I’m alone on the sofa bed, but the sweet scent of sex still lingers in the air. Maybe that’s why I slept so well and feel so content. Not that I’m going to admit it. That would be a travesty.
“You’re awake.”
I squeak, yanking the sheets even tighter as mygaze snaps to the foot of the makeshift bed to find Thorne, his body is tilted away, his elbows resting on his knees as he glances over his shoulder at me. The way his hair dances over his eyes makes a shiver tingle down my spine.
Clearing my throat, I try to mask my reaction to him. If he notices, he doesn’t acknowledge it as he sighs, pressing his palms into his knees as he stands, turning to me with a pointed look.
“Come with me.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets, and I take a moment to really breathe him in. He’s wearing a black polo top with the first button undone and the hem tucked into a pair of black jeans.
If he weren’t a damn shadow fae, I would swear he’s the leader of the local mafia, minus the black button-up shirt. Every inch of him screams power, but I’ve seen a glimpse beneath the mask. I’ve seen the pain and how hollow it leaves him.
He cocks a brow at me, waiting silently, and I quickly recall the order he gave.Come with me.
“Why?”
He rolls his eyes; the notion is almost comical coming from him, especially after the assessment I just put him through. “Now,” he grunts, taking any humor from the air as I blink at him.
“No.”
“No?” he repeats as though the word is foreign on his tongue, and I scoff, pinning the sheets to my chest as I shuffle backward, leaning against the cushions as I glare at him.
“You don’t get to throw out commands.” My words are weighted, but the impassive look on his face confirms they don’t penetrate the way I had hoped.
“Get dressed. I have something I think it’s time you saw.”
My eyebrows pinch with uncertainty as he drops a pile of clothes beside me on the sofa. Those are my clothes, clothes I didn’t arrive with. How the hell did he get them? I sigh. Ocean must be back. We’re going to have words about her helping this asshole.
Daring to glance at him, my gaze darts back and forth between the shadow fae before me and my sweatpants and sweater stacked neatly with fresh underwear. Every time, I pause a second longer on him, or more specifically, the seriousness in his stare. It makes it impossible to deny his request. Like always, my curiosity is eager to take control.
“Turn around,” I grumble, and he cocks a brow at me.
“I think I saw enough last night.”
My cheeks heat at his choice of words and Iclear my throat, but it’s pointless. I wasn’t sure if he was going to pretend it never happened, just like that night outside of The Hut, but it seems we’ve taken on a new form of torture today.
I’m torn between standing my ground and insisting on privacy or proving to him that I’m not afraid of him seeing me exposed. Running my tongue over my bottom lip, I seal the decision in my mind as I throw the sheet off and stand on the cushions, eyes locked on his as I reach for the clothes.
I don’t dare look away as I step into my panties before securing a matching bra across my chest. He doesn’t look away from my eyes, refusing to peruse my body, but with every breath, the air thickens around us. He remains silent, even as I take a seat at the foot of the sofa bed and tug my sneakers on, but the tick to his jaw says enough.
Running my fingers through my hair, I can only hope I’m composed enough as he charges for the door without a backward glance. I roll my eyes, a sucker to follow his grumpy ass, and hurry out of the room and down the stairs without a single word spoken between us.
It’s only when he steps out into the crisp morning air and turns for the rear of the property instead of The Vale that confusion takes over.
There’s a door sitting slightly ajar, and it’s almost embarrassing to acknowledge that I didn’t even know it existed, but when he swings it open, revealing a dark and dingy set of stairs heading down, I gulp.
“What is this, Thorne?”
He looks at me, deep into my soul as his eyes swirl with emotion, but he doesn’t say a word as he trudges down the stairs, disappearing into the shadows. Despite my better judgment, I follow.
I drag my hand along the grimy wall for balance, spying the slightest glimmer of light at the foot of the steps, but it’s only when I’m a handful of steps from the bottom that I realize there’s another door.
My lips part, another question on my tongue, but before I can mumble a single word, I’m distracted by the grunts coming from the other side of the door.
“Thorne?” I whisper, my chest tightening with uncertainty.
He looks back at me, his mouth set in a thin line, but the rest of his features are too complex to decipher in the darkness. Not that he gives me much time to look before he nudges the door open and steps inside, revealing the source of the sound.
My feet carry me to the doorway, the framekeeping me propped up as I blink at the carnage before me. A wolf snarls, prowling around in a circle, its gaze fixed on the center where Kael towers over someone, pummeling them repeatedly. Punch after punch, blood splatters, painting his knuckles along with the already crimson-stained floorboards around him.
