Restarting my path, I quicken my pace until I’m speed walking through the labyrinth of mirrors.
I’ve no idea how far I am, but I don’t even think I’ve made it halfway through.
It’s right then that I see the first image of Zade reflected back at me. Dressed in all black, with his scarred face hidden deep in his hood. I gasp, whipping around just to find more of his reflection.
He’s not behind me, but he’s somewhere close.
“Stop it,” I bite out, fear constricting my chest.
He doesn’t answer, and of course, the fucker doesn’t listen. I’m caught in a whirlwind, my body continuously moving in circles, desperate to pin exactly where he is.
“You all alone, baby girl?”
I swallow. “Obviously,” I whisper, still searching for where he is. It feels like I shouldn’t have said that.
“No one here to save you?”
A shot of anxiety hits me in the chest.
“Why the hell would I need to be saved, Zade? You going to hurt me?”
It’s then he lifts his head, just enough for me to provide a view of his mouth. A wicked smirk is stretched across those lips.
I try to remember that he won’t hurt me. He was just in my bed a week ago, sad and vulnerable. By the time I opened my eyes in the morning, he was gone, and I haven’t heard from him since.
But my brain is having trouble connecting who he is now to who he was then.
Because now… he looks savage.
“I’m going to ruin you,” he corrects. I take a step back, a lump forming in my throat. His image moves, his body walking in a different direction. Is he coming closer? I can’t tell. I take another step back, the adrenaline in my system rising to dangerous levels.
He’s scaring me.
“Run,” he growls. My lungs constrict at the guttural command. “If I catch you, I fuck you.”
Eyes widening, I listen, my body catapulting into action.
I run.
In here, I’m completely vulnerable to him. I’m well and truly trapped in the spider’s web, and the son of a bitch is poisonous.
His reflection follows me everywhere I go. There were a few times I was convinced I’d truly lost him, seeing nothing but my own image. And then he’d step out from somewhere, crushing my hopes.
After a few minutes, I’m out of breath. The adrenaline and fear are getting to me. My chest is constricted too tight, my lungs reduced to strings and no longer capable of holding oxygen.
I’m lost and trapped with a very dangerous man who is going to absolutely devastate me. I don’t think I’m running from him anymore, but rather from the person I’m going to be when he’s finished with me.
I was ready to give myself over to him when he emerged from my balcony doors and came to me with a heavy heart. The man put some type of spell on me, because when he was hurting, all I wanted to do was make him feel better. Give myself over to him if that’s what would help.
But I know that I would’ve woken up the next day and hated myself. Because I would’ve slept with a stalker, a murderer and a man who has forced himself on me on several occasions. I would’ve slept with a man who doesn’t respect my boundaries, my personal space, or the word no.
And I know without a shadow of a doubt that’s exactly what’s about to happen. How do I accept that? How do I toss away the moral compass that’s been directing my entire life?
For a man that I should loathe, but… I don’t. I just don’t. He’s all those things, but he’s also one of the most admirable men I’ve ever met. The devotion and passion he has for saving women and children stolen away from their homes and lives, he’s doing something massive in the world and making an impact in a substantial way. I can't even begin to put into words the way he makes me feel.
He’s such a fucking oxymoron. Contradicting in the most agonizing ways.
And despite his cracked moral compass, I feel safe with him. Even now, when fear is rewiring my brain.
I stop running, panting heavily.
Hopeless.
That’s what running from Zade is. Fucking. Hopeless.
Chest pumping, I wait for him to find me. Obviously, I’m not going to be able to outrun him. My only chance of escaping is to somehow incapacitate him, and then try to run.
A laugh bubbles up my throat.
He’s been training me to do just that, right? My shadow has been giving me the means to protect myself.
Against him.
Hot breath tickles my ear, sending chills down my spine. I close my eyes, biting my lip until I taste copper when I feel his body press into my back.
He keeps his hands to himself for now, but I know that won’t last much longer.
It’s no secret how much he loves to touch me without my permission.
“I’ll scream,” I threaten in a breathless whisper.
His breath fans across my neck as I feel him lean down. Soft lips brush the shell of my ear. Shivers cascade down my spine like a raging waterfall.
“That’s such a good little girl,” he replies.
I whip around, ready to tell him off, but not a syllable escapes when my lips are captured between his the second I come face-to-face with him.
Instinctively, I bite down on his bottom lip. A deep groan swirls through my mouth, spurring me to bite harder. Explosions riot from our connected mouths, along with the flavor of mint and a hint of smoke.
He tastes delicious, and I want him out of my mouth.
As if hearing my thoughts, his palm reaches up to wrap around the back of my head, his fingers tangling in the depths of my hair and pulling me impossibly closer.
And then I do something really stupid.
I suck his bottom lip into my mouth, lost in the taste of him. The feel of his lips against mine.
Realizing what I’m doing, I release his lip, attempting to pull away from him. His mouth is a drug, and just like the real thing, it causes me to make incredibly stupid decisions.
He doesn’t let me go and instead returns the sentiment. Sucking my lip into his mouth and delivering his own sharp nip. I gasp from the pain, granting him access and allowing him to invade my mouth.
My pussy responds in kind, throbbing from the feel of his tongue. Memories bombard me, remembering what that tongue felt like sliding against my clit.
An involuntary moan escapes, and the second he tastes my body’s betrayal, his kiss turns fierce.
He completely consumes me, sucking and licking my lips and tongue in a way I’ve never experienced. I’m helpless to stop him, just as I am helpless to fight it.
Another growl pings through my mouth, my only warning to his next move. He grabs my waist and twirls me right up against a mirror, pinning me against the cool glass as his body molds into mine.
“Such a good fucking girl,” he praises against my mouth before wrapping my swollen lips into another bruising kiss.
Breathless, I force my head away, sucking in precious oxygen. He clamps my cheeks between his large hand, growling against me.
“Give me those fucking lips,” he snarls, forcing his tongue back into my mouth.