“Yeah,” I mutter, a reluctant smile tugging at my mouth, “and feral.”
Kaden snorts. “You’re fucked, mate.”
“I know.”
Chapter Sixteen
Autumn
Ican’t stop pacing. My thoughts are all over the place, tangling in knots I can’t undo. What the hell does he mean Declan and Viviana know?
Not Viviana. No. She would never let anything happen to me; we’re friends. Aren’t we?
I freeze in the middle of the room. For the first time, I reallyseeit.
It’s massive.
The bed alone could swallow me whole; it’s tall, heavy, with dark wood carved into the kind of shapes that feel ancient, almost violent. The white and cream sheets are tucked perfectly, like they’ve never been touched. The walls are a cool, stormy grey, and two enormous windows stretch almost to the ceiling, rounded at the top, sealed shut. Outside, a stone balcony wraps around the edge of the manor. There’s a low couch, a table, and beyond that… trees. Miles and miles of them. He wasn’t lying. This place is in the middle of nowhere.
There’s a walk-in closet to the left, mostly empty with just a few black hangers and three shirts, button-down, pressed and hanging neatly at eye level.
I step closer.
God.
They smell like him.
That clean, deep cologne that clung to my skin when he pulled me too close. It’s in the fabric, in the air, in my lungs. I grip the edge of the closet door and lean in like an idiot—like breathing him in will give me answers instead of more confusion.
There’s a bathroom across from the bed, the door cracked open. I peek in.
Black tiles, a massive glass walk-in shower, a bathtub sunk into a marble platform with a step up to reach it. Everything is rich, expensive, controlled, just like him.
The vanity’s bare, and the nightstands too; there are no decorations, not a single thing on the walls, nothing. I sit on the bed; my feet can’t reach the floor.
What the hell am I going to do now?
It could be worse, right? Flynn never hurt me; he’s a little unhinged, yes, but the stalker is worse. What if Flynn can find the stalker? I can have my life back.
But if he finds him, will he let me go after? I drop back and lie on the bed; closing my eyes, all I see is him. His strong, huge hands, the veins, his scent. I shake my head.
No, I can’t do this. I need to sleep, rest. I will think better in the morning.
I hope…
I hear a knock on the door, and before I can even open my eyes, someone comes in.
“Get dressed. Declan should be here in twenty minutes.” Flynn’s voice is cold, detached. I haven’t heard this tone before. I look at him, but he’s already turning away.
I jump from the bed and head to the bathroom; at least it has the basics. I brush my teeth, dress in my only pair of leggings and my bra, and since my sweater looks a mess, I take one of the white button-ups from the closet.
Let’s see how he deals with that. Asshole.
Another knock as I’m putting on my boots makes me jump. He opens the door and doesn’t wait. Again.
“You could at least ask before opening the door,” I snap.
He looks at me, then down at the shirt.Hisshirt. I watch him swallow, then his jaw clenches.
