My Stepbrother, My Damnation

Lina West's POV

This had to be a dream.

No—it was a freaking nightmare, and I had no fucking idea how to wake up.

Maybe it would end if I struggled harder. If I yanked violently enough against these metal restraints that my wrists just flew right off the cuffs.

Or maybe... just maybe it would end if the sharks circling below succeeded in dragging my best friend, Olivia, into their tank.

"Lina, help me!" Olivia’s screams are loud enough to shake a mountain.

God, we needed a mountain to fall. Right now. Immediately.

But I couldn’t move.

I was chained to a chair, paralyzed. In front of me sat a massive, illuminated tank, and dangling directly above it was Olivia. Her wrists were bound securely over her head, her body suspended precariously over the dark water.

"What is going on?!" Frantic, confused, and utterly terrified, I yell into the empty space.

My emotions clogged my throat, but I could still taste the heavy air—salt mixed with the distinct, metallic tang of blood.

Good Lord, how did we end up here?

Heavy, unsteady breaths filtered rapidly through my teeth. Olivia and I had just visited a hotel club. We literally decided to end our very first night in LA by letting loose and clubbing. We weren't doing anything reckless. We weren't looking for trouble.

How did th—

"Lina, fucking help me!" Olivia screams so hard I fear her lungs might actually burst.

Below her, three sleek sharks broke the surface of the water and they were flashing their teeth.

This wasn't good. This wasn't fucking good at all.

Beads of sweat rolled down every pore of my body. Then, a new wave of terror rode into the space.

Olivia’s frightened whimpers were suddenly swallowed by the low, predatory rumble of an engine.

A motorbike.

I snapped my head to the side so fast my brown eyes almost flew out of their sockets. Moonbeams cut through the darkness, bathing the sleek bike in silver light. Then, they illuminated his face.

A familiar, brief, but oh-so-devilishly handsome face.

His mere presence seemed to silence even the hungry thrashing of the sharks. Hell, even the rushing water seemed to freeze.

The only sound filling the air was the heavy thud of his leather boots against the concrete floor. Followed immediately by his cologne.

Without even flaring my nostrils, I caught a whiff of it, and damn it, the scent was unmistakable. It was the exact same cologne I had smelled at the club when I accidentally spilled my drink on someone. The exact same fucking face.

"What is the meaning of this?" I manage to mutter.

Anger rose hot in my throat, but self-preservation—and pure, unadulterated fear—pushed it right back down. I swallowed around the dryness in my mouth, my eyes pinned on the figure as he approached.

No, he didn’t walk. He stalked closer like a apex predator, his ocean-blue eyes slanted at me like I was nothing but prey.

Then, he stopped right beside my chair.

"Fancy meeting you here, Miss Tequila?"

Ugh. I didn’t know what upset me more: his velvety-smooth, arrogant voice, this completely fucked-up situation, or that horrid nickname he coined simply because I spilled a single tequila shot on his jacket.

My gaze crawled up to his face. The wicked glint in his eyes made my spine tingle. "You did this?"

"You stole my watch."

The accusation cut my tongue right off. He retorts so sharply, so coldly, that my jaw practically dangles in pure shock.

What the hell?

"I didn't steal your watch!" I deny, my voice cracking. "I merely spilled my drink on you! I apologized. Our interaction lasted all of two seconds, so how could I have—"

"Boring." He rolls his eyes and sighs.

I never got to hear the rest of his breath because the sudden, violent clash of metal drowned it out.

"Olivia!"

I whipped my head forward. Olivia screamed frantically as the chains holding her suddenly dipped, dropping her low enough that her shoes almost grazed the surface of the water.

"Stop this!" I began thrashing wildly against my restraints, matching the frantic motion of the hungry sharks below. "No!"

I wanted to break free from these damn chains so badly it hurts. One of the sea creatures managed to lunge high out of the water, its jaws snapping shut. Olivia's screams tripled as the creature managed to tear one of her shoes clean away.

"I swear to you!" I shook my head so violently it felt like it might fly off my shoulders, but I still caught a glimpse of this devil’s face.

He looked bored. Unamused. Completely disinterested in our terror.

He actually had the nerve to yawn, exhaling a slow breath.

"Miss Tequila." He kept his hands nestled casually in his pockets as he stepped closer to my chair. His black hair was slicked back, giving a completely clear look at his dangerously sharp, fine features. I caught sight of the tiny tattoo etched right next to his eye, and then, his smirk.

