“Clive already has security on him. We will handle it. Now, what are you doing here in disguise? Why didn’t you answer my phone calls?”
I watched Elin compose herself, her posture regal despite the commotion. The sight of her there, amid a sea of strangers who saw her as nothing more than an object to be claimed, ignited a fury within me that burned hotter than the strobe lights pulsating above.
"She’s not available this evening, gentlemen," I growled to the men still lingering with hungry eyes. My hand clenched into afist at my side, and I felt the fabric of my jacket crease under the tension.
One who had clearly had a few drinks tried to move between us as he slurred, “That isn’t what her light says. Sa— Says she’s a sub looking to play. I’m just the alpha to show her the best night of her life.”
I rolled my eyes. “Anyone claiming to be an alpha clearly has a lot to learn. Leave before I have you removed as well.”
“Gavriel.” There was a warning in her voice that had me replaying the scene in my mind. All those hands reaching out toward her, whispers of sweet nothings and lecherous offers. Each touch was an affront, each smile thrown her way a challenge. My stomach knotted with an uneasy blend of possessiveness and dismay.
Turning to face me, she arched an eyebrow in silent question. Her eyes, a stormy blend of irritation and intrigue, held mine. She knew the power she wielded; it encircled her like an aura, visible only to those who dared to get too close.
"Let's not make more of a scene," she scolded, though her voice barely rose above the noise. Softening her posture, she turned to those who were hanging around. “Thank you, boys, for the company, but my partner has arrived, and I must leave you all.”
Once they left, I stepped closer, acutely aware of the space between us shrinking. "You shouldn't be here like this," I said, failing to mask the concern lacing my words.
"Yet here I am. You don’t get to tell me where I can and cannot be." Her response was clipped, but beneath the surface, I detected a note of satisfaction. She relished the control she held over the room, over me.
With each man that brushed past her, a silent snarl curled behind my teeth. They viewed her as another conquest, unaware of the fierce intellect and cunning that lay beneath her exterior.It was a dangerous mistake—one they would do well to recognize before finding themselves ensnared in her web.
Rubbing my face with my hand, I tilted my head back. Good god, she was such a pain in my ass. "What are you doing here?"
“Scoping out how things work when they know the boss isn’t watching. I’m looking into my investments. Both financial and personal.”
My attention snapped at her. “Personal? What personal interests do you have here, Elin?”
“You.” My lips pressed into a thin line as her gaze left mine and looked around before meeting mine again. "Jealous?"
I said nothing. All I knew was that admitting that I very well might be jealous was a confession that would scorch my throat. My pulse hammered against my temples; fury simmered within every fiber of my being. There they were, all those fuckers. Their fingers reaching for her as if entitled to her, as if she were a mere object of their fleeting desires. Not to mention the one who thought he had so much of a claim on her he’d tried to drug her.
The anger burned like a raging fire, a blaze that threatened to consume me. Elin was no mere Goddess for my pleasure. No, she wielded power over something far more potent—the very essence of my being. And in that unguarded moment, I knew with no uncertainty that the woman I loved to hate had made sure I was hers for all time.
The air was thick with tension as I glared at Elin. Her lips curled into a sly smile as she reveled in the chaos she had so effortlessly created. "Well, pretty boy, as I said, I wanted to come in and see how my business ran for myself, and I will admit, there are so many issues that we will be addressing." Her tone was casual, but her eyes gleamed with the thrill of her own game.
"Is that so?" My voice came out sharper than I intended, the edges honed by a mixture of desire and ire. "Other than all those men putting their hands on you?"
With a flick of my wrist, I beckoned to Clive for some water across the noise-filled expanse. He immediately tossed a bottle over to me, and I caught it effortlessly. I twisted the cap off and tilted the top to my lips and took a long, deliberate drink. I lowered my arm, feeling the water's coolness do little to quell the heat rising in my cheeks. Elin's gaze was steady, a smirk dancing on her lips, as if she were enjoying the possessiveness that surely flickered across my face.
"Indeed," she said, leaning closer, her voice a silken whisper meant only for me amidst the din. "The first of which was too many women touching you this evening. Especially that blonde." Her finger traced an invisible line over the bar top, a gesture that drew a direct path to my core. "You aremine, and I don’t allow my things to be touched without permission."
She spoke with the authority of a queen addressing her subject, and despite the rebellion simmering within me, I knew she was right. My response came with a tinge of defiance, though I could not disguise the pride swelling in my chest at having adhered to her unspoken rules. "I sent her packing."
"Fifteen women." Her eyes glittered with dangerous mirth. "There were fifteen women in total who touched you without my permission."
The number struck me harder than the stiffest drink. Fifteen? My mind scrambled through the night's interactions, trying to tally up faces and encounters. But amid the blur of the club's gyrating bodies and the endless flow of patrons, the total eluded me. The buzz of conversation around us seemed to quiet as I grappled with the accusation.
"Really?" I managed, my voice betraying a mix of skepticism and a hint of concern. "Were there that many?"
"What do you suppose I should do as punishment? You did keep me from having the spiked drink, but I’m curious what you think would be an appropriate punishment for someonetouching what is mine." Her voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, and the weight of her gaze pinned me to my spot.
For a brief moment, I allowed my eyes to close. With a deep breath, I steeled myself for the inevitable reprimand, pulling forth every ounce of control not to betray the excitement her promise of punishment ignited.
When my eyelids lifted, Elin was there—still, observant, her study so intense I could almost feel the brush of her eyelashes against my skin. She leaned forward slightly, her lips parted just enough to suggest she was going to say something. Instead, her eyes dissected my reaction with an acuteness that left me feeling exposed, even in the crowded room.
As Clive approached, he set down a drink before Elin with casual ease, lifting his chin toward the far end of the bar. "Redhead asked me to get this for you."
The words hung heavily in the air between us, and a knot formed in my gut. It was irrational, this pang of possessiveness that surfaced at the thought of another's attention on her, but it clung to me like a second skin.
