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“Calla can speak for herself,” I say in a sharp tone, though he’s not wrong. I was tired when I left the campus library with Brighton. If my nerves weren’t fried, I’d have likely passed out on the floor by now.
What I wouldn’t give to open my eyes and realize all of this was a nightmare. No such luck. The vampires that broke into my apartment to kidnap me are very real, and I am very screwed.
When Kade steps toward me, my eyes narrow, and I immediately step back… right into Atlas’s chest.When did he move from the kitchen?
I’m in no position to fight these guys, but my muscles tense as if I’m going to anyway.
Atlas snakes his arm around my waist before I can move. “Don’t make this harder,” he warns in a low voice, his lips brushing the shell of my ear.
I shiver, then try to drive my elbow back to get him to let go, but it does nothing but exert energy I’m already in low supply of.
“Calla.” His voice makes me freeze, and I squeeze my eyes shut. If this bastard thinks he’s going to glamour me into compliance, he’s got another thing coming.
I clench my fists tighter. “Let go of me.”
“You don’t need to keep fighting.” With his free hand, he wraps his fingers around my throat, pushing gently until the back of my head rests against his chest.
The tension leaves my muscles, and I stop trying to break free of his hold.What the fuck?
“That’s better,” he murmurs against my hair, and his fingers slip away from my throat.
Confusion floods through me as I open my eyes to find Kade and Gabriel watching me. “W-what? No…”
Gabriel offers a faint smile. “Glamour works in different ways, angel. For vampires like Atlas, skin-to-skin contact is just as powerful as eye contact.”
I shake my head as annoyance flickers through me. “That’s not fair.”
I think I feel a rumble of laughter against my back.
Lex walks down the hall from my bedroom, a duffle bag slung over his shoulder. His eyes shift between us, and he arches a brow. “We good?” Then he focuses on me. “Don’t worry, I grabbed the pretty lace ones.” He pats the side of the bag and winks at me.
“I’m going to kill you,” I say in a low voice in an attempt to mask my shame; the fight in me is gone. “All of you.” I pull away from Atlas, and he lets me. I walk to the door, grabbing my jacket and book bag off the hook before leaving my apartment. When I realize that I may never return, a pit of dread builds a home in my stomach.
2
They live in a fucking mansion in the Palisades. Becauseof coursetheir house is in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Washington.
It’s at least three stories high and built into a hill, I realize as the Escalade slows to pull into the paved driveway. The light from inside gives the exterior a soft glow. Stone stairs lead up to the front door, and the massive exterior is made of glass and dark wood panels. The driveway is surrounded by a stone wall that frames the professionally maintained shrubbery and grass and is built taller to fit the height of the wood-paneled garage door. Tall trees surround the property, but not enough to block the curb appeal.
If it wasn’t my very own prison, I might actually appreciate its luxury.
Atlas presses a button on the dash, opening the door, and we drive into an unnecessarily huge garage. The door closes soundlessly behind us as Atlas pulls into an empty spot between two other wildly expensive-looking cars. I’m vaguely aware when he kills the engine and the car doors start opening. The cold air seeps inside with the heat no longer blowing, and I shiver, tugging my jacket tighter around me as I peer around the garage from inside the quiet vehicle.
Being surrounded by concrete walls makes me want to bolt. It certainly doesn’t help the sensation of being trapped, making it feel as if someone is standing on my chest. Even with the bright track lighting across the ceiling, the walls threaten to close in on me any second.
“Calla.”
I flinch before turning to find my door open and Atlas standing there waiting for me to get out. I don’t want to. My gaze drops to my lap where my hands are clenched into fists, and I let loose a faint sigh.
The passenger side door slams shut, and I jump, looking up in time to see the back of Kade’s head before he disappears into the house with Lex not far behind him, my duffle bag slung over his shoulder.
I unbuckle my belt and reach down to grab my book bag off the floor, gripping it so tight my nails bite into my palm. I focus on that discomfort as I get out of the car to follow Atlas and Gabriel inside, my shoes echoing faintly on the concrete floor.
The shrill chirp of the car locking makes my pulse race, and I press my lips together when Gabriel rests his hand against my lower back.
“You’re okay,” he says and reaches past me to open the frosted glass door.
I walk into the house and am immediately greeted by warmth and a faint smell of lemon. This place is straight out of a Pottery Barn catalog. The walls at the back of the house are made entirely of floor-to-ceiling windows, which I imagine look absolutely stunning in daylight. The pool reflects the moonlight outside, and though I’m completely out of my element here, I can’t help the twinge of excitement that flickers through me.I’ve never lived anywhere with a pool.
