When I rush out into the courtyard, it’s raining. It’s a slow drizzle, but rain, nonetheless. Dammit! I peer over my shoulder. The idea of calling an Uber is tempting, but I’m only a few blocks away, and it’s not like it’s pouring rain. Knowing that Taj is going to be leaving soon sparks me forward. I don’t want to talk to him right now. The wedge between us grows more and more every single day, and I don’t know how to bring us back together.
I start on my trek home, knowing I have no other option than to walk since I left my car at home. As I walk, the sky gets darker, turning an angry gray by the time I’m off campus. I know it’s only a matter of time before the clouds open and I get a shower.
Still, I move my legs faster, scolding myself for wearing a pencil skirt, white blouse, and heeled shoes, even if they’re a small heel. The smart thing to do would’ve been to check the weather before leaving the house, at least without my car.
As I hustle, the rain comes down, slapping me with huge drops. The night sky makes it hard to see, and I nearly trip over my own feet. Fuck! I let out a ragged breath, barely catching myself.
It’s when I nearly fall and catch myself on the exterior of a brick building that I hear the footfalls of someone behind me. Whirling around, I find a man less than twenty yards away, standing on the sidewalk. His hood covers his face, and he’s wearing all black. It’s hard to make out much more with the gloomy skies above.
Still, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, alerting me to danger. I’m not sure if he’s following me or not, but I will not stick around to find out. As soon as I start again, this time moving a little faster, I hear the man’s footsteps pick up as well.
Panic drives me to run, and my adrenaline spikes. I peer over my shoulder, my entire body lighting up when I find the man running behind me, only a short distance away. I turn down an alleyway, and then another, trying to break his trail, hopeful that he won’t follow, only to be paralyzed with fear when he appears around the next corner.
My hands are shaking, and I’m soaked to the bone, but the fear of that mysterious man who could be my stalker following me spurs me forward. I’m only a block from the apartment, but it’s a block too far. I hear him directly behind me, and a scream lodges itself in my throat.
Hope coats my insides when I spot the apartment ahead. I shove through my fear and race up the steps, barely getting the door open and closed. Twisting the lock into place, I open the blinds and peer outside to see if the man is standing there on the street, but there’s nothing, just the streaks of rain on the window.
Letting the blinds fall closed, I turn, press my back against the door, and relax. I let out a breath that turns into a scream when Kyla comes walking around the corner from the kitchen.
Her face is a mask of confusion. “Are you okay?”
All I can do is nod as the blood in my veins becomes ice. I’m not sure what the hell is going on, but I know I’m not okay. Nothing is okay, and I don’t know if it will ever be.
15
CHRISTIAN
I shouldn’t like torturing her as much as I do. Something about the fear that rips through every fiber of her being calls to me. Knowing that I can hunt and claim her whenever I feel like it makes the chase even more fun. She can run to the ends of the earth, and I’ll still be waiting in the shadows for her, reminding her she’s mine.
Siân—so pure and demure. A woman lost in a sea of chaos, a world of darkness. A woman due to be fucked properly. I can’t wait to break her, to introduce her to the world her father thought he was saving her from. I told her once that fate is the only thing that matters. Marco should have known he could never truly keep her safe. He may not have agreed to the deal his beloved made with my father behind his back, but it was still a deal.
People would call me sick for dragging this out. For taunting her and causing her to have to look over her shoulder at every turn. Fuck those people. We all have a vice, and terrorizing Siân only to be the person she runs to afterward fuels me. It speaks to the deepest part of my soul, the part I’ve been trying to keep at bay while in her presence.