His fingers closed more firmly around my arm, then slid, controlled and unyielding, until his hand bracketed me. It made one thing very clear.I wasn’t about to go anywhere without his permission.My breath hitched as he turned slightly toward me, his body angling between me and the room in one fluid movement. One that somehow felt both possessive and protective. Which was an extremely inconvenient combination when I was already fighting not to spiral.
“Oblivion…” I started, although I had no idea what I was even going to say after his name.
Although clearly, it wasn’t what he wanted to hear, as his jaw flexed once.
“Enough.”
That was all he said. Just that one word, and one that carried none of the velvet warmth he had used on me before. But it was enough to shoot another spark of panic through me. Because this was different. He was different. Not out of control, no, which might have actually been easier to understand. But this felt more like watching a dangerous creature, waiting for the moment itfinally decided to pounce. And pounce he did, as something dark and immediate changed in his expression. He wasn’t the only one watching the reaction ripple through the room because of me.
Which meant that before I had time to do more than pull in another breath, he started moving.
“Wait,” I said, stumbling as he tugged me with him.
“Wait, where are you taking me?” I asked in a panicked tone, but he didn’t answer.
My heels caught slightly against the marble, and I twisted, trying to look back over my shoulder at the ruined circle. At the crowd, at anything that might make this make sense, but all it did was make my panic spike harder. The room was still watching. I could feel it, every single glance skimming over my skin. And now the thought of him dragging me away somewhere private when he was already this furious made a bolt of fear shoot right through me.
“Oblivion!” The name came out sharper this time, edged with strain.
“What are you doing?”
A rough sound left him under his breath. Something dark and cold and definitely not meant for me to understand. The words curled ominously from his mouth in a language I didn’t know but, somehow, understood on instinct alone as irritation.
A complaint. A warning. A curse…maybe all three.
Then, before I could make any sense of it, the world tipped.
I barely had time to gasp before one of his arms came around me, and I was lifted clean off my feet as though I weighed absolutely nothing. A startled noise flew out of me as he swung me up and over his shoulder in one infuriatingly effortless movement. And for a second, I could only hang there in total disbelief, my hair falling forward, my dignity departing my body at speed.
“You cannot be serious!” I snapped, twisting enough to realize with absurd clarity that, at least, he had thrown me over the shoulder without the spiked armor on it. Which was, all things considered, weirdly thoughtful for a man currently abducting me for what felt like the second time.
I didn’t know whether to take that as a good sign or not.
“Put me down!”I hissed, bracing a hand against his back and trying very hard not to think about how solid he felt beneath my palm. Which wasso notthe detail I should have been noticing right now.
“Oblivion, put me down!” I demanded, but once again…nothing.
Not a word, not a pause in his stride, not even the decency to pretend he was considering it. He just kept walking. The world bounced slightly with each step he took. Dark polished floors and blurred lights spun past my vision. Somewhere beyond them, demons suddenly seemed to remember they should scramble out of his path.
My stomach tightened as I caught sight of the office door ahead and instantly remembered being inside it before. Remembered the strange intimacy of that room compared to the chaos beyond it. Remembered how easily he had filled the space simply by standing in it. The thought of being taken in there now, made me struggle harder.
“Stop!” I said, breathless now more from nerves than effort.
“Please, just stop for a second.”
Still nothing.
His hand spread more firmly against the back of my thigh to keep me in place as I squirmed. The contact sent a stupid, traitorous little shiver through me that only made me more annoyed with myself. This was not the time for my body to notice him. This was the time for survival instincts, panic, strategy, maybe even saying a prayer.
But instead, all I could think of was how warm he was, and carrying me like this was the most natural thing in the world, despite how obviously furious he was.
I hated that. I really, really hated that…or did I?
He pushed through the office doors without breaking his stride. The moment we crossed the threshold, the noise of the club dulled behind us. Heavy walls, old magic, and something else entirely seemed to seal the room off from the rest of the building. But the quieter it got, the louder my thoughts became.
What if he were angry enough to hurt me?
I didn’t think he would.
