Chapter 20

“Call it a fairytale,
or a fever dream,
either way,
it killed me sweetly.“

Nathan’s POV

“Everything,” I’d said.

Lilly leaned back with a low sigh. She closed her ice cream tub and rested the spoon on top of it, her gaze drifting somewhere far away, like she was tracing back down that memory lane.

“She used to just…disappear,” she started, her eyes flicking back to me. “Not physically, more like she’d switch off. One moment she’d be there, and the next, she’d just…blank out.”

“We were really young when it first happened, maybe in middle school, I guess,” Lilly went on. “I didn’t understand it then. I thought she was pretending at first. I’d wave my hand in front of her face, shake her shoulders…but nothing. Then she’d blink, like waking up from a dream, and ask why I looked so scared.”

A chill slipped down my spine when I realized that this had been happening since she was young. All this time? Did she never notice it?

Lilly’s fingers drummed over her thighs. “And the weird thing was, she never remembered it happening.”

My pulse slowed. “How often did it happen?”

“Enough for me to notice,” she murmured. “But never in a crowd, never when we were at school, or outside. Only when we were alone, most often when we were in my room studying, or sleepovers…it only ever happened then.” Her brows knit together. “I never understood why.”

I frowned. “And you never told anyone?”

“I did,” She said, “Told my mom first. I must’ve looked terrified, because she got really worried and tried calling Aylin’s mother a bunch of times, but never reached her.”

Lilly rolled her eyes at the mere mention of that woman. “Her mother is this well-known lawyer, and she was always busy, always away because of her work; she was never around.” Her voice dropped lower, edged with quiet disdain, “No wonder her daughter turned out the way she did.”

My jaw ticked, and I jabbed my elbow into her side, just hard enough to make her flinch.

She gave me a what-the-hell look, and I glared, “Don’t talk about her like that,” I grumbled.

Lilly sighed, muttering some curses under her breath before continuing. “Anyway, one time when I was over at their house, I finally saw her mother. I told her what was happening, how Aylin would blank out sometimes, how I couldn’t get through to her when it happened.”

Lilly paused, her lips pressing into a thin line. “I thought she’d panic, you know? Ask more questions, rush to Aylin or something, I don’t know…” Her voice dropped lower. “But she didn’t. She just thanked me, smiled, and said she’d keep an eye on her.”

She scoffed lightly, rolling her eyes, “It was like I’d told her it might rain, and she promised to keep an eye on the weather,” She added in mockery.

Now that…that caught my attention. Interesting.

Her eyes flicked to mine, “There was always something off about that woman,” she said, her tone thoughtful, “I never liked her. Aylin’s relationship with her was always…strange, distant. Well, not surprising, though. The woman was never really around.”

Hmm. Looks like I found my next target: her mother.

Lilly sighed, tugging absently at the loose thread on her pajama hem. “After that, I stopped bringing it up. Aylin would get upset every time I mentioned it, and the weird thing is…the older we got, the less it happened to her. Until it just…stopped.”

“Stopped?”

She nodded. “Yeah. By the time we were in high school, the whole blanking out episodes were just gone, completely; it never happened again.”

So why the hell would it start now? After all that time, what could’ve triggered her again?

I studied Lilly’s face, looking for more, for something she hadn’t said yet. “What about that incident when she was young,” I asked, “when she fell into the pool and nearly drowned?”

Lilly’s brows lifted, a small, crooked grin forming on her lips. “Well, well. Look who’s done his homework.”

“I always do my homework,” I said flatly.

She snorted, then shrugged. “I don’t know much, just what Aylin told me. It was before she moved to L.A. She was really young, she said someone tried to drown her in the pool of their summer house. When she came to and told everyone, nobody believed her. They said she had tripped and fallen in.”

Lilly’s frown deepened. “Which never made sense to me, because Aylin’s a really good swimmer, she’s been swimming since she could walk. You don’t just forget how to breathe underwater when you grow up in it.”

Well, that was another thing I didn’t know. Good, pile them all up, gather all the threads, sort through them later, and maybe I’d finally figure out my princess’s deepest darkest secret.

Lilly’s face shifted suddenly, irritation tightening her mouth.

“What?” I asked, addressing the sudden drop in her mood.

She gave me a flat look. “I just remembered the first time I met her.” She rolled her eyes like the memory tasted sour. “She’d just transferred to our school, we had swimming class that week, and there was a race. It was me against her,” Lilly scoffed, crossing her arms, “and she won.”

The corners of my mouth twitched. Oh, that’s my precious princess. “Tragic,” I muttered.

