Chapter 5

Tabitha looked up as the red silk ribbon around the man's eyes slipped off and landed on his collarbone. His loose black shirt had only two buttons fastened, revealing a large expanse of skin. The ribbon was like the cherry on top.

Tabitha's gaze slid upward, and the man's drop-dead gorgeous face came into view. His features were chiseled—deep-set, gleaming eyes, a tall nose, and thin lips curved upward just so.

Time seemed to freeze. That single glance was stunning. Tabitha couldn't even describe it.

Her temperature rose under the influence of the almost aggressive fragrance rolling off his body. Her mind turned to mush, and she clenched her fists tightly.

Theodore Fulton looked down and saw her staring up at him dazedly, a mess. In his eyes, she looked scared silly. It was pretty pitiful, honestly.

"Callum, since when has Lumino had a guy like that?"

Callum reached up to touch his forehead. His hand came away covered in blood. He snarled, "Who cares where he came from? He's got balls, trying to screw with us. Even if we kill him right here and now, someone will deal with the fallout!"

At his words, the other male escorts relaxed. The whole group looked ready to swallow both Tabitha and Theodore whole.

Theodore's lips curved even more. He pulled the silk ribbon off his collarbone and tied it around Tabitha's eyes. She was already terrified—it wouldn't do to have her die of fright.

"Don't take that off. Things are gonna get bloody real soon, so viewer discretion is advised," he said.

He carried her to the bed and set her down. Only then did he have time to deal with the nine pieces of trash in the room. Being greedy for money and power was fine, but people couldn't go beyond basic human decency.

Theodore flexed his wrists as he stalked toward the male escorts, his lips curved slightly in mockery. He looked intimidating as he cocked an eyebrow at the men, who seemed eager to go. "Who wants to die first?"

None of them knew what he was really capable of, so for a moment, they didn't dare take him on. Before they could process the situation, he lunged toward Callum so fast he was almost a blur.

Callum didn't even see what Theodore did. The next thing he knew, pain shot through his wrist, and the fruit knife slipped from his hand. It flipped in midair, and Theodore grabbed it.

Callum's pupils blew wide, and he instinctively stepped back. The next second, pain exploded in his chest, and he was sent flying. He clutched his chest, looking like he'd seen a ghost. He shouted at the other men, "We've got power in numbers! Don't just stand there—get him!"

Theodore's smirk widened. He ran a hand over the knife and said, "This has gotta be my first time seeing people so eager to go down together."

He looked them over and nodded. "Alright, then. I'll grant your wish."

He was trained in combat and born immune to aphrodisiacs. The incense in the room had no effect on him whatsoever.

Put plainly, Theodore just couldn't get it up. He'd seen andrology specialists locally and internationally, but the results were the same—there was nothing wrong with his body, save for the fact that he just showed no reaction to women. Ultimately, the conclusion was that he was just born averse to sex.

The male escorts were a stark contrast. The aphrodisiac had taken effect on their bodies, and it showed. On top of that, their muscles were just for show. Taking them out would be easier than stomping on an ant.

The room instantly descended into chaos. Kicks, punches, curses, and breaking bones rang out like a chorus. Theodore moved like a bolt of lightning. Each attack hit where it hurt; he went for the kill and didn't bother with fancy tricks.

Tabitha curled up on the bed, the red silk ribbon covering her eyes. Her consciousness was torn between the aphrodisiac and the pain. She heard the male escorts grunting and crying out in pain, and the thick metallic tang of blood wafted into her nose. She also heard quickened yet still steady breathing—it probably belonged to the man who'd saved her.

Her arm was still oozing blood. The pain barely kept her hanging on to a shred of clarity. But the aphrodisiac's effects washed over her in waves, like a rising tide. Her whole body burned; even her fingertips wouldn't stop trembling.

Bang!

The last man slammed into the wall, then slid to the floor and stopped moving altogether. The room finally quieted, save for harsh, ragged breathing and a chorus of groans from the men.

Theodore flicked his hand, flinging off the blood with clear disgust. The cuff of his shirt was soaked; it was impossible to tell whether the blood was his or the male escorts'.

He'd probably burned through too much energy just now, and the drug he'd been given at Lumino hadn't fully worn off yet. An inexplicable heat was starting to crawl under his skin.

He walked to the bed and looked down at Tabitha, who was curled up in a ball. "Are you still alive?"

She nodded obediently to show she was.

"Can you walk on your own?" They couldn't stay in this room any longer. If the male escorts came to, she'd be a lamb tossed back into a den of wolves.

