Page 61 of Power of Shadow

“And you know nothing about me. Do we understand each other?”

David nods in response.

“What’s your name?” he asks as I cut the ropes on his hands. I leave his legs tied. He can figure out how to get out of that himself.

“It’s better for you if we don’t have to meet again. Then you won’t need my name.”

I turn on my heel and leave the same way I came. Only when I step outside do I allow myself to take a deep breath.

The whole day has been strange, and my conversation with David keeps running through my head on the way home.

It’s past midnight when I enter our apartment. Inside, it’s quiet and completely dark. Zoe must already be asleep.

So, I head straight for the bedroom. Closing the door quietly behind me, I walk over to the window. My next move in my father’s case needs to be figured out. But that’s not all. There are still the problems Zoe has brought upon us, my assignment, and the matter of Ryker, who is intent on killing my father.

Everything has become so mixed up over the last month.

Doubts about whether I did the right thing in accepting the job circle in my head.

The skin on the back of my neck is burning, as if someone’s watching me.

“Did you like my gift?” a low voice asks from behind me.

Chapter 13

Ashley

Instinct is a strange concept. It can guide human actions faster than the human brain can process what’s happening.

I’m about to attack when the cold blade at my neck stops me. And not just anywhere, but exactly where it would allow me to bleed to death in a couple minutes.

It freezes me. My heart immediately races to a dangerous speed, and I can hear it pounding in my ears. Thump, thump, thump. All the hair on my body prickles.

I blink a few times, trying to collect my thoughts, but the adrenaline rush is so powerful that I can’t pull myself together for a moment.

I can’t believe I let myself be fooled like a novice.

“Did you like it, my sweet Ash?” he asks in a low voice right into my ear, his warm breath blowing over my sensitive spot. I’m not sure if I should feel relieved or the opposite.

I clench my fist with the mask. “Yes. I liked it,” I breath.

The man behind me hums with satisfaction, though the blade in his hand remains at my throat. The warmth of his hand is on my waist before slowly moving to my stomach. I don’t know how it’s possible, but his hand moves both too fast and too slow at the same time.

I’m screwed.

“Wouldn’t you like to thank me for that?” Another brush of his lips, this time on my jaw. A shiver runs through me.

I close my eyes as warmth rises inside me. It floods my insides and flows down my body. “Do you always make gifts and expect praise?”

A low chuckle reaches my senses. “No, but I enjoy teasing you.” The hand on my stomach presses me against the body behind.

My heart pounds in unison with his. And I feel something else. His erection presses against my lower back, and the warmth inside me travels lower, between my thighs. Shivers of excitement run through my entire body, and the tickling of butterfly wings in my stomach intensifies.

I part my lips, and I feel a blush spread across my cheeks. At the same time, I’m grateful that it’s dark around us.

“Fuck.” His whisper is laced with lust, low and silky. “What the hell are you doing to me, Shadow?”

Breath catches in my throat. He knows. He already knows who I am. Although it was really only a matter of time, I wasn’t prepared for it. Since I left David in that dingy basement, there was no time to think about my next move.