“Don’t start,” she warned, jabbing her finger in my direction. “Anyway, on the next round, something weird happened. It’s like…she suddenly couldn’t swim, like she forgot how to, and she went under. I don’t recall the details, but everyone freaked out…”

“And?” I prompted when she paused.

Lilly huffed, her glare dropping to the ice cream tub on the table, condensation slipping down the sides and puddling on the wood. “Chase was there,” she muttered bitterly. “My dear boyfriend, with his stupidly kind heart and heroic instincts, jumped in and saved her. Pulled her out like some goddamn knight in shining armor.”

Here we fucking go again…

If only I’d been there, I would’ve pulled my princess out of the danger, only to drag her straight into my own danger and never let anyone else touch her ever again. If only.

Lilly groaned and shifted in her seat, the annoyance practically radiating off her. “Probably that was the day she started obsessing over him,” She grumbled, “I should’ve just strangled her right then and there—”

I harshly shoved her before she could finish that sentence; she tumbled into the cushions with a muffled, “Nathan!” as she hauled herself upright.

I leveled her with a hard look. “I like you now,” I warned. “So don’t make me change my mind and go back into wanting to kill you, alright?”

She narrowed her eyes at me, and I flashed her a murderous look, inching my face closer. “Don’t test me again, Lilly.”

She held my stare for a beat, then something in her face broke, and she flashed that ridiculous grin of hers. “Oh, lovey-dovey Nathan, rushing to his girl’s rescue, it’s very fetching,” she sang, poking my chest with her finger. “Cute, but deadly.”

Fuck, again with that.

“You do realize I find no humour in this,” I grated, my voice low. “And when I don’t find something funny, I get bored. When I get bored, I get creative. And when I get creative…I get murdery. Want to test that chain reaction?”

I looked around her apartment, “These walls look sturdy enough, bet no one will even hear you scream.”

“Pfft,” She said with a bored look, totally unthreatened, “Bet you are the last person who could make me scream.”

I grimaced, “Eww, not like that.” I said and shoved her again; she groaned in frustration, flopping into the cushions. I glared, half-annoyed, half-wincing at the notion, “I meant as I plunge my knife into your throat, you pervert,” I added, deadpan.

She rolled her eyes and waved me off. “Yeah, yeah, sure. Big, scary, madly-in-love Nathan.” Then her gaze snagged on my neck, “Speaking of knives and throats,” Her head tilted, “what’s that?” She pointed at the cut across my skin.

My fingers went there on instinct, tracing the line. A smile tugged at my mouth before I could stop it. “Remember the knife you gave me for my birthday?”

She frowned, nodding slowly. “Yeah…”

“Well,” I said, the grin breaking free, “Aylin cut me with it.”

Lilly’s face twisted in pure horror. “God, I don’t even want to know what kind of weird sex games you two are into,” she said, shuddering. “I should’ve never asked.”

Well, well, I guess we just added that to my long list of things I wanted to do to defile my princess; the mere thought of tracing my knife over her silky porcelain skin was so euphoric I had to snap myself out of it.

“Anyway, now, you tell me,” Lilly said, changing the subject on purpose, “Did it happen to her again?”

I nodded, my thoughts dragging me right back to the cabin. The way her eyes went distant. The way she just…dissociated, her consciousness slipping right between her fingers. “Yeah. She blanked out, just like you said. One moment she was there, the next, gone. When she came back, she didn’t remember a thing that had happened during that period.”

Lilly’s head tilted, curious and thoughtful. “I really thought it stopped. It’s weird for it to come back after all these years.”

“Something must’ve triggered it,” I said, my voice low. “She was in the pool when it happened. Maybe the water played a role. I don’t know.”

Lilly instantly shook her head, dismissing that idea. “No, no way it’s the pool,” she said, ever so sure, “If it were, she wouldn’t spend half her time swimming. Haven’t you seen her stories and posts? Every summer, every vacation, she’s either at the sea or in a pool. It’s her comfort zone, not her trigger.”

She leaned back, frowning. “If the water really messed with her, don’t you think she’d avoid it like the plague?”

That did make sense.

Then, what the fuck caused what happened that day?

I looked at Lilly, thoughtful. My jaw ticked before I said, “Ask your lover boy.”

Her brows furrowed. “Ask him what?”

“Whether it ever happened when she was with him,” I said, my tone flat but my hand betraying me, my fingers twitching over my thigh before I curled them into a fist.

Lilly blinked, then shot me an incredulous look. “Yeah, sure. Let me just go ask my boyfriend about his ex-girlfriend,” she said, dripping sarcasm. “No way in hell—” Just as she finished her words, the sound of her phone ringing cut through the room.

She picked it up and her face instantly lit up, “Speaking of my lover boy,” She mumbled as she answered and placed the phone to her ear, “Hey baby, did you land?”

