Chapter 10
ADELINE
One Hour Earlier
I could count the number of bad decisions I’d made in my life. Letting revenge fuel me had been the first, leading to my agreement to Nicholas’s proposal Signing that contract was the second, though it hadn’t exactly been a choice,
And this? This felt like it might become the third.
“Come on!” Nicole shouted over the music, her voice barely audible above the pounding bass. She handed me a glass filled with something dark and suspiciously strong. “You’re being so stiff Just drink a little. It can’t be easy putting up with a man as cold as Nicholas Knight.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, but I didn’t take the glass from her. “I don’t know. I just have a weird feeling about tonight,” I admitted, hesitating before adding “I don’t really drink.”
Nicole rolled her eyes dramatically, throwing her head back in exaggerated exasperation. “Fine. Be boring. But seriously, what do you want to do, den?
Sit here and broad?”
What “mdid I want to do? I stared down at the bar, my fingers tracing idle patterns on the cool surface. The truth was, thadn’t known what I wanted since Devon died. Losing him–loving him and then watching him betray me with Rose of all prople had broken something in me. And now? Now I was tethered to Nicholas, a man colder than winter, in a life that felt like it wasn’t even mine anymore.
I sighed and glanced at the dance floor, where people swayed and laughed under the pulsing red lights.
“You know what? Screw it.” I grabbed the glass from Nicole and downed its contents in one gulp. The liquid burned all the way down, leaving a bitter aftertaste, but I ignored it. “I want to dance.”
Nicole let out a whoop of triumph. “Now that’s the spirit”
Before I could second–guess myself, she grabbed my hand and dragged me onto the dance floor. The music thumped through my veins as i began moving my body, slowly at first, letting the rhythm guide me. The red lights overhead painted everything in a sureal glow, and for the first time in weeks. I let myself forget. Forget the deal. Forget Nicholas. Forget the tangled mess my life had become
Nicole spun beside me, laughing and carefree. Her energy was infectious, and I found myself smiling.
Then I felt it a pair of hands on my wist.
I froze for a moment before stepping away, turning to face the man who had invaded my space. He was tall, with a greasy smile that made my skin crawl.
“Not interested,” I said firmly, my voice cutting through the music.
But instead of backing off, he leaned in, his breath hot against my ear. “Come on, sweetheart,” he murmured, his voice dripping with sleaze. “Don’t play hard to get.”
My wall stirred uneasily, a low
growl rumbling in the back of my mind. I turned to glare at him, my voice colder this time. “I said, I’m not interested.”
The man’s smile widened, his eyes gleaming with something dark. “Feisty, huh? I like that.”
Before I could react, Nicole appeared at my side, her expression sharp. “Didn’t you hear her the first time?” she snapped, stepping protectively closer to
- me.
The man glanced between us, his smile turning into a leer. “Well, woll. Two of you? Looks like my night just got a whole lot better.”
Nicole and exchanged a look, a silent understanding passing between us
We turned back to him, our eyes darkening in unison. The faint flicker of our wolves shimmered in the depths of our ganes as we spoke together, our
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Chapter 10
volcas low and deadly
Step away.
The man’s smug expression faltered, his eyes going wide with fear. He stumbled back, tripping over his own feet. “What the… what are you people to b stammered.
Without waiting for an answer, he turned and bolted, disappearing into the crowd.
Nicole and I burst out laughing, the sound a release of tension. “I know I was going to like you,” she said, still chuckling,
Trolled my eyes, glancing around to make sure no one else had noticed. The crowd was too absorbed in the music to caro, and as for the man we’d just scared off? No one would believe him.
“Serves him right,” I muttered. “Maybe now he’ll think twice before he messes with someone who says no
Nicole grinned and threw her hands in the air, spinning back into the music. Her spirit was magnetic, and for a moment, levied her freedom
“I’m going to the restroom,” it
m,” I told her, stepping away.
“Don’t belong!” she called after me, her laughter following me as I weaved through the crowd.
The bar’s theme was intense, the red lighting casting eerie shadows that seemed to stretch and twist. It made me feel lightheaded, but I shook it off and pushed into the restroom.
The sudden quiet was a relief. I quickly did my business and moved to the sink, washing my hands and splashing cool water on my face.
That’s when Theard the door open.
I didn’t think much of it at first, assuming it wa
was just another woman. But as I glanced up at the mirror, my heart skipped a beat.
It wasn’t a woman.
A man stood in the doorway, his figure tall and imposing. He didn’t look drunk–he looked deliberate.
Frowning, I turned to face him, forcing a polite smile. “I think you’ve got the wrong restroom.”
He didn’t move.
“Hey, I said,
“I’m exactly
my voice fi
firmer now. “You’re in the wrong place. You should-
y where I need to be,” he interrupted, his voice low and menacing
Achill ran down my spine as I realized he wasn’t here by accident. Something about him felt wrong–predatory. My wolf growled in warning, her presence bristling at the edge of my mind.
“What do you want?” I asked, my voice steady despite the fear creeping into my chest.
The man smiled, a slow, unsettling curve of his lips just as the door opened and another msn stepped in. I didn’t even have time to react.
Claws slashed through the air, sharp and lethal, something ripped from a nightmare. My woll surged forward in a desperate attempt to shield me, but she wasn’t fast enough. Pain exploded in my hand, a fiery slash that made me cry out. Then came the words that froze the blood in my veins
“He said she isn’t to be killed yet, Get her in the car. We’ll do the handover at midnight.”
The world spun, my vision swimming with red. Darkness clawed at the edges of my consciousness as the pain swallowed me whole
by skull Light seared through my half–closed eyes, and instinctively When I came to, my head throbbed violently, each pulse like a hammer against my tried to shield my face, only to feel the cold, unyielding bite of chains digging into my wrists.
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Chapter 101
Panic flared as blinked fully awake, memories crashing back with sickening clarity
I tried to move, but the chains rattled with cruel finality. Glancing around, my heart dropped further
“Nicolel” I rasped, my throat dry and raw. She was slumped nearby, bound just like me, her head tilted unnaturally to wasn’t moving
side. Her face was pain, and the
“Nicole, can you hear me?” I called again, my voice cracking.
“Save your voice,”
The cold, mocking voice made my head snap up. The man from the bathroom stood a few feet away, leaning casually against the wall like we were having a friendly chat. His smile was just as cruel, just as unsettling.
“She won’t be waking up anytime soon,” he continued, his tone almost conversational. “Her kind is…stronger Takes a more potent poison to keep them down.
Rage and terror warred inside me as I began thrashing against the chains, ignoring the pain that shot through my wrists. “Let us go I shouted, my voice trembling but defiant.
The man chuckled, the sound low and dark. “Let you go?” He stepped closer, his presence looming over me. “Oh no, sweetheart but don’t worry, he will make it quick. Painless, even. So, count your seconds because by midnight, you’ll be dead.”