"But I can find it for you," I find myself rushing out, trying to bargain for our lives. I sniffle, disregarding the suffocating tightness in my chest. "Just give me a chance. I'll...!" I clenched my jaw, forcing the desperate words out. "A chance, please, Mr..."

"Riven."

I gasped sharply.

It isn't just his rude, lightning-fast response that cuts me off this time. It's the fact that Riven has just caught my chin in his hand.

A whimper escaped my throat. My body naturally wanted to shrink back, to bury itself deep into the chair to escape his touch—but his cold gaze completely schooled my face. He tilted my head from side to side, his smirk widening.

"Earn your chance." Riven leans down so close his breath mingles directly with mine.

"H-how?" I stutter.

Instead of answering, he snaked a single finger toward my lower lip, tracing it. He was close. Too close. It was completely blurring my senses. My lungs were flooded with his cologne, and my sight narrowed until I was focusing on him, and only him.

"You'll get your chance soon. Now, sleep."

I was not given the chance to do or say anything else before the entire world tilted, and I plunged headfirst into darkness.

★

It was bright, alright. But the morning light did absolutely nothing to brighten my now very dark life.

As I glanced up at the glass chandelier dancing gently from the ceiling, I let out a heavy sigh. I didn’t know shit about the actual time, but according to Olivia—whom I had left safely back at the hotel room—it was officially morning.

Which means it’s time to have breakfast with my mother, Willow West, and my soon-to-be stepfather, Ryker Rykerthrone.

I came to L.A. for college, and unfortunately... for a wedding.

Ugh.

Just thinking about it left a bitter taste on my tongue. It had been nearly a decade since my dad died, and Ma had finally decided to settle down again. To have a massive, lavish wedding. Personally, I wished she’d excluded me from the guest list entirely.

But here I was, standing in a bright, fabulous living room after spending the night trapped in total darkness.

Last night felt like a dream. No, a nightmare—but the bruises on my mind told me it was entirely real. Somehow, I’ve made a terrifying deal with Riven, or whatever the hell his name is. That man isn’t normal. His actions were psychotic. But I have to—

"Adelina!"

Mother’s voice swept my thoughts away, dragging reality violently back to shore. Her steps were muffled against the plush velvet carpet, but she was practically running toward me. Her arms were spread wide, ready to cage me in an embrace. Honestly, I was too emotionally exhausted not to just let myself fall into it.

"Darling!" she gushed, raining kisses all over my face. She cupped my cheeks, her fingers pressing into my skin. "You look absolutely exhausted. Are you really this jet-lagged?"

More like Riven-lagged.

"Ma, please." Exhaustion turned to sharp irritation in my system. I don’t want to take my anger out on her, so I gently pushed her hands away from my face.

"Darling, are you mad at me?"

I took a step back, only now fully realizing how much she glowed. Of course she did. She was getting married to Ryker Rykerthrone—a man who ruled a literal financial empire.

"She’s here," comes a deep, merry voice from the entryway.

Ryker walked in. He was tall, broad-supported, and dressed in an immaculate, custom-tailored suit.

"Welcome, Lina." As he slid a possessive arm around Ma's waist, he stretched his other hand out toward me.

"Thank you," I mumbles, putting my hand in his to shake it.

"I do apologize for the lateness of my son," Ryker added smoothly.

I arched an eyebrow at that. Son?

Ma noticed my sudden confusion and chuckled softly. "Yes, darling. He has a son—a senior at the very college you’ll be attending."

My confusion soured into full-on irritation, and I scrunched my nose.

"Your stepbrother will be able to keep an eye on you around campus. How sweet will that be?" Ma gushed, her eyes shining.

I opened my mouth to groan, but the heavy creak of the living room door swallowed the sound entirely.

"Extremely sweet."

That voice consumed every ounce of oxygen in my lungs. My entire body went rigid, my strength evaporating into thin air before a heavy hand dropped firmly onto my shoulder.

"I’ll take exceptionally good care of this little miss."

The velvety voice boomed in my ears, pumping pure dread through my veins, but it also sparked a desperate ounce of defensive strength.

Slowly, I turned around and lifted my head.

And there he stood.

"Excited, lil missy?"

The tiny tattoo at the corner of his eye? Unmistakable.

His bored, dangerous expression and that wicked smirk? Unforgettable.

And the realization that Riven was my soon-to-be stepbrother?

Completely unbelievable.