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“Rafe,” he muttered.

“Dean warned me about him,” I said softly.“I didn’t think…”

Sterling sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair.“This is my fault.I should have known he would come after you.”

I bent over to pick up a toppled stack of papers and ran my thumb over the corner of a crumpled page.“Funny.I thought billionaires were supposed to be good at risk assessment.”The joke was lame, but it at least lightened the mood.Sterling’s mouth twitched, as if he was amused, though the smile never materialized.

He lowered his gaze, and his brown eyes searched mine.“You shouldn’t have to deal with this, Ariel.My family’s a mess.It’s not your burden to carry.”

“But it is yours,” I said gently.“And if I can help you bring it to light and lighten the load, then I want to.”

Sterling’s gaze dropped to my lips for a split second before exhaling sharply and stepping back.“You shouldn’t stay here tonight.It’s not safe.”

“Where else would I go?”I hugged myself, suddenly aware of the chill in the room.

His jaw worked silently for a moment before he spoke.“My penthouse has a guest suite.You’ll stay there until we figure this out.”

I blinked.“Sterling, I can’t just—”

“You can,” he interrupted, his voice hard.“And you will.Unless you want to risk Rafe paying you another visit?”

I swallowed hard and nodded.“Okay.Thank you.”

He didn’t respond.Instead, he turned and began gathering my scattered belongings with surprising efficiency.I watched him for a moment.There was a carefulness in the way he folded my clothes.His fingers lingered on my cracked laptop as if he was already calculating how to replace it.His actions carried a quiet protectiveness that shocked me.

I grabbed my bag and started helping him.Our hands brushed as we reached for the same notebook.A jolt of electricity shot up my arm at the contact, and I jerked my hand back, my cheeks heating.Sterling froze and locked his gaze with mine.For a heartbeat, neither of us moved.Then, with deliberate slowness, he reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering against my skin.

“It’s okay to accept help sometimes,” he murmured.

The words settled deep inside me, warm and reassuring.I nodded, unable to trust my voice.“Right back at you.”

We finished packing in silence.As we left the hotel, Sterling’s hand hovered at the small of my back, guiding me through the lobby and to his waiting car.The city blurred past us in the car window, but all I could focus on was the heat of him beside me and the unspoken promise in his touch.

Chapter 5

STERLING

Ariel sat on the edge of the guest bed, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.She hadn’t said much since we’d left the hotel, and the silence was unnerving.I wasn’t used to seeing her like this.It was wrong.

“Are you hungry?”I asked.Stupid question, but my vocabulary had shrunk to idiot levels whenever she was around.

She shook her head, her gaze fixed on the floor.“No.I’m fine.”

“You’re not,” I snapped, the words coming out harsher than I intended.She flinched, and I immediately regretted it.Fuck.I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply.“Sorry.I don’t know how to do this.”

“Do what?”she asked softly, finally looking up at me.

“This.I’m not used to caring about someone else’s safety.Not like this.”

Her lips curved into a small, sad smile.“You’re doing fine, Sterling.Really.”

I grunted, unconvinced.“You don’t know what you’re signing up for, Ariel.Rafe’s dangerous.And my mother is even worse.”

“I know,” she said simply.“But you’re not getting rid of me.”

She didn’t understand.She couldn’t.The Nightfang legacy was a rot deep in my bones, and I’d spent my entire life trying to outrun it.But now, it was catching up to me and dragging her down with it.

I couldn’t let that happen.