I pushed deeper, hunting for anything practical. The Master might want pretty dolls in pretty dresses, but I wasn't playing that game. Not now, not ever.
Finally, tucked in the back like someone had made a mistake, I found jeans. Real jeans. Dark wash, fitted but not tight, with enough stretch to move in. I grabbed them and kept digging.
A lightweight cashmere sweater in charcoal gray. Simple. Warm.
Boots came next. I struck paydirt with a pair of low-heeled leather ankle boots—sturdy, practical, with good tread. Not hiking boots, but better than the stilettos that dominated the rest of the shoe display.
I stripped out of the white nightgown and dumped it in the nearby hamper, noticing my pink sweatsuit lay crumbled at the bottom.
The shower beckoned. I needed to wash away the feeling of violation that clung to my skin. I needed to think. Plan. Figure out how the hell I was getting off this island.
I stepped into the glass enclosure and turned the water on full blast.
An hour later, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I looked almost normal. Except for my eyes. They were hard, feral, the eyes of someone tamping down unbearable pain, someone caged and ready to bite.
Good.
I wasn't Harper the widow any longer. I was Xabat's mate, and I would be worthy of his legacy as a warrior. The woman in the mirror stared back at me with icy determination. She looked ready for war.
I stepped back into the bedroom, my mind already churning through possibilities. Helicopters meant a helipad somewhere on the property. Spaceships meant the Trogvyk had their own transport. Either way, there had to be a way off this rock. I just needed to find it.
I paced the length of the window, measuring the distance to the water, trying to gauge how far the mainland might be when three sharp knocks sounded against the door.
Not Ana. Her knock had been tentative, almost fearful. This was authoritative. Confident. The knock of someone who owned everything behind the door and knew it.
My heart kicked into overdrive, adrenaline flooding my system like ice water. "Come in."
The door swung open with a smooth, well-oiled whisper, and a man stepped through—tall, broad-shouldered, moving with the easy confidence that came from never being told no. He wore a suit that probably cost more than my house, gray with subtle pinstripes, tailored so precisely it looked sewn directly onto his body. His shirt was crisp white, open at the collar. Notie, because men with this much money and power didn't need to prove anything with formal accessories. A watch glinted on his wrist, something Swiss and complicated with more dials than anybody actually needed.
But it was his face that stopped my heart cold.
I knew that face. I'd seen it on magazine covers, in interviews, in news articles about innovation. I'd seen him in person only once, but once was enough. Sharp jawline, perfectly groomed dark hair with just enough silver at the temples to suggest distinguished rather than old. Eyes the color of glacial ice that seemed to calculate the value of everything they landed on.
Declan Hewes.
The tech billionaire. The man who'd revolutionized cloud computing, who owned half of Silicon Valley, who had his fingers in everything from social media platforms to space exploration. The man who'd approached me at Seth's Medal of Valor ceremony six months ago, all charm and expensive cologne, asking me to dinner despite the fact that we were honoring how my husband died.
Relief crashed through me like a wave, so intense my knees nearly buckled. A rescue. This was a rescue. He'd found me. Somehow he'd tracked me down and come to get me out of this nightmare.
"Harper." My name rolled off his tongue like he was tasting something exquisite, savoring each syllable. His lips curved into a smile that didn't reach his ice-chip eyes. "You're as lovely as ever. Though I must say, you've made this considerably harder than it needed to be."
The relief curdled in my stomach, turning rancid.
He stepped further into the room, hands sliding into his pockets with casual ease. "If you'd simply said yes to dinner, we could have had such a lovely time together. I would havecourted you properly—flowers, champagne, all the romance a woman could want." His head tilted slightly, regarding me with something that might have been amusement or annoyance. "But you had to be difficult."
My mouth went dry, my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth. "You... this is you? You did this?"
"I do apologize for not acquiring you sooner." He waved a hand dismissively, as if apologizing for being late to lunch rather than for kidnapping and murder. "I've had to travel recently. It delayed my timeline considerably. But you're here now, and that's what matters."
The words weren't processing right, like my brain was refusing to accept what my ears were hearing. "You kidnapped me because I wouldn't date you?"
"'Kidnapped' is such an ugly word." Declan's nose wrinkled slightly, as if I'd said something distasteful. "I prefer to think of it as... removing obstacles. Streamlining the process." He took another step closer, and I fought the urge to back away. I would not show fear. "Nobody saysnoto me, Harper. Not investors, not competitors, not beautiful widows who should be grateful for the attention." His voice hardened, ice cracking beneath the polished surface. "I wanted you. I made my intentions clear. And now you're mine."
The casual certainty in his voice, like I was a company he'd acquired, an asset he'd purchased, ignited something white-hot and furious in my chest. "You don't own shit!" The words came out so low and dangerous I barely recognized my own voice. "I'll never give myself to you. Never."
Declan's smile widened, and for the first time, I saw genuine amusement flicker in his cold eyes. "Never is such a long time, Harper. And I'm a very patient man when I want something." He clasped his hands behind his back, rocking slightly on his heels. "I'm also exceptionally persuasive. I'veconvinced governments to change laws, convinced competitors to sell me their companies for pennies on the dollar, convinced the world that I'm a visionary." He leaned forward slightly, voice dropping to something almost intimate. "I always get what I want. Always."
He straightened, adjusting his cuffs meticulously. "I'll give you some time to acclimate to your new life here. Get comfortable. Explore the grounds, within reason, of course. Ana will show you around. I think you'll find I can be quite generous to those who are appreciative." His gaze traveled over me slowly, appraisingly. "We'll have dinner tomorrow evening. I'm very much looking forward to getting to know you better."
