She’d feel it.
That something wasn’t quite right.
That someone had been there.
Seen her.
Chosen her.
She wasn’t wrong to fear the shadows.
But she was wrong about the danger.
He wasn’t here to hurt her.
He was here to complete her.
Soon, she’d understand.
This wasn’t surveillance.
It was devotion.
He wasn’t watching.
He was waiting.
And when the truth landed.
When she saw that he was the only one who could match her heat without burning…
Everything else would go up in smoke.
Especially Gideon Blackwell’s carefully curated world.
He vanished into the dark,smiling to himself. The ritual complete.
Let her wrap herself in that illusion of safety.
Let her cling to locks and distractions and the deception of control.
Let her keep reaching for that perfume, unaware of what it meant.
Because soon,his Little Fire would wake.
Nothing could keep him out.
Nothing could keep them apart.
Not even her.
Especially not her.
CHAPTER 13
Striking Distance
Each strike echoed through the studio—measured and relentless, a pound of effort she could claim, a control no one could ever steal.
