Page 24 of Forbidden Empire

Sensing my vulnerability, the dizziness in my mind, the involuntary twitch of my desire, she seized the fleeting moment of my hesitation. In a blur, she twisted free, slipping from my grasp with agile speed. She ducked beneath my arm and vanished down the hallway, dissolving into the throng of tourists like a phantom.

"You wicked little witch.” My teeth clenched so hard my jaw ached as I stalked after her through the casino's labyrinth.

She moved forward with grace, each purposeful step a challenge. Not running and not even rushing.

My pulse hammered in my throat as she weaved through the crowd, the distance between us stretching and contracting like a living thing. The casino lights caught in her hair, turning each strand into a flame that beckoned me forward.

She glanced over her shoulder, her emerald eyes finding mine instantly in the crowd. The corner of her mouth curved upward before she tossed her hair, the scent of her perfume hitting me seconds later. Her laughter floated back, crystalline and mocking, piercing straight through my chest.

My fists clenched at my sides, nails digging half-moons into my palms. Blood roared in my ears.

Every muscle in my body strained toward her, a compass needle finding true north. I'd tear this fucking city apart brick by brick to reach her.

Each step I took burned with self-loathing, yet my feet kept moving, slave to her invisible leash.

Four

ESME

I zigzagged through the sea of bodies, ducking between slot machines and dodging cocktail servers until I spotted the swinging double doors marked EMPLOYEES ONLY. I shoved through them, the doors slapping shut behind me with a satisfying thwack.

My intuition told me Aidon couldn’t be far behind. He’d never give up.

Not now that I’d managed to stir his fury, but I couldn’t say that I felt any regret about that.

In fact, it was thrilling to know I could get so deep under his skin.

Behind the scenes, the casino was pure chaos.

Had I lost him?

The employee corridor erupted around me, a hive of white uniforms, shouted orders, and the metallic clatter of service carts.

A cook with a tray of champagne flutes glared as I shouldered past. My stilettos betrayed me on the slick floor, ankle twisting. I caught myself against the wall, leaving a sweaty handprint on the pristine paint.

"Hey! You can't be back here!" someone shouted.

I didn't look back. Just pushed off the wall and sprinted forward, the click-click-click of my heels like a time bomb counting down. Another set of doors loomed ahead.

I slammed through them and froze.

Flashing lights. Ringing machines. Another goddamn casino.

"Fuck!" The word hissed through my clenched teeth as my pulse hammered in my throat.

I’d find my way out of this one, too. I could do it.

I yanked my oversized sunglasses from my bag, fumbling them onto my face with trembling fingers, forcing myself to slow my steps even as every nerve screamed to run.

The tinted lenses turned the already dim casino into a murky underwater world where shadows morphed into Aidon's silhouette at every turn.

My phone vibrated with multiple texts from Selene:

SELENE: Where the fuck are you going?

SELENE: You’re in Olympus. Are you crazy?

SELENE: You don’t go from Olympus to the Underworld. Zeno’s and Aidon’s crews are everywhere.