“But this is the only way. Think about it,” he says before leaving.
How the fuck am I supposed to think about it? The mere surface of this bloody idea is enough to lacerate my soul.
chapter 15
Avira
I inspect every corner of my room, searching for any signs of cameras. The thought of being under someone’s surveillance is deeply unnerving.
Considering the kind of technology Zoan uses, it would be nearly impossible for me to detect anything if there were cameras here. Frustrated, I storm out of the room.
I reach the living room. Leo is gone, and Zoan sits hunched forward, elbows braced on his knees, head bowed low. I swear, if I had the superpower to see energy in colors, I would have seen black smoke radiatingoff him.
I clear my throat. His head lifts. Damn. He looks like he’s just murdered someone. My gaze instantly drops to the floor, searching for any sign of Leo’s corpse.
I had come here in a particularly violent mood, but compared to his aura—violent enough to suffocate—the little violence inside me shrinks into an ant and runs off.
“I wanted to ask something,” I say, forcing calm into my voice.
He gives a curt nod.
“Are there cameras in my room as well?”
He shakes his head.
His eyes say he isn’t lying, and I have no choice but to believe him.
I step closer, and with each pace, his gaze darkens further. The muscle in his clean-shaven jaw tightens, hardened in restraint. Is he angry at me?
I stop right in front of him and slowly extend my hand, patting his head. The moment my palm meets the silky strands of his black hair, I shift from patting to rubbing, craving the feel of his scalp beneath my fingers, wanting to run them from root to tip.
“What are you doing?” His voice drops, colder than zero degrees.
I retract my hand quickly. “I was trying to pat away your bad mood.”
He stands up from the couch, and I instinctively take a few steps back. He looks like a mountain—tall, broad,immovable. His aura is still cold enough to freeze an entire city, but I dare to think I managed to pat away at least a fraction of the ice.
“I’m going to the office. If you need anything, ask the staff,” he says flatly.
I nod.
Once he leaves, I also leave the living room and return to my room. Dropping onto my bed with my phone, I make a call to Wen. I’m in serious trouble now, and I have no choice but to let the cat out of the bag.
She picks up almost instantly. “How are you?” she asks.
“I’m good.”
Her eyes narrow as she studies me. “You do look… good,” she says with a faint frown.
I slide up, pressing my half-upper body against the headboard. “How much do you love me?”
One of her brows arches. “To the moon and back.”
I roll my eyes. “That’s exactly what you write in every digital birthday card.”
She grins. “Because it’s the truth.”
“Umm… what if I told you I kidnapped someone?”