She listened, then melted into the cushion, twirling a loose strand of hair from her bun. “Yeah, I missed you too, so much,” she mumbled, full pout and everything.

I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly saw last week. Did that display of disgusting affection between them come with a warning label? I sure hope it did. I made a half-gag, the classic I’m going to throw up face, and she narrowed her eyes at me.

“Guess who’s here?” she said into the phone, narrowing her eyes at me, “Nathan.”

She hummed along to whatever Chase was saying, then explained, “Well, you know how I have a soft spot for stray dogs. I couldn’t leave him out in the cold.” She raised a brow at me, ever so smug.

I couldn’t help the murderous look that slipped across my face; she read it and laughed into the phone as she stood up, ready to walk away. I grabbed the slipper she’d thrown at me earlier and hurled it back. I had perfect aim and hit her straight in the shoulder. She yelped and clutched the spot. “Chase, tell him, he just threw my slipper at me!”

She lowered the phone, glaring. “Chase says he’ll kill you when he sees you.”

“Only if I don’t kill him first,” I grumbled.

She huffed, bent down, grabbed the slipper, and flung it at me. This time, she won, and the side of it clipped me near the eye. “Lilly!” I grated, rubbing the spot. God, this gremlin.

She giggled into the phone, utterly unrepentant. “I hit him in the face…Yeah, I know, right…love you too,” she muttered into her phone, then started pacing, half-whispering to Chase and half-complaining about me. “Of course I’ll lock my door when I go to sleep. Do you think I trust him?” she pretended to whisper, and then she disappeared down the hallway to make the rest of the call private.

I collapsed back into the cushion, my shoulders dropping. The clues I gathered refused to line up, pieces scattered like stars that didn’t want to form a constellation. Annoyed, I pulled out my phone and went straight to her profile, checking those old posts Lilly had mentioned.

I scrolled down, back to the summer times. The pictures were all sea and sun. Shots of her at the water’s edge, her side profile turned toward the horizon, hair still wet and clinging to her neck. The light licked her beautiful face, a burn of gold and rose that made her white skin look almost too fragile and edible.

In one of them, she wore a baby-pink chiffon beach cradigan that barely covered her sinful body. I refrained from going through the comments. If I started reading, I’d have to hunt down every single one of them and kill them, and now I have more important things on hand, like figuring out this beautiful siren’s secrets.

I scrolled back up, going through every picture, till I reached the one she’d posted of me. My lips curved up on instinct. She really did post that, huh. It was the one from our date in Rome, where only the side of my face was showing. I was looking away, the orang hues of the sinking sun reflecting all over my profile, you wouldn’t even know who the picture belonged to.

Underneath it, the caption read: Rome 🩶

My smile dropped. Fuck, again with that fucking grey heart. I glared at it like I could make it disappear if I looked hard enough.

I went through the comments to find a bunch of emojis, some hearts, a few complementing the shot, and others asking, ‘Who’s the hottie?’ to which my princess left without any reply. I smiled and typed down a new comment.

Should’ve at least given credit to your muse, princess.

Not long after, maybe one minute passed before a notification popped up. I pressed it to read her reply: Already did, it’s in the caption 🙂

I glanced back at the caption and my smile fell again. She meant the fucking grey heart. Why would she associate me with this blasphemous, useless emoji?

I switched to our private chat and typed:

Nathan: What am I going to do with you?

The typing bubble appeared immediately.

Princess: No idea. I’m kind of a full-time problem 🙂

She’s my death, no kidding, she’ll be the end of me, this woman. I sank deeper into the cushions, feeling like a damn teenager the longer I typed.

Nathan: Good. I’ve always had a thing for unsolvable problems. Keeps me entertained.

I stared at my words for a second, then, on instinct, started typing again.

Nathan: I miss your face
and your lips
and your heartbeat,
and mostly your wet needy pussy.

Princess: Me too.
Wait, no! not the last one!

I smiled.

Nathan: Why not? I am developing a serious case of withdrawal that can be easily fixed with your pretty little lips.

I pressed send, then added:

Nathan: and your sweet tight hole.

Princess: Your manners are seriously…404 not found.

I huffed a quiet laugh, shaking my head.

Nathan: You’re so funny, I could just lick you all up.

Princess: *dog emoji*

Nathan: *wolf emoji*

Before I could hold myself back, I just hit video call. After the very first ring, her pretty face popped up and filled my screen. My lips curved up almost instantly. She looked like she was lying over her stomach on her bed, her elbow pressed on the mattress, her chin propped on her palm. She smiled, small and tired and so damn beautiful it felt like a punch to my chest.

