Page 89 of Doomed

“It was in the fine print,” I admit. “I just... didn’t think he’d do it. Most hunters claim their prey for a few weeks, maybe a month.”

Michelle sits back, crossing her arms. “So, you’re telling me you have to pack up from our place and move in with a Blackwood. For a year.” She shakes her head slowly. “After everything you said about hating him, his arrogance—how do you feel about that now?”

I fiddle with my coffee cup, considering the question. How do I feel? Terrified. Excited. Overwhelmed.

“I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “It’s complicated. He’s... not exactly who I thought he was.”

Michelle stares at me, her coffee cup suspended halfway to her mouth. “Wait, what? He’s not the womanizing bad boy everyone makes him out to be?”

I sigh, running my fingers through my tangled hair. “I mean, he is that—or at least, he was. But with me, he’s...” I search for the right words, remembering the intensity in Knox’s eyes when he’d claimed me publicly. “He’s completely fixated. Obsessed even.”

“Obsessed?” Michelle sets down her cup, leaning forward.

“You should’ve seen him during the Hunt. The way he looked at me, like I was the only person in the room.” I trace the rim of my coffee cup, remembering. “He kept saying I was his, that he’d been waiting for me, that he’d never let me go.”

“That’s...” Michelle’s expression turns concerned. “That’s actually kind of terrifying, B.”

I shrug, not meeting her eyes. “Maybe. But it didn’t feel that way. It felt...” Real. Genuine. “Different.”

Michelle reaches across the table, her fingers wrapping around my wrist. “And what happens when he gets bored? Or when he becomes obsessed with someone else?” Her voicesoftens. “You know his reputation. The Blackwoods take what they want, use it up, and move on.”

Her words are like a bucket of ice water, dousing the afterglow I’ve been floating in since returning home. Knox’s words replay in my mind—his promises, his declarations. But were they part of the Hunt? A game to him?

“I don’t know,” I admit, my voice smaller than I intend. “I honestly don’t know.”

Michelle gives me a sympathetic smile and squeezes my hand. “I just worry about you, B. This whole situation seems like an episode of what’s that old, creepy show? That's it, the Twilight Zone. You need to be careful.”

“Can we talk about something else?” I ask, suddenly desperate to escape the swirling thoughts about Knox and what I’ve gotten myself into. “How have you been? I feel like I’ve been so wrapped up in this Hunt madness that I haven’t properly checked in with you.”

Michelle accepts the change of subject with a nod, releasing my hand to reach for her coffee. “Well, while you were off living out some BDSM fantasy, I’ve been drowning in briefs at the firm. Jenkins handed me three new cases yesterday alone.”

“That’s good though, right? Shows they trust you.”

“Or they’re trying to break me before my review,” she says with a laugh. “But I did meet someone.”

This catches my attention. “Really? Who?”

“His name’s Daniel. He works at that café near the courthouse.” Michelle’s face brightens. “Nothing serious yet, but he makes the best latte in Ravenwood and always remembers my order.”

I smile, genuinely happy for her. “That’s a solid foundation for true love if I’ve ever heard one.”

We fall into easy conversation about her potential new romance, work drama, and the latest season of that cookingshow we both love. It feels normal, comforting—everything the past three days weren’t.

But beneath our familiar banter, Michelle’s questions swirl through my mind like smoke. What happens when Knox gets bored? When the novelty wears off? I’d experienced a genuine connection in those intimate moments—a bond that went beyond mere physicality. But was it mutual, or was I simply another conquest?

The memory of his voice surfaces.

You’re mine, Bianca. Forever.

In the heat of the moment, those words had thrilled me. Now, in the cold light of day, I’m not sure what to believe. After all, words are easy. It’s the follow-through that makes something real.

What if, after all this, after I move in and upend my life for him, Knox simply moves on?

30

KNOX

Twenty-four hours without Bianca feels like fucking eternity. I’ve spent the day pacing, checking my watch, and snapping at anyone who crossed my path. When I pull up to her apartment building, I’m buzzing with anticipation.