Page 109 of Crown of Thorns
Louis stiffens, head turning slightly, as if he senses something first. That’s when I hear it. A low whistle.
“Get down!” I yank him toward the floor just as a second rock hurtles past, slamming into the outside wall. The whistle of its flight and the crash that follows send a cold bolt through my spine. Someone’s outside. Watching. Aiming. Glass rains around us, sharp and bright. I flinch, arms instinctively shielding Louis’s head as we drop. My ears ring from the crash, and my chest heaves with shallow breaths. They're not just sending a message. They're aiming to hurt us.
We both drop to our knees, hearts pounding, breathing hard, as another stone follows with a deafening crash. The tension in the air feels suffocating.
Louis’s eyes never leave me, sharp and unblinking, like he’s memorizing every line on my face as if I might disappear. His fingers curl tighter on my collar in a silent claim, fierce and possessive. The shattered glass glints beneath us, cold and jagged like the fragile line between safety and danger we’re walking.
My breath hitches, heart pounding loud enough to drown out the chaos beyond the window. For a brief moment, everything narrows to the heat of his skin against mine and the weight of his gaze.
Louis snarls curses, rough-edged but laced with desperate tenderness. “They think they can scare us. They don’t know who they’re messing with.”
The phone crackles again, Arthur’s name flashing like a warning. Louis’s jaw tightens. Family is no light matter here. The unspoken threats hang thick in the air, sharp as the shards at our feet.
I meet Louis’s fierce eyes and whisper, “We’ll survive this. Together.”
Louis crawls closer, knocking his knees into mine as he grips my collar and pulls me up, straightening us both. We sit between the glass shards, his grip tight on my collar, his body radiating a mix of rage and beauty. Messy black hair, broad shoulders standing proud, his face, an angel’s face, etched with the fury of a man ready to tear apart anything that stands in his way.
“Give me the most precious birthday gift I could ever wish for. Your heart. Please.” His voice cracks slightly, vulnerability breaking through his tough exterior.
I can feel my own heart tightening. I want to give him what he asks for. I have wanted to from the moment I met him.
“You know I want that,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “Are you sure?”
His smile hits me like a bolt of lightning, and I feel a rush of warmth flood through my chest. He makes me feel like I’ve just won something. Like a kid who’s hit the jackpot. I reach for his hip, a breath escaping me as I feel him shudder, just the slightest tremor of need in his touch.
I slide my fingers beneath the hem of his T-shirt, the electric shock of contact causing us both to gasp.
Louis’s chin quivers, and his golden eyes darken with something deeper, something raw. Vulnerability. Something I hadn’t expected from him. The question marks he never lets anyone see.
“You’re good enough, you know that?” he whispers. “You make me the fucking happiest man in the world.”
Before I can respond, the skylight above us bursts, raining down a blizzard of sharp shards.
Louis jumps to his feet, fury exploding. “Those fucking fuckers! They’re killing the moment! I thought we could ignore them, but these motherfuckers won’t stop!” He grabs his phone, barking orders. “They’re on their way.”
“Who?”
Louis flashes me a grin. “My family. Who else? We don’t operate alone.”
I snatch the phone from his hand before he can stop me. “Who’s this?” I growl into the phone.
“You better not hurt my cousin, you fucker,” comes the harsh voice from the other end. “Who the fuck are you?”
“I’m his professor,” I snap. “Listen, Arthur, and don’t ask questions. Get Louis out of here. He’s in my room.”
“Where’s...”
“No questions,” I warn, cutting him off. I toss the phone back to Louis, who glares at me with an intensity I can’t ignore.
“This is my trouble, sweetheart. My legacy.”
Louis’s eyes burn with a raw, possessive energy. “You think I’ll hide while you face this alone? Fuck no. That’s not how this works. I’m not a backup plan, I’m yours.”
“Your family will bring you to safety,” I say, stepping toward the door.
“No.” Louis slams me back against the wall, pain shooting through my skull. His hands grip my shoulders, holding me inplace, his voice shaking. “No. You don’t leave me. Don’t do this. Don’t shut me out.”
Before I can answer, the sound of shattering glass cuts through the house again. This time it comes from the opposite end.