“Okay, don’t say a thing, stay just like you are,” I said, “I need to soak all of this in,” I added, “I think you’ve given me a whiplash.”

She rolled her eyes at my dramatics, “You’re so ridiculous,” She mumbled.

I wanted to reach out and caress her face through the screen, but held myself back, because what the actual fuck? Maybe Lilly and Chase’s nauseating display of affection was contagious and rubbing off on me.

I cleared my throat, leaning back, trying to sound like myself again. “I called you to inform you that my cock was really pleased to make your acquaintance last night and this morning, and would love to have another go and meet you tomorrow after I get back.”

She literally facepalmed, pressing her palm over her forehead and eyes, “Can you be normal for once?” She asked, glaring, but the faintest pink dusted her cheeks.

“Princess, there isn’t one normal thing about me, and you know that,” I stated the obvious, “Now flash me your boobs so I can be able to sleep like a baby,” I added, ever so serious.

She tried not to chuckle, her lips twitching, shaking her head, as if she’d given up trying to make sense of me and long accepted I was a lost cause.

She sighed, pretending to ignore my request. “You’re coming back tomorrow?”

I nodded, “Meet me at our usual running spot? Same time?”

“Our?” She asked, her brow rising, “Usual?”

I nodded, ever so innocently, “Yeah, we’ve been jogging buddies all over the past month, where’s your head at?” I tsked softly, “Keep up, princess.”

She exhaled loudly, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like creep. “Fine. I’ll meet you there then,” she said, clearly too tired to question my very healthy pattern of stalking, or maybe she’d just learned to live with it.

“Alright,” I muttered, then playfully waved my fingers over the screen like I was casting magic, “May this pretty face have wet dreams only about me, all night long,” I said with a wistful voice.

She chuckled, “What are you doing?”

“Casting a spell on you,” I said, perfectly serious. “Now say amen.”

She laughed and shook her head. “No.”

“Come on, not one Catholic bone in your body?”

“Apparently none.”

I nodded solemnly and winked, “Don’t worry, I’ll put one in you tomorrow.”

Her smile fell, and she glared, “I’m hanging up,” she grumbled.

“Goodnight, princess,” I said, my tone lazy and teasing. “Miss me a lot.”

She tried not to smile and cutely waved her little hand in a bye manner, “Goodnight, you psycho,” she mumbled before, insert sad face, the screen went black.

I stared at the reflection of her fading image, then exhaled a long, wistful sigh. Already, I missed her, all of her, the way she makes me feel like I’m circling the edge of something dangerous and divine.

Then, my other side kicked in, the one I should be rather focused on. I straightened up and dialed Adam. He picked up on the second ring, his voice rough with exhaustion.

“Anything?” I asked.

“No,” he grumbled, irritation bleeding through the line. “But one thing’s clear, someone’s wiped her medical records clean.”

I rubbed a hand over my jaw, feeling that familiar heat of curiosity flare beneath my skin. “Who would do that? And why?”

“Well, I know the who, just not the why.”

My spine went still. “Who?”

“Layla Harrington,” he said. “Aylin’s mother.”

Well, well. This woman’s name just keeps coming up today, like a bad omen.

I leaned back, a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. “Adam,” I said slowly, “why don’t you go ahead and book me an appointment with her? Tomorrow afternoon would be preferable.”

He paused, then asked, “You’re serious?”

“Oh, I’m very serious,” I murmured, my voice laced with mock amusement. “It’s about time I met my future mother-in-law, don’t you think?”

He chuckled, and I could imagine him shaking his head at my antics, “Besides, with the kind of things I do…having a lawyer on my side might come in handy one day soon.”

⊹˚₊‧──────────────‧₊˚⊹

Next Day…

I sat in the middle of her office, surrounded by serenity so sterile it didn’t feel real. It was the kind of room that tried too hard to prove it belonged to someone important, without revealing a single thing about them.

My gaze drifted across the walls, the desk, the shelves. Everything was immaculate, with nothing out of place. Nothing personal, not a single picture or frame, not even a forgotten coffee ring to suggest a human being had ever existed here. Just law books, neat stacks of paper, and order so precise it bordered on obsessive, and felt rather suffocating.

If the space reflected its owner, then Layla Harrington was either hiding everything…or she didn’t have much left to hide.

I leaned back, one arm resting on the chair, my fingers drumming against the armrest as my eyes landed on the brass nameplate at the edge of her desk.

Layla Harrington
Supreme Court Bar Member

Well, well. Someone was really important. I had to hand it to Adam, pulling strings to get me in this fast must’ve cost him a few favors. My gaze lingered on the name for a second too long. She’d kept her ex-husband’s surname. Interesting choice. Too much to unravel about this woman already.

