
Nightshade
I watch her step out of Cade’s office, heading toward the gym for her session with Dr. Flores. I should be right behind her, should be there to keep watch. Instead, I’m stuck here in this damned meeting I can’t escape. Time drags on like molasses, ten minutes stretching into an eternity.
Finally, I knock, the sound sharp and deliberate. I’ve waited until Cynthia’s gone on her break. She’s too chatty, too observant. I don’t need her announcing my arrival, not when I’m here as Nightshade.
“Come in,” Cade calls, his voice smooth, almost casual—like I’m just another person walking into his office.
I step inside, locking eyes with him. Sharp. Calculating. There’s no fear. Not even the smallest sign of it. Just a cool indifference that twists the knot in my gut. Disappointment washes over me, settling deep in my chest. This is not what I expected.
I don’t give him a chance to speak. “What is this?” My voice is low, rough—the growl of a predator, close and relentless.
His eyes flicker, but there’s no flinch. No hesitation. He just sits back, hands resting casually on the arms of his chair. “What do you want?” he asks, tone flat, like he’s talking to an old acquaintance he couldn’t care less about.
Something shifts in me. Confusion. I expected more—fear, maybe even panic—but there’s nothing. Just that damn calm.
I narrow my eyes, trying to read him. But it’s like he’s a brick wall. He’s not rattled. He’s not even pretending to be.
I shift my weight, taking a step closer, and I watch his jaw twitch, his fingers tightening just the slightest bit on the chair. He’s not in control. Not anymore. But why isn’t he showing it? Why isn’t he scared?
I push the thought aside, narrowing my focus. This time, I’ll make him understand who’s in charge.
“I want you to stay the hell away from her.” My voice cuts through the room like a blade.
“Aviana?” His brow furrows, confusion twisting his face. The idiot can’t even see it coming. “She’s my patient.”
“As her therapist, you don’t get to touch her. Not now. Not ever.” I step forward, closing the distance between us, my tone venomous, my eyes dark with threat. “I will expose your ass if it comes to that, Dr. Brenner. Do I need to make it clear how far I’ll go to destroy you?”
His jaw clenches, but he scoffs, disbelief dripping from his words. “What the hell are you talking about? I’ve done nothing wrong.”
I laugh, a bitter, empty sound that fills the room. “Don’t you dare play innocent, you sick bastard.” My eyes narrow as I lean in, my words dripping with hatred. “I know exactly what you’re thinking. And it’ll never happen.”
“You have no fucking clue who you’re dealing with—” He stumbles, his confidence slipping for a fraction of a second.
I interrupt him, a growl slipping past my lips. “Call me Nightshade. Or Nightmare. Because that’s what I’ll be to you if you lay another finger on her.”
He stands, his attempt at power laughable. I could break him with a glance. “Who are you?”
“I’m her protector,” I snap, my voice dark and firm, a promise hanging in the air.
He laughs. A full, mocking laugh. The nerve of this bastard.
“Yeah? If you’re her protector, how come she’s been telling me all these stories about being touched by men, being taken advantage of? Where were you, huh? Obviously not doing your job,” he sneers, his words sharp as knives.
The rage hits me like a tidal wave, primal and hot. Without thinking, I’m on him. I shove him, slamming his face into his desk, papers flying in every direction. My breath burns against his ear as I growl, “If you touch her again, I’ll show you exactly how protective I can be.”
He tries to speak, his voice muffled by the desk, but it comes out weak. “You… you plan on killing me?”
I lean in, my voice cold and deadly. “If that’s what it takes, Cade. Don’t tempt me.” I shove him hard enough to send him crashing back into his chair, and without another word, I turn and leave the office, the door slamming behind me with finality.
***
I watch my Little Bird as she bends and folds through her yoga poses, and my mind strays far from the calm discipline of the class. Every stretch, every movement of her body ignites a fire I can’t extinguish. I want to bend and fold her—reshape her, possess her. She doesn’t know it yet, but she will. She’ll know she’s fully mine once I’ve had my fill of her, once I’ve claimed every inch of her. The thought of it is maddening. It’s only a matter of time before she understands what it means to belong to me.
I know I should’ve held back with Cade, but the rage that hit me when I saw his disgusting fingers wrap around hers—it was fucking unbearable. I should’ve barged in right then and ripped his hand off her body, made him feel every ounce of my fury. But instead, I stood there, watching, and the way she pulled away from him, the way she rejected him, it made me feel a sick sense of satisfaction. Pride. She didn’t need me to step in. She made it clear she was never his. And that gave me a twisted kind of relief.
As her class finishes, I linger just long enough to watch her gather her things and head toward her cabin. Every step she takes is purposeful, graceful, and entirely unaware of how tightly she’s wound herself around my mind. She doesn’t see me—she never does—but that’s how I prefer it for now. Let her think she’s free, untouched. Let her feel like she’s in control .
I turn on my heel and head back to my cabin, the plans for tonight already playing out in my mind. Tonight, she will know she belongs to me. Not just in the fleeting moments where our gazes brush or when she feels my presence and shivers without knowing why—but entirely. Body, mind, soul.
But this isn’t about force. I want her to want it. I want her to surrender willingly, to feel the inevitability of it, the pull between us that she can’t escape no matter how hard she tries. I want her to see that there’s no running, no fighting me—because I’m already in her head, already in her blood.
The thought sends a sharp thrill through me as I step into my cabin and start preparing. Everything has to be perfect—every word, every look, every touch. I’ll make sure she understands tonight. She’ll know exactly what it means to be mine.