He lowers me to my feet. The second I try to stand, my legs wobble. He grabs my elbow, steadying me. Once I find my balance, he lets go quickly, as if I’ve burned him.
Maybe I did. I definitely feel warmth where he touched me through my jacket.
That’s probably not normal…
“I need to see a doctor.” I press my lips together. “I think that woman drugged me.”
“What woman?”
I turn. A petite brunette with wide eyes stares at me, concerned.
I say, “Ev?—”
“Bella,” the man cuts me off, “I need to find Thane and Lome. Can you keep an eye on her?”
What?
I spin around, my balance faltering. I tilt sideways,reaching out to stop myself from crashing into a narrow table along the wall, my hands just inches from the expensive-looking figurines on top.
A strong arm wraps around my waist, hauling me back into a firm chest.
Breath whooshes out of my lungs—not from impact, but from the heat pouring off his chest, pulling at something deep inside me. It’s intense. Distracting. Comforting.
I want to sink into it.
“I thought you said you could stand,” the man growls.
His rudeness shakes me out of the daze.
“I can stand.” I shove my palms into his abs.
He releases me and takes a step back. An icy draft sweeps over me in the absence of his warmth. “
Bella.” He grinds his jaw. “Watch her.”
A throat clears delicately. “Of course.”
The man shoots me a final, loaded look before storming down the hallway. I watch him go, annoyance mixing with an unfamiliar unease at his sudden departure.
“Don’t take it personally.” The woman’s voice breaks through my thoughts. She wears a sympathetic smile, and there’s a soft edge of something that feels almost… knowing. “He’s always been a little rough around the edges.”
I couldn’t care less.
“Who are you?” I demand in an attempt to focus on anything other than the unsettling tension twisting my stomach now that the man has left.
“I’m Bella.” Her smile widens as she steps closer, her lavender sundress flowing around her slender frame. The fabric looks light, out of place for winter, but I guess it’s appropriate based on the warm weather outside. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too.” My eyes dart to the expensive knick-knacks on the table beside me. “Where am I?”
“My home.”
I frown and look back at her. “Yourhome?”
“Yes.” She nods, then hesitates. “Well… I suppose it’s mine and Thane’s.”
With each word, my confusion deepens. “Are you two siblings?”
Other than their brown eyes, she and Thane don’t look alike.