His phone buzzed. Danny had texted three times, probably wondering why Isaac hadn’t met up with him at Frothy Pine.Maybe because I was running from the demonic goon squad when I was supposed to be getting ready.
What would his best friend think when Isaac just…didn’t show up? When days passed with no word? Even though Danny now spent most of his free time with his mate doing the dorkiest things imaginable, Isaac knew his best friend would notice his absence.
Outside the windows, something with too many wings flew past, screeching like nails on glass. The demon realm stretched out in all directions, a city of eternal twilight where humans were snacks and red pandas were apparently collectibles.
Absolutely not.
Isaac sank onto the surprisingly comfortable bed, face in his hands. He’d escaped once. He could do it again. He just needed a plan, some luck, and possibly a miracle or three.
From somewhere below, Whichello’s voice drifted up through the floorboards, giving orders in that controlled tone that promised consequences later. The demon might not have touched him tonight, but that restraint wouldn’t last forever. It never did with people who thought they owned you.
Isaac was already missing his crappy apartment with its creaky floors and painted-shut windows. At least there, the only thing trying to possess him was the landlord’s passive-aggressive notes about rent.
Tomorrow he’d figure out an escape plan. Tonight, he’d sit in this tower like a bargain-bin Rapunzel and try not to think about gray eyes in the darkness and why Whichello’s restraint felt more dangerous than his rage.
Isaac felt the chilliness of the castle settle deep inside him like it was claiming territory. “You have truly outdone yourself this time.”
He wrapped his arms around himself and lay down, uselessly praying for a miracle that would never come.
Chapter Three
Isaac rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes as he sat up. Something had disturbed his sleep, but what? He inhaled a sharp breath when he spotted Dimitri sitting in the cream-colored chair in the corner. The intensity with which Dimitri stared at him was unnerving.
“What are you doing in here?” Isaac was fully dressed but still had the urge to pull the blankets close to his chest.
Dimitri rose from the chair with fluid grace that reminded Isaac of a snake uncoiling before a strike.
“Whichello wanted me to check on you.” He tilted his head, lips curling into something resembling a smile but landing somewhere far more predatory. “Make sure you were comfortable in your new accommodations.”
Absolute garbage lie. Every instinct Isaac possessed screamed that Dimitri was lying through his teeth.
“I’m fine.” Bile rose in Isaac’s throat. How long had this creep been sitting there? The thought of being watched while asleep was enough to make his skin peel. “You can leave now.”
Instead of leaving, Dimitri took a step closer to the bed. Then another. His expression shifted into something hungry and evaluating, like Isaac had just turned into dinner.
Isaac scrambled off the bed, nearly tripping over the sheets tangled around his ankles. His heart thundered as he put the bed between them.
“Where are you going, beautiful?” Dimitri’s voice dripped with false sweetness. “We’re just getting acquainted.”
“By watching me sleep? That’s not getting acquainted. That’s being a perv.” Isaac edged toward the door, keeping the bed between them, his eyes never leaving Dimitri. “You need to leave right now.”
“But I don’t want to leave.” Dimitri took a step forward, and Isaac watched those pale eyes travel down his body in a way that made him want to scrub his skin raw. “You know, I’ve wanted to get my hands on you since Whichello brought you home the first time. Kept you locked away like a treasure. But he’s not here right now, is he?”
Isaac’s panda chittered frantically inside him, screaming warnings that his human brain was already processing.Danger. Threat. Run. He bolted for the door because staying put meant whatever Dimitri had planned, and his body refused to just stand there and wait for it. His fingers closed around the handle, twisted hard, yanked with everything he had.
Locked. Shit! He struggled to get it open anyway as he heard Dimitri’s footsteps behind him, unhurried and certain.
Isaac spun, pressing his back against the door, and slapped away the hand reaching for his face. “Don’t fucking touch me!”
“Feisty.” Dimitri caught Isaac’s wrist on the second swing, grip iron-tight. “I like that about you. All that fire just begging to be tamed.”
Isaac drove his knee upward, aiming for something soft and vulnerable, but Dimitri twisted at the last second, and the blow glanced off his thigh.
Isaac darted left, trying to circle around him, but Dimitri lunged forward with surprising speed. He grabbed Isaac’s wrist and spun him around, shoving him backward.
“Let go of me!” Isaac twisted and pulled, using his free hand to claw at Dimitri’s arm. His nails raked down flesh, drawing blood, but Dimitri’s grip never loosened. “You psychotic piece of—”
The bed caught Isaac behind the knees, and he went down hard, mattress bouncing under his weight. He tried to roll away, but Dimitri was already there, climbing over him, one knee on either side of Isaac’s hips, pinning him down with body weight alone.