Just then, the door clicked open, cutting through my thoughts.

“Mr. Viarchi,” Her calm voice reached me before she did, a voice so composed, so professional, the kind that’s used to ending arguments with two words. She stepped in with a file in hand, “Apologies for keeping you waiting,” she said ever so smoothly. “The hearing ran longer than expected.”

I rose as she walked toward me, every motion of hers efficient. She wore a tailored black skirt suit that fitted her extremely well, accompanied by heels that didn’t make a single sound. Her hair, soft blonde, almost the same shade as Aylin’s, was pulled back in a precise knot, not a single strand out of place. Her face carried that same symmetry, too perfect to touch and too composed to trust.

She looked elegant, controlled…and dangerous in the way silence can be.

For a second, I saw the resemblance, Aylin’s eyes, that curve of her mouth, but where my princess’s warmth and madness leaked through, this woman had hers locked behind steel. She was too composed, too calculated.

I’ve never liked people like that. They rub me the wrong way, probably because I can’t see where they keep their knives.

“Ms. Harrington,” I greeted, my voice ever so calm and charming as I extended my hand.

She gave me a professional smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Please, just call me Layla.”

“Nathan,” I said, returning the courtesy.

She nodded once, briskly, before circling to her desk. She flipped open a file, scanning its contents. A small furrow formed between her brows. “I see your assistant didn’t specify the reason for this meeting,” she said, her eyes meeting mine, “Would you mind clarifying what brings you here today, Nathan?”

I smiled faintly, leaning back just enough, “Of course,” I said. “I figured it’s time we got properly acquainted.”

Her gaze lifted, calm but alert. Nothing in her moved, yet the air between us shifted.

Oh, good. She’s already trying to read me.

Let the game begin.

“I don’t think I understand,” she said finally, her composure steady but her fingers pausing for half a second over the page.

I leaned forward, elbows resting on the edge of her pristine desk, the hint of a grin ghosting my lips. “You see, I’m a curious man,” I murmured. “And curiosity has a way of dragging me places I probably shouldn’t be.”

I tilted my head slightly, studying her. “Like here, for example. Sitting across from the woman who had her daughter’s entire medical history erased.”

Her eyes widened just enough to betray that split second of shock. Perfect.

“So, what could you possibly be hiding, Layla?” I asked, ever so softly.

She blinked once, her voice crisp when it returned, “As I said, Mr. Viarchi,” the emphasis on my surname was deliberate, a reminder of where I was and who she thought she was, “I don’t believe I understand what you’re trying to suggest.”

“You understand me just fine,” I murmured. “So, do we do this the easy way or the hard way?” I added, “Please say the hard way. I actually prefer it.”

Her jaw tightened, just enough to be seen, and my smile widened. “Why did you wipe out Aylin’s entire medical history?” I asked, the mere mention of her daughter’s name on my tongue had her look deeper, as if to analyze me, understand where I fit in all of this. “What are you trying to hide?”

Her eyebrow raised, “That’s a very serious accusation, Mr. Viarchi.”

“Not an accusation,” I said, straightening a little. “Just an observation.”

I smiled again, “You’re a lawyer. You know the difference.”

She met my stare with one of her own, all fake professional poise. “I think this meeting has reached its end. I don’t have time for theatrics.”

“Too bad for you,” I replied, “I have all the time in the world.”

She scoffed. “Too bad for you, then. I have security who will show you exactly where the door is.” Her voice tightened as her hand slid for her phone.

That was the mistake.

My hand moved before she could finish the motion. My fingers closed around her wrist tightly, enough to bruise if she tested me, enough to make the phone fall limp in her palm.

Her eyes widened. She tried to jerk away; I only tightened. I rose to my feet the same second she did, never breaking contact, letting the small pressure say everything my smile wouldn’t. “You’re going to answer,” I said, letting the words land like a dare, “or would you prefer I resort to uncivilized methods?”

Her professionally assembled face fractured. Shock and a flash of real, hot anger darkened the green of her eyes. True, she looked a lot like my princess, but I didn’t like her one bit. I wanted her dead, for some reason. I could only wonder why.

“Who are you?” she grated through clenched teeth.

“Aylin’s boyfriend,” I answered, smiling ever so charmingly to gain extra brownie points with the in-laws, all while tightening my grip on her arm, “Nice to meet you, by the way.”

“What?” She asked, blinking, startled by the fact.

“Yeah,” I continued, “Boyfriend. Future husband, if I’m lucky. Probably the father of her kids, if she’s into that—” I paused to watch her bristle, ahh, so delicious, “So yes, I think I’m entitled to access her medical files. Don’t you?”

