Page 69 of Wings of Shadow
And I will stop at nothing to keep her that way.
31
KAISNER
Blood has a way of lingering—on your hands, in your memory, in the spaces between what you’ve done and what you’ll do next.
The crack of colliding billiard balls slices the silence as I brace over the table, linen taut beneath my palms. Sleeves shoved up past corded forearms, I sight down the cue—not at the ivory spheres, but at Marcus’ ghost still hanging in the smoke. His final plea. The flash of silver. Blood pooling black in the low, flickering light.
I straighten with a growl, knuckles whitening around the whiskey tumbler. Neat. No ice. No mercy.
The burn down my throat does nothing to scorch away the memory.
Marcus was a brother. A friend. But in this world, betrayal is a death sentence. Especially when it threatens Clarissa. Especially when it threatens everything I’ve built.
The burden of leadership presses down on me, a constant, unrelenting force. I am the axis upon which this empire turns, and weakness is a luxury I cannot afford.
A knock rasps against the doors. Sharp. Intrusive. I set the glass down with controlled precision that belies the irritation simmering beneath the surface.
“Enter,” I snap, voice diamond-hard.
When no immediate response comes, my inner dragon bristles. Whoever’s out there better have a damn good reason for this interruption.
I don’t move. Let them come to me. I watch as the handle turns slowly, the door opening with a measured creak that seems to stretch time itself?—
Her.
Clarissa stands haloed in hallway light, sapphire eyes blazing through me. My pulse roars.
For a moment, I’m thrown off balance. But I recover quickly, my gaze narrowing as I take her in. A deceptively simple couture dress skims her curves, hinting at the shape beneath. A masterpiece of restraint and temptation. The fabric drapes like liquid midnight, whispering against her skin with every breath she takes.
Her chin is lifted, her posture defiant, and I can’t help but admire the sheer audacity of her standing here, in my domain, uninvited.
“You found out where I live,” I murmur, a touch of dark delight in my cool tone as I lean back against the billiard table. I take a slow sip of my drink, my eyes never leaving hers. “I’m impressed.”
“Don’t be,” she replies, voice sharp, cutting through the air like a blade. “Your men led me here.” Accusation laces the words, anger simmering beneath the surface.
Another shock, another revelation that leaves me reeling. This woman, this beautiful, enigmatic creature, is not at all what I imagined. She’s full of surprises, each one more intriguing than the last.
I set my drink down on the table. “Clarissa,” I begin, a hint of a smile tugging at my lips.
She steps into my sanctum, all defiance in stiletto heels. “You’re stalking me?” she snaps at me with a frown.
Pride and something far darker coil in my chest. She’s playing a dangerous game, confronting me like this. But then again, I’ve always enjoyed a bit of danger.
In three strides, I’m mere inches away. The door slams behind her, my palm flat against oak as I cage her in. Bergamot and fury radiate from her heated skin.
“Not stalking,” I purr, leaning closer, inhaling her rebellion. “Protecting.”
“I don’t need your protection,” she breathes, clipped, gaze unwavering. “I don’t want a security detail. I want an ordinary life.”
Her bold resistance is intoxicating, awakening something primal within me. She’s standing there, challenging me in a way no one else would dare, and all I can think about is how badly I’ve underestimated her, how little I truly know of the depths of her strength.
“Baby girl, but that’s impossible,” I explain, my darkened stare roving her face with untamed hunger. “You are far from ordinary. There are dangers in this world, ones you don’t even realize.”
“Call off your dogs, Kaisner,” she demands, unwavering. And in her eyes, I see a fierceness, a determination that only fuels the flames of my desire, my need to possess her, to make her mine.
I tilt my head, studying her, a predatory smirk curling my lips. “Or what?” I challenge, voice low. “What will you do if I refuse?”
