ADRIAN'S POV
She was terrified.
The moment I saw Eira heading towards the police station, I knew exactly how it would end. They were already watching her, waiting for her to make one wrong move.
And with her infuriating habit of rushing headfirst into trouble, she was about to walk straight into their hands.
I had no choice.
I rendered her unconscious before they could reach her.
I slipped one arm beneath her knees and the other around her back, lifting her against my chest. Her head fell against my shoulder, her hair brushing my jaw.
She felt impossibly light.
Something tightened unpleasantly in my chest.
I ignored it.
The forest blurred around me as I carried her between the trees, avoiding every branch that might touch her.
The cave emerged between towering cliffs, concealed behind ancient trees and tangled vines.
Secluded. Forgotten. Safe.
Or as safe as anything in my world could be.
I lowered her onto the couch, careful not to let her head strike the armrest. Her hair spilled across the cushions, leaving her face unexpectedly peaceful.
A strand had fallen across her cheek. Without thinking, I reached to move it.
My fingers stopped just short of her skin.
What the hell was I doing?
I withdrew my hand and straightened.
She was human. Reckless, troublesome, and entirely too good at complicating situations that had nothing to do with her.
I had more important things to deal with.
The others were waiting.
And I'd already wasted enough time.
EIRA'S POV
Pain shot through my neck.
I groaned and opened my eyes, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.
Stone walls. Strange carvings. A faint golden glow.
Definitely not my bedroom.
Then the memories returned.
The police station. The fear. Someone approaching me.
Oh, God.
I'd been kidnapped.
My heart slammed against my ribs. If my parents found out, they'd drag me home before I could explain. And if my kidnapper was dangerous—
Think, Eira. Think.
I scanned the cave. A couch, a bed, a polished wooden table, and intricate carvings covered the ancient walls.
Strangely, nothing looked particularly threatening.
The place was actually beautiful.
Seriously? I was admiring my kidnapper's interior decorating skills?
Get a grip.
I hurried towards the opening in the stone wall and stopped.
The entrance was open.
What kind of kidnapper left the door open?
Perhaps a careless one. Or perhaps this was a trap.
Cautiously, I stepped outside.
The cave stood high among towering cliffs, surrounded by ancient trees and narrow stone pathways. Moonlight silvered the rocks, illuminating hanging vines.
For one brief moment, I forgot to be afraid.
Then I noticed the endless forest.
The shadows between the trees. The unfamiliar paths. The unnerving silence.
Absolutely not.
I retreated into the cave. I'd leave at sunrise, when I could actually see where I was going.
I curled up beneath the blanket, determined to stay awake.
Ten minutes later, exhaustion won.
My last thought before falling asleep was that, if I survived this kidnapping, I'd never complain about my ordinary life again.
ADRIAN'S POV
The meeting was becoming unbearable.
Voices echoed through the chamber, drowning one another in reports, arguments, and increasingly useless theories.
Andy had been missing for five days.
Five days without credible leads or answers.
Whoever had managed to take her had either been exceptionally capable or exceptionally foolish.
Either way, they would regret it.
My fingers tightened around the armrest.
Mike should have had something by now. Instead, we were wasting time discussing possibilities that led nowhere.
And then there was Eira.
I pictured her unconscious in my arms, her expression peaceful despite the danger she'd nearly walked into.
She had no business wandering around alone when she didn't even know what was hunting her.
I'd spent centuries ensuring nothing distracted me from what mattered. I'd survived wars, betrayals, and enough violence to break lesser creatures.
Now, one stubborn human girl was occupying my thoughts during a meeting about a missing vampire.
Ridiculous.
By the time the meeting ended, dawn was approaching.
I headed straight for the exit.
Eira would probably have waited until morning to leave. Probably.
But knowing her, she'd find a way to turn a perfectly manageable situation into a disaster.
The wolves wouldn't hesitate to tear apart an unfamiliar human who wandered into their territory.
