Page 61

Danica

31

We remain in our position, gasping for breath and feeling the warmth that radiates from each other in the muted light of the room. I draw away from the kiss only to remove his mask, wanting to see who this man is behind the shadows and the mind-blowing orgasms he gives me. He stops me by grasping my wrists tightly, anxiety or confusion playing across his features. With trembling fingers, he lifts the mask away and reveals himself.

All thoughts escape me as I look at the enticing figure before me. He stands tall and muscular, with chiseled features reminding me of an ancient Norse God. His ice-blue eyes pierce into mine, framed by silken, dark lashes.

It’s him.

Everything about him radiates raw masculine sensuality. My pulse quickens as I look over his ruggedly handsome face—the scar above his brow somehow enhancing his magnetism, his full lips curved in a subtle, knowing smirk.

It’s him.

I inhale sharply, my mind spinning like a runaway carousel. I know those ice-blue eyes and that chiseled jawline.

It's him—the silent watcher from Lucian's office, my dark guardian, and the one who intervened at the club. Emotions war within me.

I open my mouth, but no sound emerges. My thoughts chase their own tails, buzzing with disconnected fragments. It's too much to grasp.

He waits patiently as I gape wordlessly, electricity charging the air between us.

I stare in stunned disbelief as the opulent room comes into focus. He was there—watching silently as Emily and I reviewed those tapes. Fury begins simmering inside me—my mind races, piecing together fractured memories.

My heart pounds like a drum as he slowly pulls off my mask, his smirk igniting emotions I haven’t felt in years. At this moment, uncertainty and questions overwhelm me… why didn’t he say something while we watched the tapes? Why is he hiding his identity from me? Why did he stay silent if he knew Max had drugged me? My body tenses as these questions flood my mind. Lies? Betrayal?

I need answers. “It’s you,” I whisper.

A palpable electricity crackles around us as we stare into each other, my eyes dancing between his two mysterious oceans, searching for answers to unspoken questions.

He nods and reaches for me, but I recoil sharply. "Was this all a lie? Some twisted game for you?" I push his chest, needing to breathe, needing to speak. “What is this?” He stops immediately and looks into my eyes as I struggle to catch my breath. So many questions are running through my mind.

I watch his throat bob while he gulps down a swallow.

“Why did you stay silent that morning when we were reviewing the recordings? You knew what had happened, yet you said nothing?!” I shove him farther away from me. My anger and confusion rise. “What kind of twisted game are you playing, Rhyland? What happened to Max and those other guys? If you lie to me, god help you!” I roar, my voice carrying the weight of my barely contained wrath. Lies and deceit are my greatest annoyances, more than abandonment, resulting from the people I believed I could trust the most.

He takes a step back and passes a hand through his hair. “It’s hard to explain,” he mumbles. I cross my arms, fury rising within me. “Try,” I say simply. He exhales heavily, “When I saw you for the first time, something inside me broke apart, and all the emotions that had been hidden away came rushing toward me.”

I stare at him as he speaks, the same thought I had when I first came in contact with him. I wait for him to go on.

“Where I’m from, vampires aren’t supposed to have strong feelings like this—we keep them under wraps until…” He pauses, deep in thought.

“Until what?” I prompt. He is struggling so hard to express himself to me.

“Until one person can rise and enlighten us.”

Confused, I crease my eyebrows. “What are you talking about, Rhyland?” I say with a tinge of annoyance in my voice.

“I’m afraid to tell you. I don’t think you can understand,” he replies. “But I can confirm that Erik, my brother, made sure Emily got home safely; he drove her back, knowing Dakota had the same intentions.”

My fury flares as hot as a raging inferno, scorching my throat on the way up. “How could you keep that from us?!” I bellow. "Emily’s been going out of her mind, believing she was subjected to date rape! Did it ever cross your mind that maybe we should know this kind of info?!” I glare at Rhyland, rage boiling in my veins as I demand an explanation. “Why didn’t you tell me if you already knew? And what happened with Max and his perverted friends? Lucian mentioned—”

He slams his hands against the desk on either side of me, caging me in, cutting my words off, and he gets into my face until we’re nose-to-nose, and I feel the heat from his words before they even leave his mouth. He is snarling furiously as he growls out his confession. “I fucking killed them! He deserved everything he fucking got—and I’d do it again if I could!”

I shrink inwards, shock coursing through me like a jolt of electricity. “You…killed them?” My voice quivers, hysteria creeping into every word. “You’re nothing but a goddamn liar and a murderer!” I scream, my fury reverberating off the walls around us.

A killer and a deceiver. A wave of emotions washes over me, confusion swirling in its midst. On the one hand, I’m angry that I’ve been subjected to such lies and betrayal; on the other hand, I can’t help but feel responsible for this situation. Despite my temper, I know what he’s done is wrong—my anguish balloons inside me like pungent pus.

All my life, I’ve searched for the truth, and now, facing more deception from a man I was beginning to have feelings for is a torment of epic proportions. A deep sorrow rises in my chest, blurring my vision with tears as I try to make sense of all this.