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My eyes flew to the man sitting in the corner of the room. Cloaked in the shadows, he watched me like an owl in the pitch-black night.

“What am I doing here?” I asked, not listening to him as I sat up against some pillows. The last thing I remembered was him saying that it was safer at his place. I had no clue how I made it here, though.

“I brought you here.”

“Did you change my clothes too?” I tugged at his black T-shirt that I was wearing, and nothing underneath.

“Yes. I tried not to look,” he replied flatly. “I know you don’t like sleeping in dirty clothes.”

I sighed. “Ari? Ella? Are they—”

“They’re fine. I have them situated in a guest room upstairs,” he said. “I must say it wasn’t an easy task. They didn’t take a liking to me.”

“Not everyone will fall for your charm.” I didn’t know what my sisters thought of Arkane, but the look in their eyes told me they very well knew who he was.

“Is that what you think I did?” He scoffed dryly. “Charmed you?”

“No,” I said, looking him dead in the eyes. “I know exactly what you did, Arkane.”

He sighed, looking away.

“I’d better leave. It’s not appropriate for me to be here. I can find a room upstairs,” I said, pulling the sheets away as I tried to slide out of the bed, biting back the pain. But failed terribly when Arkane was on me in an instant, putting me back into bed like a child.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he said firmly, eyeing me sharply. “You’ve got a fucking contusion and a sprained wrist and about a hundred bruises.”

My eyes widened. “Fine,” I mumbled.

“This is the safest place in the city. You and your sisters will stay here till I say otherwise.”

“Do I get a say?” I asked dryly, but it wasn’t like I complained. He was right—his home was the safest place in the city. I didn’t care much about my safety. I can take care of myself one way or another, but the same couldn’t be said for my sisters. I knew tonight was a replay of the memories that they desperately wanted to forget.

“No,” Arkane replied flatly.

“Fine, but can I get another room? Your house is big enough.”

“I know you like it here.” He adjusted my pillows as he spoke. “I won’t bother you.”

“You’re not a bother, Arkane,” I mumbled.

“Here.” He ignored me and handed me a couple of pills. “For the pain and swelling.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, downing them with a wash of cold water.

He took the glass away and sat in front of me. He stared at me for what felt like a minute, not saying a word, not blinking an eye, before he eventually rose to his feet. “What happened tonight was my fault. I made a miscalculation.” His tone gave nothing away, but his eyes told a different story. “I’m sorry, Bella. I promise no one will ever hurt you again.” With that, he left, without looking back.

And it felt like he took my heart with him. Every instinct in my body screamed to go after him, but it hurt to even move an inch, and all my eyes wanted to do was close. And in the next second, I did just that.

When I came to again, it was still dark. Only this time it wasn’t quiet; the walls wailed with the tremors of the roaring storm outside. I gingerly sat up, testing my limbs—thankfully, the pills worked enough for me to move without any pain.

Lightning flashed across my face as I ventured out. The loft was clouded in darkness, too empty without the presence of a certain man. A sigh left my lips—he really did leave.

But something caught the corner of my eye just as a rumbling thunder broke through the clouds. There on the balcony, underneath the thundering rain, a lone figure stood with his back hunched, too still amid the chaos surrounding him. As if the weight of everything was pouring down on him.

Taking a deep breath, I walked toward him. Like his heart was a flame that soothed the ache in mine. My fingers pried the door, and the rain drenched me in seconds, the howling winds deafening my ears. As if he sensed my presence, he slowly turned. But he remained still, his storm eyes blazing through mine. It was like nothing else mattered, not even our indifferences. It was like only he and I existed in this very moment. I didn’t know who closed the distance first, but somehow our bodies touched, and he fell to his knees, taking me with him, and in the next second, his lips were on mine in a ferocious kiss.

The most furiously all-consuming kiss.

His tongue devoured every inch of my mouth, while his hands smoothed down the length of my body. From the back of my neck to the curve of my breasts and lower and lower till they reached the place where I needed him the most. But it all lasted a second before he repeated the torture all over again. My mind and body hissed with the sensation of him—my fingers raked through his hair, my heart a pounding mess, and I leaped higher to get more of him. Higher to press my body into every inch of him. I’d never felt like this before, never felt so mind-numbingly consumed by a man.