The ride to the private jet was short, but heavy with silence. She should have asked more questions. Should have demanded answers. But with Vector sitting beside her, exuding raw power and control, the words tangled in her throat.
The jet was waiting at the far end of the airport grounds, a massive, gleaming aircraft sitting under the golden glow of the runway lights. It wasn’t just wealth—it wasold money, power, and influencewrapped in polished steel and luxury.
Vector helped her out of the car and tucked her hand in his as they approached the jet. A uniformed attendant greeted them with a professional nod. “Everything is prepared, sir.”
Vector barely spared the man a glance. “Good.”
Talon stepped ahead, murmuring something into his comms, eyes scanning the area. Raven swallowed, watching the way the guards moved—silent, alert, always watching. It was both reassuring and unnerving. Why did Vector need this kind of protection? Who was he, really? She had not had the time, nor the privacy, to do a thorough internet search of him and his family, but she would. Right after Erik gave her back her cell phone.
The stark reminder that she was little more than a prisoner should have set alarm bells ringing in her head. Erik had taken her phone and her car. She was trapped here, with these men and their bodyguards and their helicopters and castles and private jets. The deal had been to help Erik with Vector, not go straight to hot sex in a dungeon buried under a centuries old fortress. She should be thinking about how to escape, not how to get Vector naked.
But that’s where her mind seemed to live since the moment she’d seen him. Now that he’d touched her, the condition had worsened. She wanted to be near him, next to him, touchinghim, every second like some kind of sickness had invaded her body and she couldn’t live without him. It was more than obsession, it was biological, as if her body needed his to survive. Craved him like it craved oxygen. Like she couldn’t breathe if he wasn’t next to her.
So, she was going along because she didn’t really have a choice, that was true. They were all large, powerful men, armed to the teeth. But the darkest part of her heart knew that wasn’t the only reason. She wanted him. His attention. His touch. His intensity. She wanted the obsession and possessive look in his eyes to be real. For her. She wanted to live under the spell of his protection, the illusion of safety. She’d never felt safe before, not one day in her entire life. Not until she’d been in his arms.
The feeling might be a lie, but it was fucking addictive. She might be going to hell, walking into a nightmare she didn’t understand yet—because these were men with secrets, dark, deadly, probably illegal secrets—but she couldn’t walk away from him now any more than she could leave him to die on that cliff. Something about him called to a primitive part of her that had completely taken control of her life and erased all logic and good sense. If she believed in magic, she would swear he’d given her a love potion and she couldn’t break the spell.
Vector turned to her, his emerald gaze assessing. “Ready?”
Raven lifted her chin and hoped even half of what she was thinking didn’t show on her face. “I’m still waiting to know where we’re going.”
A slow, knowing smirk played on his lips.
Before she could ask him again, he took her hand, guiding her up the stairs into a world ofunimaginable luxury.
The moment Raven stepped inside the luxurious jet, she awed at the sheer extravagance surrounding her. The interior of the plane was unlike anything she had ever seen—dark mahogany paneling, plush cream-colored leather seats, and goldaccents gleaming under soft, ambient lighting. A faint scent ofsandalwood and leatherlingered in the air, mingling with something unmistakably Vector.
Talon entered immediately after, checking the space with a quick, practiced sweep, his sharp eyes scanning for anything out of place. Satisfied, he stepped aside, allowing Vector to lead Raven deeper inside. The warmth of his palm against her lower back wasa constant reminder of his presence, of his claim.
“Sit,” Vector instructed, motioning toward the spacious leather seat. Raven hesitated for only a moment before sinking into one, the seat cradling her in a way that was bothluxurious and unsettling. Vector sat next to her.
A steward appeared; a woman impeccably dressed in a sleek black uniform. She greeted them with a professional smile. “Would you care for a drink, sir? Miss?”
Vector didn’t even glance at the menu. “A whiskey. Neat.” His gaze flicked to Raven. “And you?”
She swallowed, still adjusting to this surreal moment. “Just water, please.”
Vector arched a brow but said nothing, merely watching as the woman nodded and disappeared toward the bar at the rear of the cabin.
The hum of the engines intensified as the jet prepared for takeoff. Raven glanced toward the window, the landscape of the airstrip stretching far into the distance. The realization hit her all over again—she had no idea where they were going, no idea why she was here, and yet, here she was.
Vector watched her, his gaze steady, considering. “Tell me about your dreams.”
She turned back to him, blinking. “My dreams?”
He nodded, taking the glass of whiskey the steward had just set down before him. “Yes. What do you want out of life?”
She hesitated, then exhaled, choosing honesty. “I’ve spent years working toward something that finally feels like it’s within reach,” she admitted. “I’m about to make my first big real estate deal. It’s a historic property—beautiful architecture, incredible views. It’s the kind of place that feels… special.”
Vector leaned forward slightly, interest flickering in his emerald eyes. “Describe it to me.”
She did. She spoke of thetowering stone walls, theintricate ironwork on the balconies, the waythe morning light poured through stained-glass windows, painting the floors inshades of crimson and gold.She told him how theair smelled like old wood and salt from the sea, how standing on the property made her feel like she was part of something greater than herself.
When she finished, Vector was quiet, studying her. “You love it.”
She nodded slowly. “Yes.”
“Then why do you not keep it?”