I quickened my pace.
I had no intention of arriving too late.
EIRA'S POV
Sunlight.
That was the first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes.
The second was the horrifying realization that I'd slept far longer than intended.
No. No, no, no!
I threw aside the blanket and rushed towards the entrance.
The forest stretched before me, illuminated by pale morning light.
Perfect. I could see now.
Mostly.
That was good enough.
I plunged into the trees.
Branches scraped my arms, roots caught at my feet, and leaves brushed my face as I forced my way through the undergrowth.
Soon, the cave disappeared behind a wall of trunks and tangled vegetation. Every path looked identical, but I refused to stop.
Stopping meant admitting I'd made a spectacularly terrible mistake.
My lungs burned. My legs ached. Finally, my foot caught against a jagged root, and I stumbled onto a rock.
I was lost.
Completely, hopelessly lost.
Brilliant, Eira. Absolutely brilliant.
I'd escaped a kidnapper only to get myself lost in a forest.
Then I heard it.
A low, deep howl.
Another answered it.
Then another.
Slowly, I lifted my head.
Between the trees, yellow eyes appeared.
One pair. Then another. Then several more.
My blood ran cold.
Wolves.
Except these were nothing like the animals I'd seen in documentaries. They were enormous, their shoulders rising above the undergrowth as they spread out around me.
One bared its teeth.
A growl vibrated through the clearing.
I tried to stand.
Pain exploded through my ankle, and I fell back against the rock with a cry.
The wolves moved closer.
I couldn't run. I couldn't fight. Nobody knew where I was.
Tears stung my eyes.
I squeezed them shut, unwilling to watch the teeth sink into my flesh.
Then a hand closed around my shoulder.
Firm. Steady.
I flinched.
"Don't."
The familiar voice was low, edged with a warning that seemed meant for the entire forest.
My eyes flew open.
Adrian.
He stood beside me, his black gaze fixed on the wolves.
The pack growled, but Adrian merely turned his head slightly.
That was all.
One wolf lowered its head. Another stepped backwards. Moments later, the entire pack retreated between the trees.
I stared after them, then looked at Adrian.
He was terrifyingly calm.
His gaze settled on me, and his expression hardened.
"Why did you come out?"
I blinked.
"Why did I come out? I was kidnapped!"
His expression grew colder.
"Wait." My stomach twisted. "You knew I'd been kidnapped? Was it you? Did you bring me here?"
His silence answered everything.
"You—"
"You fool!"
I flinched at the sharpness of his voice.
"They were about to kill you."
For a moment, I couldn't respond. His anger was frighteningly intense, but before I could make sense of it, pain flared through my ankle.
"Ouch!"
His gaze dropped immediately.
"My leg," I muttered, clutching it. "Look what happened! This is all your fault."
One dark eyebrow lifted.
"My fault?"
"Yes! You kidnapped me, left me alone in a strange cave, and now I'm lost in a forest full of—of those things!"
"They're wolves."
"I KNOW THEY'RE WOLVES!"
He crouched in front of me.
The sudden closeness made me lean backwards, only to wince as pain shot through my ankle.
"Stay still."
"I am still."
"You weren't a second ago."
"Because you were shouting at me!"
His jaw flexed before he reached for my foot.
"What are you doing?"
"Checking your ankle."
"I can check it myself."
"Clearly."
I glared as one hand settled around my heel and the other supported the side of my foot.
His touch was unexpectedly careful. He examined my ankle with a concentration that seemed at odds with his usual indifference.
Then he produced a bottle of water and held it out.
"Drink."
"I have a name, you know."
"Then drink, Eira."
I took the bottle, suddenly too aware of the way he'd said my name.
After drinking, I lowered it and found him watching me.
His gaze lingered on my face before meeting my eyes. I couldn't decipher his expression, and I hated that I wanted to.
Finally, he stood and extended a hand.
"We're leaving."
