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This is confirmed as I watch him glance over his shoulder, his hands fluttering near his sides as he slides into the car he was driving earlier.

So, I follow again. I’m not fucking wrong about this.

It’s in that moment I feel Eissa in my mind, the adrenaline pulsing through my system, a warning to him. I push him out, push him aside. How dare he show up when I’m neck-deep in a…mission?

Yes, a mission. A personal one.

He’s not allowed here. Not now. If he cared, or was concerned, he could have shown up earlier. But he didn’t. He left me alone for ages, and so here I am. Spying on some shithead.

Or someone I really think is a shithead.

Fuck. I doubt I’m in any danger, but still.

The car swerves around another and then jerks to a stop, half on a curb. I slow down and park farther away, hopping out and walking on foot, sneaking into storefronts and hiding in shadows as I move. I don’t want to be seen, to blow my cover. But Zane is easy to follow.

He seems desperate, and when men become desperate, they become sloppy.

He isn’t making sure he isn’t being followed. It makes this so much easier.

That’s when I see it.

A car pulls up, and Zane looks to his right and left before leaning down and handing something to them through the window. I don’t know what it is, can’t make it out, but with the way he’s been acting, it must be important.

Portal key rings through my head once more, and I step backward, knocking into something behind me. It must fall to the ground because I see Zane’s head turn, catching sight of me.

I see my name on his lips, his mouth screwed up, his eyes angry.

I can’t wait. I have to leave.

Turning on my heels, I run.

My lungs ache as I do. I can feel my blood pumping through my body.

And then something enormous hits me, jolting me forward. Pain screams up my side as I crash to the ground. My head hits it, pain shooting through my cheek and nose, the taste of copper on my tongue. I try to lift myself up but then feel something crushing my thighs as it rolls over me.

I cry out, my fingers clawing at the pavement.

I can’t breathe. I can’t fucking breathe. Everything hurts, and I’m pretty sure several bones are broken.

I almost give up. The pain is so intense, I want to give in and collapse on the street, but then there’s a voice in my mind. Maybe I conjured it up, maybe it was my survival instinct, but it works.

Run, my Luca. Run.

I push myself up and move, my body cursing at me as I do. I can feel the pops and groans of my bones as I hobble as fast as I can, adrenaline pushing me forward. I glance behind me and see the headlights of the car. They want to kill me.

I turn right, knocking into a wall and wheezing, then I slip down an alley. I don’t know how I make it, but I manage to limp toward a door, my bloody hand landing on the doorknob and turning.

It’s open.

I tumble in, seeking safety.

And then I realize he’s there.

My Eissa.

He stands up, his eyes wide, his hands reaching for me, and the moment I’m in his grasp, I give in to the fear and pain, and everything around me goes dark.

I don’t know how much time has passed, but I know it must have been more than minutes. Hours, possibly?