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I nodded reluctantly, biting my tongue. How did he think he was justified for his reaction when he slept with my sister?
Dismissing the thought, I softened my voice as I said, “If you love me, if you care about me, you will have someone send Simon to the hospital.” His teeth clenched, the veins on his neck becoming prominent.
“Rest assured, I have no romantic feelings for him. But he is still my friend. I would wallow in guilt if he died because of me,” I rasped. I pecked his lips that were still pressed against my own, anything to convince him.
“Don’t put this on my conscience, Adrik. You may be used to darkness, but I am not. You would kill him and feel nothing butsatisfaction. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself for the rest of my life.” He took a sharp inhale, tensing even more.
“I hate that. You have no idea how much I hate that,” I felt very confused. I would like to assume that most human beings didn’t want their friends to be murdered. At least I hoped so. “Hate what?” I mumbled.
“Hate the fact that you would lose sleep over this motherfucker. That he has a place in your heart, even if platonic. I want to be the only man who consumes your thoughts, the only one you worry about, and the only one you care about as well,” he told me.
“That isn’t healthy—” He cut me off in the middle of my sentence, kissing me hard. My body that felt numb for so long, woke up suddenly. Arousal coursed through my veins like a volcano that burned me from the inside out. I hated myself for missing this, for missing him.
“Love isn’t all sunshine and roses, Luna. What I feel for you is messy, maybe even fucked up. It's not the fairytale crap people feed you. I want you close, real close, like you're a part of me. You get what I'm saying?" I couldn’t stop my lips for tightening at his words. Geez, you would think a man who claimed to be this obsessed with me would have the decency not to cheat.
"Sick? Maybe. But it's real. I want you so dependent on me that you forget what it was like to breathe without me. You'll crave it, and I'll be the only one who can give it to you."
I couldn’t bite my tongue anymore. “I am not your property.” He kneeled down slightly to kiss my neck, biting it harshly afterwards. Surely he left a hickey. I felt a bit dizzy after the bite, and the last thing I heard before I went out was, “"Property? No, you're a fixation, an obsession. I don't want you – I need you.Don't mistake this for some sweet talk. It's raw, primal, and I won't let you go."
Chapter 10
Adrik
?She fell into my arms, unconscious. I had concealed the mild sedative I injected her with through my bite. Carrying her gently, I was cautious, ensuring my bloodied hands did not touch her silky skin. She needed to hear me out, to understand that I hadn't betrayed her.
So, yeah, the methods I used weren't your typical run-of-the-mill persuasion. I never claimed to be a saint. Hell, I did things that would make most folks cringe. It's a part of me I can't deny. But I couldn't let her walk away.
I'd done my share of messed-up things, no doubt about it. But you want to know the most unholy shit in my book? Making her cry, touching anyone but her, and not treating her like the queen she is. In those aspects, call me whatever you want, but I wasn't a sinner.
I hauled her into the car, adjusting the front seat to lay her down as comfortable as possible. She looked peaceful, and it was distracting me from focusing on the road. My hand twitched, wanting to rest on her thigh, but I held back. I didn’t want to smear her with that guy's blood any more than necessary.
My thoughts took a dark turn as images of him touching her, kissing her, invaded my mind. Every fiber of my being was on the brink of exploding as I waited for them to step out of that damn bowling place. I wasn’t stupid; I couldn't just go berserk on him in front of everyone.
When they finally exited and found themselves in a secluded alleyway, away from prying eyes, I didn't waste a second. I moved like a shadow, but that guy still got a taste of what was rightfully mine. The mere thought of him kissing her made my hands clench on the steering wheel so hard it almost cracked. I forced them to relax, reminding myself of the bigger picture. He would never get to touch her again.
As much as I despised him for snagging Luna's attention, I couldn't leave him for dead. Yeah, it'd be satisfying as hell, but I cared too damn much about Luna to let her shoulder the blame for his death. And I sure as hell didn't want his demise haunting her thoughts.
Grabbing my phone, I dialed one of my men, the one I had discreetly tailing me since I set foot in this town. I gave him the location and ordered him to get Simon to one of our doctors. The guy was in bad shape, but he'd live – whether he deserved it or not. It wasn't about mercy; it was about keeping Luna's hands clean and making sure that guy stayed alive so that she wouldn’t think about him too much.
When we arrived, I parked the car by the cabin in the middle of nowhere. It was deep in the forest and very secluded, just how I liked it. A place where we could sort our crap out. I rented it once I got more accustomed to the town; I didn’t want our first meeting in such a long time to be in a lousy hotel or a nosy apartment complex.
The air was thick with anticipation as I carried her inside, placing her gently on the couch for a brief moment while I set a fire in the bedroom's fireplace. I wanted her to be warm.
Entering the shower to rid myself of the bloodstains, I scrubbed my body raw. The shower was quick, almost rushed, my impatience to return to Luna overwhelming me.
Dressed in just a pair of sweatpants, the warmth of the cabin negating the need for more, I scooped Luna from the couch and placed her on the bed. Stripping her of her clothes, my knuckles traced the contours of her flesh as I removed each garment. God, I missed the hell out of her.
Taking off her bra and panties was the hardest part. I would never touch her while she was unconscious, but goddamn it had been two months without her. My fingers trembled with the effort of not wandering. I quickly dressed her in one of my sweatshirts, ignoring my hard-on and my urges. I cocooned her in blankets; her susceptibility to the cold was something I'd always been attuned to.
As I lay by her side, it was as if the weight lifted from my chest. Finally, I could breathe. I toyed with her long, unruly waves, plucking a strand to my nose, inhaling the familiar scent. The mix of gardenia and her hit me hard, making me emit a sound that was somewhere between a chuckle and a groan. It smelled like home. She was my home.
As my fingers danced through her hair, her nose scrunched. The sedative was wearing off, and she began to stir. Abruptly, she shot up from the bed, confusion etching lines on her face as she scanned the unfamiliar surroundings. It wasn't until her gaze landed on me that recognition flickered in her eyes, quickly replaced by a glare. She was pissed, but this was exactly where I wanted her—right here with me.
"What happened to Simon? Did you leave him there?" she screeched, her tone cutting through the air and wiping the smirk clean off my face. The fact that he was the first thing on her mind, even after waking up, grated on my nerves.
"He'll be fine," I growled, my displeasure evident. She moved from the bed, nearly screaming, "What does that mean? Did he receive the medical help he needs?"
"He's getting it, Luna. But I'd advise you not to dig too deep into his fate. Ask too much, and I might just change my mind," I warned, a low rumble underlying my words. She sighed with relief before slapping a hand over her mouth in an attempt to stop her train of questions about him.
