Se connecterChapter Eight : Control SlippingNathaniel Crowe’s POVI had built my life on control.Every decision is calculated. Every outcome anticipated. That was how I survived.That was how I stayed ahead.So why did it feel like i was losing it? I stood in my penthouse, watching Iris Moore walk away from me like I wasn’t there. She moved toward the window, arms folded, shoulders tense, like she needed distance. Like I was the problem. I exhaled slowly, forcing my hands to relax at my sides.This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.The contract had been simple.Contain her. Protect her. Keep her close enough for the curse to stabilize.Nothing more.Nothing complicated and definitely nothing… like this.“I can feel you staring,” she said without turning.“Then stop giving me a reason to.”She let out a quiet, disbelieving laugh. “You really don’t hear yourself, do you?”“I hear everything,” I replied.And now that was the problem. i could hear the change in her breathing, could feel the shift
Iris Moore’s POVHe didn’t answer immediately.Just for a second, just a second, he hesitated. Then he stepped past me and walked back into the penthouse.“Come inside,” he said but I didn’t move.“Iris.”There it was again.That tone.It wasn't loud nor harsh but it was definitely impossible to ignore. I clenched my fists… then followed him. He stopped near the window, the city stretching out behind him.“Stay there,” he said.I rolled my eyes. “You really like giving orders.”“And you really like ignoring them,” he replied.“Maybe because you haven’t earned that right.”His jaw tightened slightly.“Stand there,” he repeated.I hesitated… then stayed where I was.I didn’t even know why I stayed.Maybe because I needed answers.Maybe because part of me already knew he was right.He then moved farther away from me.One step.Two.Three.At first, nothing happened until that same pull returned. It was stronger this time. I inhaled sharply, my body tensing.“Do you feel that?” he asked.
Chapter Six: Too Close to LeaveIris Moore’s POVI should have left.That was the first clear thought in my head when morning came. I should have grabbed my bag, walked out of that penthouse, and never looked back. Instead, I was still there.Worse, I was sitting on the edge of Nathaniel Crowe’s bed, staring at my hands like they didn’t belong to me anymore.Something felt wrong.I pressed my palm against my chest, right over my heart. The strange pressure from last night hadn’t disappeared. If anything, it had settled deep.“Nope,” I muttered. “Absolutely not.”I wasn’t doing this, whatever this was.I grabbed my jacket from the chair and headed straight for the door. I didn’t bother knocking when I stepped out into the hallway. The place was quiet, too quiet. Everything about his penthouse felt controlled which was creepy.The elevator was just ahead. My freedom, fresh air and normal life was right ahead of me. I pressed the button and waited.Nothing.I pressed it again, harder thi
Nathaniel's POVI had imagined a lot of things about the moment Iris finally agreed.Relief. Satisfaction. Everything settling back into place.What I hadn’t expected was the way my chest tightened the second the word left her mouth.Yes.It was pain actually neither was it fear. It was more like the air had shifted, something ancient had been waiting for such response to finally lift it's head.I went very still.Iris stood a few feet away from me, arms wrapped tightly around herself, chin raised like she was daring the world to strike first. She looked furious and terrified.i recognized that look.“Sit down,” I said quietly.She frowned. “Why?”The lights overhead flickered once.Just once.Her eyes darted upward as she called my name. “Nathaniel?”I slowly crossed the room, I didn’t want to rush her. Didn’t want to startle her. I reached for her arm and pulled her away gently.“Stay there,” I said as I eased her into the couch.Her jaw clenched. “You’re starting to sound like you
Iris' POVI didn’t sleep. Well it wasn't like I could. I laid on my bed staring at the ceiling, replaying his voice over and over in my head.'You belong to me.'The words shouldn’t have affected me the way they did. They shouldn’t have curled low in my stomach or sent a shiver down my spine every time I remembered the way he looked at me in a calm and certain way, like my refusal was nothing more than a cover of how much I wanted him."Arghh!!!"I turned onto my side and punched my pillow.Arrogant. That was what he was. Arrogant, dangerous, and completely out of his mind.And yet…My chest tightened because part of me knew he hadn’t been bluffing.My phone buzzed on the nightstand."Sighs, not again.." I murmured staring at the phone. I let it buzz until it stopped. Then, almost immediately, it rang again. This time I had to grab it. “What do you want?” I snapped the second I answered.“You didn’t sleep,” Nathaniel’s voice said calmly.I sat up. “Are you watching me?”“No,” he rep
Nathaniel's POVI didn’t want to knock but I did.Knocking implied courtesy and permission which I didn't need.I stood outside Iris Moore’s apartment door for exactly three minutes before she opened it herself. The moment our eyes meet, something inside my chest snapped.A familiar feeling of longing and pain. A feeling of relief enough to expand my lungs fully for the first time in days. Enough that my spine straightens, my pulse steadies, my body recognizes what it had been starving for.Her.She was smaller up close. Dressed in an oversized sweater that slipped off one shoulder, revealing her pale skin that made my fingers itch to touch. Her hair was loose in the most beautiful way.Human.And yet… not.Her eyes widen just enough to reveal how scared and curious she was. And something else she couldn't understand yet but felt all the same.Good.“Iris Moore,” I said calmly.She tightened her grip on the door. “Who are you?”Her voice wasn't weak instead it was defensive. A woman w







