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Unlocked, the bookcase swings open easily, revealing the partially open vault door. I step in further, finding the tan stone immediately. It’s roughly hewn into a triangular shape with a few cryptic carvings denoting it as anything special.
This is what held him and his brothers entranced? This is what seemed to control Titan’s every decision?
I reach out to it, letting my fingers hover above a crudely carved spiral at the center of it. It is etched deep into the stone, and I find my gaze tracing its depth, moving round and round towards the center.
Is this what Titan’s Pull feels like?I wonder. It’s like I’ve lost control of my own body as the incessant repetition of Titan’s words drags me closer to the object.
That needed to end.
We needed to end.
He’d said it like he wasn’t the one who suggested sleeping together. Like he wasn’t the one who made me cry or who held me and told me he’d take care of me.
You need a Daddy, Julianna.
That last thought turns shame into anger, prickling over my skin as my fingers curl around the rough edge of the Keystone.
My face heats as I think of everything I shared with Titan and what he made me feel.
I lift the Keystone from the heavy wire frame that holds it, turning my head to confirm the second floor is still clear.
My pulse races. I felt safe with Titan, protected, cared for in a way I don’t think I ever had. I let my guard down. He was someone I could trust, but once again, he just proved I can’t trust anyone but myself.
I shove the Keystone into my gold clutch.
Control, powerful and all-consuming, courses through me. It props me up and sends adrenaline coursing through every muscle in my body. The feeling is so right, so perfect, like the first time I stole the pen from Richard.
My heart beats so fast, it is just one continuous thump. My breath is shallow and barely under control. I make my way to the stairs and slowly descend, high on the rush of having something Titan wants so badly in my hand.
I force my face into a mask of stillness as I push my way through the crowd.
I’m just a woman in need of some fresh air, I think as I pass between eager couples and then Freddy, who I can see in the doorway of an adjoining room, surrounded by a group of guards.
I know that the crowd is busy and distracted, but I swear I feel someone’s eyes on me. I twist around, looking for Titan, but find no one looking my way. It’s been like that all night. I felt eyes on my back. If Freddy or the blond man weren’t directly at my side, I was sure Titan was glaring at me.
I press the elevator button a few times, urging it on faster. When it arrives, I step on, immediately hitting the close door button as I enter. My view through the closing door is a mess of lithe, spray-tanned bodies mingling. I don’t see Titan, but I still feel the eyes on me.
By the time I make it to the street, the energy and adrenaline that had propelled me to grab the Keystone is waning.
The reality of what I just did plays at the edges of my mind, but I can’t let myself think about it. It was stupid, I was stupid, but I stoke the petty, eager feeling that bloomed in me when I snatched the piece. Any minute now, Titan will be feeling exactly how he made me feel—powerless.
It’s dark out and, as always, this part of town is busy with cars, but not pedestrians. The overcast skies aren’t helping, keeping even more people indoors. I need to get a few blocks away before I call a rideshare.
I turn the corner and make contact with a man’s large form. I bounce back from his hard chest, looking at the sidewalk to catch my feet under me.
“Sorry,” I say it to the ground and then look up, swallowing my apology.
The coiffed blond man from the party.
“Give it to me,” he demands.
I frown, stumbling backwards. “What?”
I start to walk past him, giving him a wide berth. He stands in place, simply turning to face me as I move around him. Some instinct tells me I shouldn’t turn my back on him, so when I make it to the other side of him, I walk backwards.
“The Keystone.”
I was alone on the second floor. No one should’ve seen me. He has no way of knowing I have the Keystone. I keep my expression neutral.