When Tabitha didn't move, Theodore reached over and tugged the red ribbon off her eyes. A pair of glistening doe eyes appeared before him.

Her features were so delicate that they were almost unreal, like some show-off masterpiece a god had pinched together bit by bit. Her face was flushed; sweat beaded on her forehead and slid down, and baby hairs were plastered to her cheeks. She looked especially pitiful.

Damn it. He'd already taken some time to cool down. Why did his body feel even hotter now?

Theodore cleared his throat and turned away so he wouldn't have to look at Tabitha. "Are you okay?"

She tried with everything she had to stand, but her body was out of her control. Her legs were like jelly. The second she got to her feet, she crashed into his arms, only managing to stay upright by bracing against him. "Can you take me to a hospital… Please!"

Theodore froze when her soft, sweetly scented body fell right into his arms. Something was wrong with him, too. That unfamiliar feeling flooded up from deep in his body, leaving him a little at a loss.

His lower abdomen tightened.

The moment his brain caught up to the position they were in, he pushed her away on instinct. "O-Okay. Just… just wait here. I'll… I'll open the door and get you to the hospital."

Tabitha fell back onto the bed, the shawl sliding halfway off her.

Theodore shut his eyes, pinched one end of the shawl between his fingers, and pulled it back over her. Then, he headed for the door.

The instant his hand closed around the doorknob, he knew they were screwed—the door was locked from the outside. He tried kicking it a few times, but it didn't budge. The thing had clearly been reinforced on purpose; brute force wouldn't cut it.

On top of that, the fight earlier had already burned through most of his strength. The more he kicked, the more his body reacted.

Damn it!

Theodore cursed under his breath, then strode to the window and looked down. They were on the fifth floor.

Either he tossed the nine men out the window, or he jumped out with Tabitha. Neither sounded even remotely doable.

His body was getting more worked up by the second. If this kept up, he and Tabitha would both be dead meat by the time the male escorts came around. Besides, they'd said it themselves—if the aphrodisiac wasn't… dealt with, death was the only thing that awaited them.

A cold shower!

Right. They were burning up, so ice-cold water should at least take the edge off.

Theodore didn't waste another second. He scooped Tabitha up from the bed and carried her straight into the bathroom. He set her down on the tiles and turned the faucet all the way to cold, letting the water crash over her.

She jerked in shock, her whole body curling in on itself. "The water's freezing! It's cold!"

"Good. You need the cold, or you'll never sober up. Sit tight and stay put. Don't come out!" Theodore said.

Tabitha felt frozen on the outside, but the heat inside her body was so intense it was terrifying. The clash of icy skin and burning blood made her feel like she was about to explode. "I feel awful…"

"I don't care. Stay in there!"

She nodded in a daze. The cold water did indeed help a little; at least it stopped her from wanting to jump someone the very next second.

Theodore wasn't doing much better, but he still had to make sure the men outside were handled. There was no time to think—he walked out and grabbed anything in the room that could be used to tie people up.

Belts from the walk-in closet, the curtain cords… He used all of them. At last, he had all nine men bound and trussed up tight.

The only problem was that his own consciousness was starting to blur. Soaking in an ice-cold bath might help, but… it'd be a disaster if he went into the bathroom and lost control. Taking advantage of someone wasn't in his nature.

He had to smash the bedroom door open while he was still lucid and had some strength left. Anything he could use to communicate with the outside world had been taken from him; busting that door down was the best option.

Cold sweat beaded on Theodore's forehead and rolled down his cheeks, disappearing into his collar. His shirt had been thin to begin with, but even the thinnest clothes felt suffocating now, like being wrapped in insulation.

He took off his shirt and tossed it aside, then grabbed the stool beside him and went to the door again. He slammed it over and over, but the lock didn't so much as twitch.

His breathing grew harsher and heavier. In over 20 years of life, countless people had tried to drug him, but this was the first time his body had ever reacted like this.

He snapped, mustering every last ounce of strength to swing whatever he could get his hands on. His eyes went bloodshot.

Tomorrow, once he got out of here, the first thing he would do was kill Colin Stone. That bastard's god-awful idea had gotten him into this predicament!

The nerve of Colin, secretly drugging Theodore and dumping him at a place like Lumino, acting like it was some stroke of genius. Colin said the crowd there was mixed and wild, so anything went. Maybe Theodore would suddenly be able to get it up—or so Colin had claimed.

All of a sudden, a pair of hot, soft hands, still dripping wet, slid around Theodore's waist from behind.