ADRIAN The gates of the Cross property loomed just ahead while Rue and I sat in the car. I should've been focusing on what awaited me inside, but Rue's fingers were in my hair, fussing over me."You're not nervous, are you?" She murmured, tugging at my collar as if the tiniest wrinkle mattered. She seemed to be even more nervous than I was."I'm alright, Rue," I said."Did you even take your meds today?" she demanded.I caught her wrist, smirking. "You made me take them, remember?"She blinked, then she huffed softly, clearly ready to argue more. But then she changed her mind. I couldn't take my eyes off her.She was stitching me back together with the simplest gestures.Fuck me, she didn't even know.She had to be my soulmate. No one else could get under my skin like this. No one else could make me feel both untouchable and undone."Rue," I breathed, before pulling her against me. She fit perfectly, the curve of her face tucking into my neck. My arms wrapped around her, caging
RUE My hand shook where it still hovered over Adrian's hair. I wanted to pretend that what I'd just seen wasn't real.My stomach churned violently, bile rising in my throat.I forced my gaze down, back to Adrian. His lashes fluttered weakly against his fevered skin, his lips parted as he struggled for breath.I couldn't tell him. Not now. Not when his body was betraying him and he needed every ounce of strength he could muster.So I smoothed his hair back again, my voice steady even when my heart wasn't. "Go to sleep, Trouble. I've got you."His mouth curved faintly, a ghost of his usual arrogance. "Only if you'll sing me to sleep."Sing?I was a terrible singer. I wouldn’t wish the calamity of hearing me sing, even on my worst enemy.My throat tightened, but I forced the words past it. "If you don't rest, I'm calling every doctor in this city to line up outside your door and poke at you until you do."His breathing evened out just a little, but the heat still radiated off him in
RUE I'd always thought the Romano family house was extravagantly tasteless, but tonight it looked worse. Ugly.Because somewhere inside, my Trouble was being held hostage by his own blood.Twenty-four hours. That's how long it had been since I sent that stupid text. "Don't skip your meds, Trouble. Get some more rest." And what did I get? Nothing. No cocky reply.Just silence.Adrian silent? Please. The man could be on fire and still find a way to flirt between gasps.So yeah, I'd been pacing my room, tearing through a bottle of wine, and trying to convince myself that I didn't care. Until I found myself standing here like some deranged Juliet, staring at the house that had him caged.And because patience has never been one of my virtues, I did the obvious thing.I broke in.The guards weren't a problem. And I knew exactly where to go. Trouble's room. The window was cracked open. How did I know this?Well...I'd done some stalking too.I climbed in, ready to claw his ears off for ma
ADRIAN She looked exquisite tonight. My body was still burning, my lungs ragged from the fever tearing me apart. But the second I'd noticed she was out on a date of all things, my sickness turned into fuel.Because she wasn't supposed to be smiling at anyone else.She wasn't supposed to look unbothered.She belonged to me.The idiot across from her tried to puff his chest, muttering something about "respect" and "boundaries."I didn't hear a word. My eye was on her. I saw the slight smirk she couldn't hide and the way her fingers curled around her wineglass as if she was restraining herself from reaching for me.God, she loved this. Pretending she was unaffected.I leaned down just enough for my voice to slither between them."Move. Before I make you."The man stammered some incoherent words, color draining from his face. He glanced at her, hoping she might save him. She didn't. She just raised a brow, her lips twitching.Good girl.I slid into his abandoned chair as he scrambled a
RUE I'd walked away. Elegantly. Chin high, blade hidden, mask firmly in place. And of course, the bastard had tried to follow me. Tried. His fevered body had given out halfway to the door, leaving him collapsed and cursing under his breath while his fiancée shrieked like a banshee. I hadn't even looked back. Not once. Because if I had, I might've stayed. So here I was. Back in my father's sprawling mausoleum of a house, sulking like a teenager grounded from her favorite brand of poison. I lay sprawled across my bed, staring at the ceiling fan as it whirled in lazy circles, and tried not to replay Adrian's cracked voice in my head. 'Still came for you.' Goddamn him. A knock on my door yanked me from my spiraling thoughts. Followed by a voice I knew too well, dripping with faux sweetness. "Rue? Amber's here." Lucia. My lovely baby sister. I sat up, tugged my robe tighter around me, and strode downstairs. Amber spotted me the second I hit the bottom step. "Ruuuuue!" Sh
RUE Of course he showed up looking like death. Fever sweat, trembling hands, and the faintest wince every time he moved. Adrian Romano, the walking hazard, had dragged himself out into the night for me.And I hated how much I loved it.He wanted to worship me. Wow.I bet not even my dad said that to my mum.My heart was racing with excitement. Still, I refused to let it show."You're responsible for your own feelings, you know," I said dryly, tugging the plastic bag out of his shaky grip. "It's not my job to babysit your obsession."It was a fucking lie. But who's counting?He smiled faintly, delirious. "Doesn't matter."And that was it. That was the kill shot. He didn't even need a gun.The bastard had a fever, his entire body shaking like he'd walked through a blizzard, and all I could think was, "God, I'm a sucker for you.""You're a disaster," I muttered, looping his arm around my shoulders when his knees buckled again. "A bleeding, coughing, fever-ridden disaster. Congratula