Chapter Eight

I noticed other black cars trailing behind us. Those were Wraith’s… men.

The ones who’d started the shootings while he broke in to save me. I clenched my hands tightly, trying to stop the shaking. The gunshots still echoed in my head, but somehow, I hadn’t lost my hearing.

I had so many questions to ask but the first question that left my mouth was; “How did you know where I lived?”

The moment I said it, I realized how stupid the question was—if he knew about the will, he’d know where I lived too.

“Your purse. You left in my car.” Was his short response.

So that was where I’d left it. 

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my pounding heart. It didn’t work.

“Why did you come back for me?”

A moment of silence passed, and I didn’t think he would respond.

“Do you have any idea what they’d have done to you if I hadn’t gotten there the time I did?” His stormy grey eyes locked onto me. He seemed mad— mad at me. 

I clearly remembered Diana Callister’s threat. I knew she’d follow through if I didn’t give her the answer she was sorting for and I didn’t exactly have one to give. I shuddered at the idea of what those merciless men were capable of doing to me.

“Thank you… for coming back for me.” I said, but he didn’t seem to like that response. He ran his hands through his ash-brown hair, and I caught a glimpse of a tattoo just above his left eye—a sharp bolt.

I’d always known he was good-looking, but now that he was right beside me, I could closely study him. He had a lean build—I was sure beneath that suit was a body women would literally kill for. The sharp lines of his jaw made him look all the more predatory, and those eyes…

I looked away the moment he caught me staring.

Hauntingly beautiful as he was, I couldn’t ignore what he had done just minutes ago. He was dangerous — and so were his men, who’d gunned people down like it was second nature. I’d watched him kill that man without a flicker of hesitation, and I was sure he still had his gun on him somewhere. That thought sent a fresh wave of panic through me.

But if he wanted me dead, he would have done it long ago. He wouldn’t have bothered warning me or saving me from the Callisters. So… maybe he wanted me alive. If anything, I should be grateful to him.

“I don’t want the Callisters’ money. I just want my life back. I didn’t think there would be a time when I’d want that, but all this—I don’t want to be a part of it,” I said. He said nothing, and maybe it was the panic I was feeling but I went on.

“Earlier, you wanted to know why I didn’t have my engagement ring on.

That’s because the marriage was canceled. My fiancé cheated on me with his ex on our wedding day. I felt so freaking stupid. How did I miss the signs? People don’t usually stay friends with their exes—and yet, I was blind to all of it.”

I knew I should keep silent, but for so long, I had been holding all of these back in, and now I just wanted to let it all out.

“That betrayal didn’t hurt as much as Mother’s. She promised to stay this time, yet when things got tough, she ran off—just like always. I needed her more than ever, but once again… she wasn’t there.”

I couldn’t hold back the tears.

There was just so much going on; my life felt like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.

Wraith reached out to me, and for a moment, I wondered what he was doing. Then he slowly patted my hair before pulling away. It was like he didn’t know how to handle such kinds of emotional breakdowns.

I didn’t know what I was expecting from him—words of encouragement? Or maybe I just wanted someone to tell me that everything was going to be alright, but I guess I wouldn’t be getting that.

Our car pulled over to the roadside. No buildings were in sight.

“Why are we stopping?” I asked.

Wraith pressed a button on the armrest. A panel slid open and cool air spilled out, revealing a chilled bottle—wine, I guessed. Above it, two glasses were neatly tucked in place.

 “You need a drink.”

He took the bottle and popped it open. Pouring a generous amount into both glasses, he handed one to me. I accepted it, eyeing the glass skeptically, while he finished his glass in one smooth gulp.

Seeing that as a sign the drink was safe, I took a sip. The rich taste filled my mouth.

“Do you trust me?” he asked, and I stared at him.

Trust?

For good reasons, I didn’t. But somehow, he felt like the only one not out to get me, so I nodded.

“Then know I had to do this.”

Just then, a sudden wave of dizziness swept over me.

“Did you… drug me?”

“It was necessary. You can’t know the path we’re taking.”

The glass of wine slipped from my hand, but somehow, he caught it before it could spill on the footwell.

I was losing consciousness, no matter how hard I fought it. I didn’t want to go unconscious with this strange man to some unknown place, but there was nothing I could do.

“Where are you taking me?” I managed to ask.

“To my pack.” Was his response, and then I blacked out.