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And it didn’t feel one-sided.
For days, we’d been dancing around each other, and that wasn’t just for the sake of sparring. Flirty smiles—on my part—and stolen glances that we were both guilty of riddled our time spent together.
But the hot, possessiveness? That was all Lucifer. He practically bared his teeth if Cillian even breathed in my direction, and once, he growled at Grifin for offering me a bottle of water as Lucifer and I exited the gym.
When I asked Lucifer if we needed to worry about Cillian or Grifin tattling to Raphael about our private training sessions, he told me not to worry about it.
I trusted him. So I didn’t.
I was living in a blissful state of denial and ignoring what lay ahead, and for the first time in ten years, I was finding myself more happy than not.
The click of the door opening and the sense of an approaching presence told me that it must be time for Lachlan’s meds, but the strong hand that gripped the back of my neck didn’t belong to Katarina.
A thumb glided over my jugular. “What are you doing in here?” Raphael asked. His tone was neutral, but his rough touch and the way he loomed over me told a different story.
My head tilted back. “Getting to know my in-laws,” I deadpanned, aware of how insensitive I sounded.
Raphael didn’t speak. He stared instead.
That was never a good sign.
I gulped. “Did you have a nice trip?” I asked, still looking at him upside down.
That’s when I noticed my temperamental fiancé appeared different than he had the last time I’d seen him. Lines had formed around his mouth, and his brow was pinched tight.
He ignored my attempt at being cordial, releasing my neck and taking me by the wrist. “Come with me.”
My legs felt like lead weights as I obeyed.
Raphael led me from Lachlan’s bedroom and down the long hallway toward the guest wing. The only room that held any significance there was my bedroom.
My breaths came in double time. Walking the green mile. That’s what this felt like.
Raphael didn’t let go of my wrist until I was standing at the foot of my bed. Through the haze of my fear, I saw the black dress that had been laid on top of the duvet since I’d last been in my bedroom just an hour ago.
My gaze lifted from the garment, following Raphael as he slid his hands into his pockets and strolled around my room with lazy strides. He could have been inspecting for dust or plotting a shakedown of my room. Who fucking knew? All I knew was that Raphael was now eyeing my wooden chest with keen interest. Unless Lucifer had manifested my knives there within the last sixty minutes, I knew it was still empty, but that didn’t stop the dread from curdling in my insides when Raphael tapped the chest lid with an index finger. The solitary rap against the aged wood sliced the air like a well-aimed bullet.
Had the moment of reckoning arrived?
I pressed a hand against my stomach to trap the fear inside.
No. This couldn’t be it. I wasn’t prepared. Weaponless and barefoot, I didn’t stand a chance against Raphael Flynn. And even if by some miracle or act of God I managed to manipulate the situation and seize one of the guns I knew he had to be packing right now—then what? That part of my plan had been all but dismantled when I found out how little access I’d have to money, the internet, autonomy.
The acknowledgment of my failures blurred my vision as Raphael hovered near my nightstand, glowering at something as though it owed him money. If he had X-ray vision and had found the cell phone I’d stashed in the bottom drawer, I might as well put the bullet in my head myself. Thwart his victory. Dent his pride despite my life.
He picked up the apple from the nightstand, surveyed it like a rare diamond he was certain had flaws, then tossed it in the air before catching it. With one hand in his pocket and the other still holding my gift, he strode to the chaise lounge in front of the row of heavily draped windows—my favorite reading nook—and took a seat.
“Undress.”
My teeth rattled in my mouth. “What?”
Raphael crossed his legs and pinned me with an arrogant stare. “I didn’t stutter, Willa. Take your clothes off. Now.”
Willa. Not darling.
With more courage than I actually possessed, I scoffed. “You’re out of your fucking mind.”
Raphael sighed, then took an obnoxious bite of the apple, watching me while he chewed. I might have looked like a stubborn mule on the outside, but on the inside, I was a terrified mouse looking for the way out of the maze.