Her mouth flattened. “So imagine my level of annoyance when I found out that you had erased them,” I added, my lips tilting into a little pout as I tsked. “Why would you do that?”

She shoved her arm free from my grip; the skin under my fingers had gone faintly red where I’d held her. Her chest rose and fell, her nostrils flaring; that flash of breathy anger made her look human for the first time today.

“You have no idea who I am, do you?” she spat, reaching for her phone again. I moved before she could finish the motion and placed a hand on her shoulder to steer her back against the wall. Gentle enough to be civilized, firm enough to make the point. You know, respect the elderly and all that…

She glared at me, every mask of hers slipping.

“Layla,” I said, my voice low, “Your face looks a lot like my princess’s. I’d hate to make a mess out of it, so let’s play nice, shall we?”

My total disregard for her name and position, and probably even her age, got her all twitchy. Her eyes snapped, and the fury flamed across her face. “You’re out of your goddamn mind,” she snapped. “You have no idea what I’ll do to you. If you think you’re going to get anywhere near my daughter again, then dream on.”

I chuckled, “This is fun, you and me, bonding, wow, don’t know why people get nervous about meeting their in-laws, I am pretty much enjoying this.”

My grip on her shoulder made the point for me. “So now, shall we return to the main topic?”

Her hand shot up and clamped around my wrist, hard enough to try and wrench me away. “You’ve got some nerve. Show some respect,” she snapped.

“Whoa,” I retreated back, showing her my hands up in mock surrender, “Easy there, you are acting as if I asked you to fuck me, worry not, your daughter has been keeping me rather satisfied—”

Her composure snapped. A low, furious sound escaped her throat as she raised her hand to slap me. My own hand closed on her wrist before she could, “Now, that won’t be so nice, would it?”

She leaned in, her teeth bared. “You’re playing with the wrong people, kid,” she hissed. “You’ll regret this.”

I let out a small, contemptuous tsk. “I don’t do regret, but I could make you rue the day you met me.” I released her arm in a sharp movement and took a step back. “I think I’ve made my point clear. If I don’t have those medical records in…let’s say, two business days, you’ll see exactly how tedious I can be.”

With that, I walked away before she could answer, leaving her fuming behind. Once I got into my car, I called Adam, asked him to keep an eye on this woman. Lilly was right, something about her rubbed me wrong, but I will figure it out with time.

I went to my house after and changed into a more casual attire, ready for my jogging date. My little flare of chaos was still buzzing, satisfied for now with the dose I got from that woman, but my body hadn’t caught up. It was still thrumming, coiled tight with leftover adrenaline. So instead of the car, I rode my bike to the marina.

When I reached, I parked it aside, dropped the helmet, stuffed my keys in my pocket, and scanned the crowd. My eyes found my princess right away, rather fast. She was my prey, after all. And predators like me? We always find what we’re hunting.

I walked in her direction, basking in every little detail of her. God, she sure kills me with those sports leggings she keeps on wearing. She looked around as if searching for me, then her gaze dropped to her watch, checking the time. Only then did she notice her untied shoe and bent down to fix it. I was so close now, and her ass was all up in the air as she bent down like that, ever so damn provocative.

I couldn’t help but lightly smack her beautiful ass. She gasped and straightened up right away, her wide eyes fell on me, the relief and shock mixed, “You scared the crap out of m—” Her words dissolved into a moan when I grasped her ponytail from behind and pulled her close, enough for her to stumble into my embrace as I crashed my mouth into hers, trying to reel in this hunger.

Instead of pushing me away, considering we were in the middle of the side road, with people moving past us, this lunatic girl of mine pulled me closer.

I was attacking her lips, at first, then it was her turn. She pushed deeper, her tongue tangling up with mine, her hand grasping my shoulder for balance, her nails digging in through the fabric, then…she bit my lower lip. Holy lord of all lords…

My brain short-circuited. Somewhere in there, I think I blacked out for a full three seconds. When I remembered how to breathe, she’d already stepped back, breaking contact. Whoa.

“Wow,” I muttered, staring at her already swollen, red lips.

“What?” She smiled, all shy and whatnot, like she didn’t just devour my mouth.

“That was one hell of a kiss,” I muttered, “I think you might’ve gotten me pregnant.”

An unfiltered chuckle vibrated from her chest, and she playfully swatted my chest before her fingers fluttered softly over my collarbone, near my neck, toward my throat, tracing the line she carved. She looked up at me, her eyes a shade lighter, more like she was…happy?

“Hi,” she mumbled, warmth flushing her cheeks.

“Hey,” I answered, the smile slipping out before I could stop it.

Her eyebrow raised, “Don’t sneak up on me like that again, you scared me,” She warned, “I thought you were a stranger passing by.”

