"And you can have them," he says gently, his hand rising to brush my cheek. "Choose where we go. Choose what we do. All I care about isus."
His hold on me is unyielding, but the touch is tender, like he genuinely believes this is love, not control. Like he truly thinks this is all just… cold feet. Temporary madness.
"Darius—"
"No," he says. "No more excuses. The time has come, my dearest fiancée." His smile is soft and devastating. "Our weddingis in four days on Spring Equinox. I can't exactly have a wedding ceremony without my bride, now can I?"
The words drop like a blade.
My heart slams against my ribs. My mouth dries.
Here it is. The secret I hadn't told. The part I thought I could explain later, gently, in my own way. But now it's laid bare for everyone to hear, torn from my hands like everything else Darius touches.
Silence crashes down around us.
I turn slowly, dread rising.
Everyone is staring.
Asher's face is carved from stone, but I see the shock there, the betrayal tightening in his jaw.
Kayden's eyes burn with hurt, confusion, and rage.
And Darius, smug and perceptive as ever, follows my gaze and smiles like a dagger slipping beneath skin.
"I see," he murmurs, "you haven't told your…friends…everything."
Shame, helplessness, fury—it all boils up at once like a toxic tide in my chest. I wrench one fist free and slam it into Darius's chest. He doesn't even flinch.
He catches my wrist again, gently this time, his thumb brushing over my knuckles like this is some kind of twisted foreplay.
"You're not wearing your ring," he murmurs.
"No," I spit. "I pawned it in some shithole town because your goons were hunting me across the country."
It's a lie. He doesn't know that.
His eyes flash. Hurt first, real and sharp. Then fury, cold and precise. But he reins it in a second later, straightening his shoulders, molding himself back into the image of control.
"I see," he says. "Well, we'll find a replacement. That won't be an issue."
He surveys the group behind me, eyes cool and calculating.
Then, the verdict drops.
"I understand you've made…connectionshere. I appreciate these people for taking care of you while you were on the run. So, as your future husband, I'll be generous. I'll grant you this: you have until tomorrow at dusk to say your goodbyes. And then you will come with me. Willingly."
He leans in close, his five o'clock shadow scraping lightly against my cheek, his scent—ancient cedar, rain-soaked earth, the faintest trace of myrrh—flooding my senses like it always has. Like a goddamn siren call.
I stop breathing.
"I can see you care about them," he whispers, voice smooth. "It would be a shame if something…happenedto them. So I'd advise you not to run, if you want them to stay safe."
A threat. It lands.
I close my eyes, every muscle in my body going rigid with helplessness. My heart pounds against my ribs like it wants out.
Darius straightens and lets me go.
