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When she turned to seek comfort from him, she shrieked and stumbled back, almost stepping onto the broken shards with her bare feet, until he pulled her against him.

Turning with her in his arms to look behind him and see what frightened her, he couldn’t suppress the snarl that escaped at the message on the wall crudely written in blood:

YOU’RE MINE

Charlotte sobbed, clinging onto his chest as her body shook violently.

Of everything they experienced together, he never felt her fear like this. It wasn’t even because he could physically feel the fear with their growing bond. He’d never seen her respond so poorly, even with the break-in.

She had reached her breaking point.

There were limits to how long someone could remain strong before they eventually broke.

He bent, putting his hands on the back of her thighs, lifting her. She threw her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her into the bedroom and sat down on the bed, holding her to his chest, grabbing his phone from the bedside table and placing a call.

Even though he wanted to destroy the room in a fit of rage after someone came into their space and made his Korrena feel unsafe, he had to remain calm for her. Although she sensed his fury, he refused to display it. He noticed she responded better if he didn’t make an outward display of anger.

“Hello?”

“Lukas,” he said, clenching his teeth, voice tight.

“What’s wrong?”

“Get over here.” Aiden ended the call before Lukas could respond and tossed it to the side.

Minutes later, his best friend burst into the room. Charlotte screamed, her entire body jolting.

“Fucking hell,” Aiden said when her nails dug into his skin through his shirt. He’d forgotten to warn her they were coming. He put a hand on the back of her head, tucking her face against him as he rocked her like a child, making gentle shushing sounds against the top of her head. “I’ve got you, Kitten. I’ve got you.”

Blaire shoved Lukas out of the way to get over to the bed, crawling beside Aiden. “What’s wrong with her?” Before he could say anything, Seth and Riley piled into the room behind Lukas. “They were with us when you called.”

“What’s going on?” Riley demanded at the sight of Charlotte. She joined Blaire on the bed.

“The bathroom,” he said, keeping his voice calm and low while continuing to rub Charlotte’s back and cradle her head.

Lukas turned and went into the ensuite, Seth trailing behind him.

“What the fuck?”

Riley hopped up at the tone of Seth’s voice and rushed into the bathroom. “Holy shit.” She gaped from the doorway.

Blaire glanced over her shoulder and then back at Aiden. “What is it?”

“I’m going to kill Noah, that’s what.”

Charlotte whimpered.

All this time they thought the stalker wasn’t dead after finding a rose on campus, only to have Noah waltz in and change their perspective. Was it all a ploy to lure them into a false sense of security? Noah’s arrival brought with it the biggest disturbance they’d encountered since the break-in at Charlotte’s old apartment. It hadn’t escaped Aiden’s notice that the blood in the bathroom was human blood. Where had he gotten it?

“Why do you think he had anything to do with that?” Riley asked, coming over and taking Blaire’s place when she got up to see what everyone had already seen.

Aiden didn’t have it in him to explain his theories, not when he needed to focus on the frightened girl in his lap. “It’s too convenient that on the night he arrives, this happens.”

Charlotte lifted her head, sitting up on his lap now that her trembling and tears had abated. Black streaks marred her cheeks from runny mascara, and her nose looked red and irritated. He took the T-shirt he’d dropped on the bed and wiped her nose. “The rose and that note came before Noah ever joined. It’s that guy James.”

That made him pause and rethink his position. If James didn’t know they were aware of Brent’s identity as the stalker, his continuation of the ruse after Brent’s death wouldn’t seem strange. Still, the convenience of Noah’s arrival and this incident struck him as odd. Maybe James used him as a distraction. Did Noah provide that distraction willingly or was it mere coincidence? He didn’t want to trust the guy.

“I get you’re upset, man.” Lukas leaned against the back of Aiden’s desk chair, crossing his arms as Blaire took a seat. “I know what you’re going through with the new bond. It makes things chaotic, and anytime the worst happens, you’re going to suspect someone you see as a threat to her.”