That was enough to drain the grin right off my face, and I shot her a glare, “Yeah, if anyone wants to die a brutal death, sure, let them be my guest and try,” I grated out, my jaw ticking. My hand that was pressed against her lower back traveled down and squeezed her ass, “This ass is only mine.”

Her eyes widened; she swatted my hand away, but I leaned in before she could finish the gesture and kissed her lips, “These lips,” I murmured into them, “are mine too.” I added, staking claim on every little part of her. Then, I dipped my head, pressed my lips right where that sweet pulse was, and softly kissed it, “And even this heartbeat is mine.”

When I pulled back, my eyebrow raised, “Everything about you is off-limits to the world. Understood?”

Her eyes narrowed at me, a mix of disbelief and defiance as she crossed her arms over her chest, “You’re extra possessive, do you know that?” She pointed out the obvious, “like really extra, you need to tone it down a notch for us to work.”

I scoffed, “Yeah, sure,” I said. “Let’s pretend I’m capable of that.”

She sighed like I was a hopeless case, accurate by the way, and looked to the sky for strength. Then she turned, grabbed the two cups from the bench, and held one out to me. “I got you tea,” she said, before swirling the godawful green sludge in her other hand. “Since you hate my matcha.”

I took the cup, the corner of my mouth twitching up. “Thoughtful,” I muttered, slipping my arm around her waist as we started walking.

One sip and I hummed, satisfied. “You know,” I said, glancing down at her, “you already remember my likes and dislikes, and we’ve barely started dating.” I paused, mock-serious. “Are you, by any chance, obsessed with me?”

She scoffed, “Yeah, look who is talking.”

My fingers traced idle patterns at her side, a quiet rhythm, feeling her up close, “Well, I am openly obsessed with you, nothing to hide there.” I said, “I am obsessed with every little detail that is you,” I added, my gaze flickering all over her face, “even with the number of lashes you have on those eyes, with these two freckles near your nose, and with the little birthmark you have on your upper thigh, everything.”

A low, annoyed breath hefted out of my nose, “Oh great, now I am hard,” I looked at her, “Remind me again why we are here when we could’ve been in my house, and I could’ve been rearranging your organs with my dick?”

“Nathan!” Aylin shot out, her eyes widening before she slapped a hand over my mouth. “You seriously need a filter for this mouth of yours.”

I smiled underneath her palm and kissed it, before I licked it.

Her eyes widened and she pulled her hand back, “Dog,” She grumbled.

I tugged her closer with a grin. “Wolf,” I corrected, my voice low. “Dogs fetch. I hunt.”

She rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth betrayed her with a smile.

“Now, how about we go home so I can properly defile you,” I added, “I’ve got this new thing that I want to try on you.”

“What thin…you know what, no, never mind, don’t answer me,” She shook her head, internally wincing, knowing whatever I’ll suggest will be totally deprived and make her run for the hills.

“So?” I asked, persistent as ever, “Shall we?”

She sighed, her lips pursed into a small pout, “Let me have my run first, I really got used to it. It helps me clear my mind,” She said.

I was this close to throwing her over my shoulder and dragging her home like last time, but that cute pout could’ve disarmed an army.

She must’ve sensed my hesitation because she stepped closer, her eyes flickering with that devilish spark that always spelled trouble. “How about we race for it?” she suggested.

A slow smile curved my mouth. “Race for it?”

“Mm-hm.” She tossed her drink into the nearest bin, straightened, and looked up at me through her lashes. “And if you catch me…” She resumed, knowing the direct way to my poor, might I add red, not grey, heart.

My eyebrow arched, already hyped up, “If I catch you?”

She edged closer, her arm sneaking around my waist, then one hand of hers crept underneath my shirt, ever so slowly, so provocatively moving over my back before she tiptoed and left one little teasing kiss over the cut on my neck. Then, she looked up at me, her eyes all sultry, all knowing, “god, you’re really planning on getting me pregnant, aren’t you?” I joked again as my restraint frayed, one thread at a time.

She smiled, “If you catch me,” She added, “We’ll try that…new thing of yours.”

Told you, I’ll marry her one day. Who would ever get me like she does? Just tell me, who?

“And if you don’t—” She tried to say, but I shook my head, “that’s not even an option,” I interrupted, my smile all wolfish, “Come on, go ahead, let me watch you run,” I said, “I’ll even give you a headstart before I come after you.”

The excitement that coursed in my veins, I watched it flare in her eyes. She got off on this, just like I did. That same wild thrill.

“Run, princess,” I said, edging back to give her space, “Run.”

She did.

She ran away from me, igniting this wild animal tied up in my chest, the one that fed on this. I counted to ten in my head, before I went after her.

