Raya did not go to the party willingly.
In fact, when Adrian informed her, calmly, decisively, that she would be attending the party Kiera invited her to, her first response had been an immediate, exhausted refusal.
"...What" then
"No," she said flatly, already turning away. "I'm not going."
It had been a long day.
Too long.
Everything that could possibly go wrong had gone wrong, one after another, like fate itself had decided to test the limits of her patience and emotional restraint. She was drained, mentally, physically, emotionally. All she wanted was to curl up somewhere quiet and forget that the world existed for a few hours.
But Adrian Blake was not a man who accepted refusal easily.
He had merely looked at her, eyes steady, unreadable, and said, "You have one hour to get dressed."
She scoffed. "And if I don't?"
His reply had been instantaneous.
"Then I'll dress you myself."
Raya had stared at him.
Long and hard.
