LOGINRhysand. It takes me twenty minutes before I realize Rain might not be honoring my invitation. My phone sits face-up on the table. The last text I sent her~~Still waiting on an answer, mushroom.~~has been read for twenty-three minutes…and counting. No reply. Not a single fucking dot. I run a hand through my hair, jaw tight. She’s not coming. The thought lodges in my chest like a blade. Did I try too hard? Maybe her mother has done something to make her stay away? Maybe she’s too tired to answer while I sit here like a fool with dinner getting cold and my cock aching for the only woman who can ruin me. Restless, I sling off my shirt, leaving only sweatpants slung low on my hips, the waistband barely clinging to my waist. The fabric does nothing to hide how hard I’m getting just thinking about her. The city lights bleed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, painting silver streaks across my apartment. I pace barefoot in front of the table I spent the last hour set
Rain. I break the hug with Caiden slowly, the warmth of his arms lingering on my skin even after I step back. The apartment suddenly feels smaller, the air heavier than it was when I walked in. I glance around—nothing looks obviously different. But something is off. The atmosphere is thick, tense, like the room is holding its breath. My eyes land on Crysta. She’s half sitting on the back of the couch, arms crossed, face pale in a way that has nothing to do with her usual foundation shade being too light. Normally, when a rich man walks into her orbit, her eyes light up like slot machines, lips curving into that predatory smile she thinks is seductive. She preens. She poses. She starts calculating how much she can squeeze out of him before he figures out she’s a leech. Right now she looks… small. Cornered. Her mouth is pressed into a thin line, eyes darting between Caiden and me like she’s waiting for a bomb to go off. It’s not normal. Not even a little. I turn back to
Caiden. The evening has cooled into that crisp, indifferent air that makes the city feel sharper around the edges. I ease my new Bentley to the curb in front of Rain’s building. The streetlights paint everything in sickly orange. I kill the engine and step out, the door closing with a soft thud behind me. The building looms ahead—five stories of faded brick and flickering entry lights, the kind of place that looks respectable enough during the day but turns tired and suspicious after dark. I wrinkle my nose as I breathe in the faint smell of exhaust, yesterday’s garbage outside and years of other people’s lives clinging to the air. It’s not exactly terrible—not by city standards—but it offends me on principle. Rain shouldn’t have to breathe this. She deserves light, clean air, high floors and an unlimited view. Much better than this. I balance the slim white box from the pastries in one hand and adjust the cuffs of my suit jacket with the other. It’s charcoal wool, I h
Rain. Caiden’s office is everything I expected and nothing like Rhysand’s. Where Rhysand’s building feels like a fortress with dark wood, sharp lines, cold glass walls that make you feel caged, Caiden’s is different. Sunlight pours through tall windows overlooking the river and slides over the company name mounted on the wall—Bluehorse Cyber Group. There’s a faint scent of cedar and coffee, and the space feels lived-in despite the little furniture. I’m sitting on the edge of one of the armchairs in the room, sketchpad open on my lap, pencil hovering over a half-finished mood board for his executive floor. It’s been a week since the sex in Rhysand’s car and though I haven’t said anything about his confessions and claim over me. I haven’t ignored him either. My phone buzzes in my hand and I check the text from him. ~~Thinking of you~~ I smile. My mind flashes back to the backseat of his car, and for a moment my thighs actually clench. ~~I’m busy with work, right n
Rain. The fire in my chest feels like it’ll never quench. All the anger from finding out Crysta had gone to meet Rhysand. From reading the call logs and texts to Rhysand she thought she deleted. All the fear and rage had collided as I rushed to the cafe to stop whatever disaster was about to unfold. Now I’m pouring all that fear and rage on Rhysand. I rip off his belt and fling it away not caring where it lands. His hands pull roughly at my jeans and I lift off to aid him drag it down my thighs, my panties going with it. I wriggle free of it and kick them off, leaving my pussy bare and dripping. I return to my goal of getting his cock. I claw at his pants, dragging down enough for his cock to spring. My movements are impatient, jerky and so fucking desperate. After the morning we had yesterday, I didn’t think I’d back here so soon, needing him, wanting him inside me, hoping to burn with me. “Maybe we should—” I cut him off as I grip his cock in my hand and squeeze.
Rhysand. The café Crysta picked sits on a quiet corner of the city, outdoor tables shaded by wide umbrellas that ripple in the late-afternoon breeze of the next day. I choose a table near the edge of the exit and wait. Crysta arrives ten minutes late, sauntering up in a tight sundress that clings in all the wrong ways for a “casual” meetup, her makeup heavy even in the daylight. She slides into the chair opposite me with a smile that’s all teeth, ordering a mimosa before I can even suggest coffee. Now she’s stirring the drink lazily, her eyes roaming over me like I’m on the menu. “You know, Rhysand,” she says, leaning forward so her cleavage strains against the fabric, “I’ve met a lot of men in my life. Powerful ones. Rich ones. But you… you’ve got that edge. Like you could break something without even trying.” Her foot brushes my calf under the table and lingers. I shift away, but she just laughs softly. “Rain never mentioned how intense you are. She’s so lucky. Always
Colt. The air in Rain’s apartment is different from the mansion. It’s smaller, warmer, and currently thick with a tension so sharp it could draw blood. Rhysand is standing by the door, his frame blocking the light, his jaw set in a line of pure, delicious fury. He’s been fuming since we le
Rain. The silence is heavy when I wake up. For a brief second as the haze of sleep slowly lifts, the loud sound of a car crash echoes in the quiet of my bedroom. I bolt upright, blinking in the sun before realizing it was just a dream. With a sigh, I fall back onto my bed. My hair is tang
Colt. I stare at the ceiling of this hospital room counting down the fucking hours until I finish my “surgery”. The air is thick with beeping sounds and the smell of bleach and fake lavender, that’s a sorry attempt at hiding the disgusting smell of sick people. I fucking hate hospitals a
Rhysand. The scent of this place clings to the back of my throat, making me rethink my whole decision of coming here. I have the free will to walk out of these sliding glass doors and never look back but then I turn and she’s there. My mushroom. Trembling like a leaf, pacing the lengt