The world narrowed to her sweet body darting through the glow of marina lights. My feet hit the pavement, steady and hungry. The noises around me faded; all I could hear was her breath, her shoes striking the ground, the distance between us folding in half.

My body fell into rhythm, her rhythm. My breath syncing with hers from yards away. I could taste the distance shrinking, the pulse of her heartbeat pounding somewhere just ahead, calling to mine.

I was close now, so fucking close, but that itch at the back of my neck scratched again. I didn’t understand its origin, but I ignored it as my arms closed around her body from the back, pulling her to me. Her body slammed against mine, her breath broke into a startled sound, and the whole world crashed around us in that instant.

Something was…not right. Something shifted.

My gaze fell on her hands, noticing the way her fingers twitched, they shook, and the sound of her breathing got louder, less rhythmic, too sharp, then too shallow. My eyes fell on her neck, and instinctively, my fingers went there; her pulse was too erratic, too lost.

Not the same, I recognized it.

The unbearable itch in my spine finally made sense. It became a cold, crawling dread. I looked down, and the world went still in the wrong way. Her body was rigid, her shoulders heavy, her eyes open but distant, looking ahead, but…

Fuck, no…no, not again.

“Aylin?” I said, my words too measured, too careful, my eyes focused down on her, trying to detect any response.

I slowly turned her around in my embrace, forcing her to look at me, but she didn’t. I wasn’t a part of her world now, just like that day in the cabin, just like she got lost in that pool, she was lost again. She’d gone somewhere I couldn’t follow.

“Aylin,” I tried again, my hands cupping her face, trying to anchor her, to make her eyes remember me. Her skin was warm, too warm, and her gaze was glassy, her breath too shallow. I tilted her head up, but she didn’t see me; she was looking at me, but also…not looking, like she was seeing past me, through me…

“Come on,” I whispered. I palmed her cheek, feeling the itch grow within me, “Look at me.”

Never in my life did I feel helpless. Never. But now, I fucking was.

The feeling clawed up my throat like it wanted out, but there was nowhere for it to go.

“Come on, princess, it’s me,” I muttered, looking into her hazy eyes, trying to will her back to me. I moved one hand to her neck, right near her pulse, trying to hear it out, trying to understand when she’ll get back to me. Her lips parted but only to breathe through her mouth, like she was suffocating from the inside out, her chest heaving, up and down, without a constant rhythm.

Fuck, fuck, fuck…

I edged closer, my forehead pressing against hers, my nose brushing hers, “You know me, don’t you, princess.” I don’t know why I was talking. I don’t know what the fuck I was saying, “It’s me, it’s Nathan. I know you can hear me, come on, just come back to me,” something was pressing against my lungs, restricting my airways, I couldn’t fucking breathe.

I pressed my lips over her forehead; they lingered there. My eyelids fell down, because I couldn’t see her like this, “Focus on my voice, Aylin,” I murmured, “Come back to me, princess. Don’t run in there. You know I can’t catch you in that place.”

Lilly was right, it wasn’t the water that triggered her, then what fucking did?

Her lashes trembled, then a soft wince rippled through her body, and a low sound escaped her throat, something like pain, something I couldn’t name. She pressed the heel of her palm against her temple like she was trying to trap something inside.

My jaw locked until it hurt. Helplessness burned in my throat. I couldn’t fix this. I couldn’t fucking control it, and that drove me fucking mental.

Her pulse beneath my fingers went back to the rhythm I knew, and I blinked, gazing at her face intently.

She lowered her hand from over her temple and blinked her eyes open. She winced and blinked again. She looked around before she looked at me, and now…now, she saw me. She finally saw me. Her throat moved as she swallowed, trying to make sense of the distance she’d just crossed, of suddenly being in my arms.

“You caught me,” she whispered in realization, her voice hoarse.

My jaw tightened and I shook my head, “No, I didn’t.”

Because suddenly, the hunt didn’t feel like a game anymore. The thrill, the rush, the chase, all of it meant nothing when I realized what it really was.

If she ever runs that far again…I don’t know if I’ll be able to follow.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to catch her.

I don’t know if she’ll find her way back to me next time.

⊹˚₊‧──────────────────────‧₊˚⊹

Author’s Note:

Did I just update this fast? I think I did. You must love me a lot, I know you do, I know.
Sending grey hearts to all of you xD

Anyway, how was the chapter?
Any ideas or theories? 😉

I am just trying to understand how Nathan has no regard for anyone and just went ahead and threatened Aylin’s mother xD
He is a force of nature, this guy. He is unstoppable.

By the way, are you team dog 🐶?
Or team wolf 🐺?

Hehe, see ya soon 🩶