Her back was uneven, marked with patches of pink and white, like a rash or a scar that had healed over repeatedly. Glazing over, my eyes focused on the blush of her cheeks, the scratches of red across her stomach. She must have been running from something. From someone. But Axe had caught her.
And now? She was mine.
I stepped into the bedroom, closing the door behind me, coming towards her. She stiffened. As soon as I was close enough to touch her, she grabbed my shoulders, pulling me down with a hard crack, bringing a knee to my chest. Hard. I grunted.
A literal fighter, huh?
I grinned, then grabbed her leg and pulled through until she crumpled onto her back. I pulled out my gun, aiming it at her head. She didn’t move, her face stoic. She stared into the barrel, then shifted her eyes to me. Those blue gems pierced through me and saw to that spark within.
I could kill her right then, and it wouldn’t make a difference.
Or I could let her live, and explore that passion within her.
I took a step back, then headed to the door. I closed it behind me.
“Did you have to lift a hand when you were in the woods?” I asked.
Axe shook his head. “She came willingly.”
“Well, I had to lay her flat just now,” I said, smirking.
Derek laughed. “She’s perfect for you then.”
The passion of a caged lioness with blue eyes and light brown hair, and no expectations beyond being mine, was, in fact, perfect. She was simply a gift.
Yeah, birthdays didn’t get much better than this.
CHAPTER 2
Ellie
You aren’t safe here.
I blinked. That voice sounded familiar. Male. With the authority of a father figure, but not quite family. I couldn’t place it. A dim light came from the windows. Steel-gray clouds covered the sky, the sun shining behind them, reflecting across their backs. The cityscape stretched far and wide to the coastline in the distance. The echo of a lighthouse. Traffic lights. Mist hovering over the woods near the coast.
Here? I thought. Where are we?
You aren’t safe here. You need to be careful, Ellie. They’re watching you.
Ellie?
Where are we?
We?
I looked around, but there was no one there. It was a voice inside of my mind, like a detached part of me, always there, always filling in the blanks. What was going on? I touched my face, as if I could find the voice there. But my skin was cold. It felt strange, like I was touching myself for the first time. My head was filled with fog, like I had awoken from a deep, deep sleep. I closed my eyes tight, until tears started forming in the crevices, then opened them wide, staring out. Four posts at the corners of the bed. A large window. A closet to the side. A full-length mirror. An attached bathroom.
I looked down; the blankets and comforters in shades of gray layered underneath me. So soft it almost hurt.
A bedroom. I was in someone’s bedroom.
You need to be careful, Ellie. They’re watching you,the voice said. A male voice. A familiar one. Like a father. Like a friend I trusted. Someone I knew.
That’s right. That was my name. Ellie.
The bedroom door opened; a tall man with dark hair entered the room, his eyes shadowed. A navy blue suit jacket fit his arms, a red tie in the middle like a stripe of blood. His jaw was angular and tight, his muscles stretching the suit’s sleeves. His brown eyes lingered over my breasts, my waist, my hips, between my thighs. I touched my face again, suddenly hot, wanting to make sure that I was awake. That this wasn’t a dream. As the man’s eyes met mine, his face darkened, and it was as if I could feel his thoughts. What he wanted to do to me. What hewoulddo, if I wasn’t careful. A shudder ran through me.
Who was he?