I accepted it, forgetting my anger for half a second.
The moment he pulled me upright, I put weight on my injured ankle.
Pain shot through my leg.
I gasped and stumbled forward.
Straight into him.
My palms landed against his chest, and his arm caught me around the waist.
Everything stopped.
I stared at the dark fabric beneath my hands, suddenly aware of how close we were. His fingers pressed firmly against my side, holding me upright, while my body leaned into his.
When I looked up, his face was inches from mine.
His gaze dropped briefly to my lips before returning to my eyes.
My breath caught.
Neither of us moved.
My heart gave an embarrassingly enthusiastic little leap.
Traitor.
"Can you stand?" he asked.
"Of course I can."
"Then stand."
I shifted my weight.
Pain flashed through my ankle, and my fingers tightened against his chest.
His expression remained unchanged.
"Convincing."
"I hate you."
"Good. You should."
Before I could answer, he released my waist, bent down, and slipped one arm beneath my knees.
"Wait! What are you doing?"
He lifted me effortlessly.
"Adrian!"
"What?"
"Put me down!"
"No."
"I can walk!"
His gaze flicked towards my ankle.
"I can see that."
"You're impossible!"
"And yet, here you are."
He adjusted his hold, drawing me more securely against his chest. My hand slid towards the back of his neck as I searched for something to hold on to.
His muscles tensed beneath my touch.
Only slightly.
But I felt it.
Our eyes met, and something unreadable flickered through his before his expression returned to its usual indifference.
Then he started walking.
I tightened my arms around his shoulders, my body settling against his as he carried me through the trees. His arm supported my back while the other remained beneath my knees.
I decided not to argue.
The wolves had been terrifying enough.
But one question continued to trouble me.
How had he made them retreat without even raising his voice?
Who was this man?
"Adrian?"
"What?"
"How did you—"
"Stop talking."
I closed my mouth.
Fine. If he didn't want to talk, I wouldn't force him.
Still, the questions remained. How had he found me so quickly? Why had he left me alone in the cave? And why had he come looking for me at all?
I rested my head against his shoulder, watching the forest pass by.
He stepped over a fallen tree, adjusting his hold to keep me steady. When a branch swept too close, he shifted me out of its path without breaking stride.
I watched him quietly.
His profile was sharp and composed, his attention fixed on the path ahead.
Perhaps carrying me meant nothing to him. Perhaps he'd put me down the moment we reached the cave and return to treating me like a problem he regretted acquiring.
I should have been relieved by that possibility.
Instead, my fingers curled more securely into his shoulder.
Exhaustion began to outweigh the ache in my ankle. My eyelids grew heavy, lulled by the steady rhythm of his footsteps.
I let my head rest against his shoulder.
Just for a moment.
His body went still for the briefest instant.
But he didn't push me away.
Instead, his hand shifted against my back, settling more securely between my shoulder blades.
"Don't get the wrong idea," he murmured.
My eyes were already half-closed.
"About what?"
"Just because I'm carrying you doesn't mean you have any importance to me."
My fingers went still against his shoulder.
"I simply don't have the patience to watch you injure yourself further," he continued coldly. "Carrying you is less troublesome than listening to you complain every time you take a step."
"Oh."
I turned my face towards his shoulder, hiding my expression.
I'd barely known him long enough to trust him, yet his words hurt more than I'd expected.
I was angry with him. Frightened of him.
And foolishly disappointed that the man whose arms felt so secure around me insisted I meant nothing to him.
I closed my eyes.
The forest dissolved into sunlight and shadow, and my fingers gradually loosened against his shoulder.
Just before sleep claimed me, his arm tightened around me again, securing me against his chest as he continued through the forest.
I wanted to ask him why.
But the words never came.
For the second time since waking in that strange cave, I drifted into unconsciousness in Adrian Dark's arms.
This time, I wasn't afraid of where I would wake up.
I was afraid of how much I had begun to trust the man carrying me there.