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SIX

LORELEI

C onsciousness crept back slowly. Each throb of Lorelei’s head felt like a hammer against her skull. She blinked, trying to focus in the dim light that filtered through what looked like... was that a medieval torch mounted on a stone wall?

“Oh good, I’ve time-traveled. That explains everything,” she muttered, pushing herself up from what felt like solid rock beneath her. Her palm scraped against rough stone, and she realized she was lying on some kind of stone platform.

The room spun as she sat up, forcing her to close her eyes and breathe deeply through her nose. When she reopened them, details of her surroundings appeared from the shadows. Rough-hewn stone walls formed a small cell, maybe twelve by twelve feet. No windows, just that single torch casting flickering shadows. The air held a musty dampness that made her think she must be underground.

“At least the zip ties are gone,” she said, rubbing her wrists where the plastic had bit into her skin. Her architect’s mind couldn’t help but analyze the construction. “Load-bearing walls, probably limestone... definitely pre-modern construction techniques.”

She cataloged her injuries: dried blood matted her hair on the right side, various bruises dotted her arms and legs, and her designer shirt was absolutely ruined. “Happy birthday to me. Instead of a much-deserved spa day, I get kidnapped and suffer a concussion.”

The events leading up to her current situation filtered back - the construction site, that intense guy claiming to be a prince, then Gideon grabbing her, the car chase, and finally...

“We went over a cliff,” she whispered, touching the tender spot on her temple. “How am I not dead? And where exactly am I?”

She stood carefully, using the wall for support, and made her way to what appeared to be the only exit - heavy iron bars that looked like they belonged in a museum, not actually containing prisoners in the twenty-first century.

“Hello?” she called out, wrapping her hands around the bars. “Is anyone there? I’d like to file a complaint about my accommodations. The amenities are severely lacking.”

Footsteps echoed down the stone corridor, and Lorelei stepped back from the bars. The torchlight caught Draken’s profile as he approached, highlighting the sharp angles of his jaw and those impossibly broad shoulders wrapped in what had to be a custom-tailored charcoal suit. Even in this medieval setting, the man looked like he’d stepped off a GQ cover.

“Thank you for alerting me,” he called out to someone in the shadows. His voice carried authority like someone used to being obeyed without question.

Lorelei crossed her arms, ignoring how the motion made her head throb. “Love what you’ve done with the place. Very thirteenth-century chic.”

His expression remained impassive. “You’re here for your safety.”

“Right. Because nothing screams ‘safe’ like being locked in a dungeon.” She gestured to the stone walls. “You know, usually when someone says they’re keeping you safe, they don’t do it behind iron bars.”

He planted his feet shoulder-width apart and began speaking slowly. “Your car went over a cliff into a ravine. There was an avalanche. The car was buried under rocks. I got you out.”

The memory suddenly flashed through her mind - the terrifying sensation of falling, the crash, the darkness. Her fingers trembled, and she tucked them under her arms. “And your solution was to... what? Lock me up in your personal fortress?”

“I had to prevent anyone else from getting their hands on you.” His intense blue eyes fixed on her face. “You’re too valuable.”

The word hung in the air between them. Valuable. Like she was some sort of commodity. Her mind raced through the events of the past few days - the earth tremors, that man Gideon’s cryptic words about earth manipulation powers, and now this self-proclaimed prince keeping her locked away like some fairy tale princess.

Lorelei’s throat went dry as she studied Draken’s face, searching for any hint that this was all some elaborate joke. But his expression remained deadly serious, those piercing blue eyes watching her with an intensity that made her skin prickle.

Lorelei squared her shoulders, fighting to keep her composure despite her racing heart. “Valuable? What could possibly make me valuable to you people?”

Draken’s eyebrows drew together, his expression suggesting she’d just asked why water was wet. “Because of your earth-magical powers, of course.”

“My what now?” She barked out a laugh. “Listen, the only power I have is the ability to draft building plans and make contractors cry when they mess them up.”

“The tremors.” He stepped closer to the bars. “All of them. The construction site collapse. They happened because of you.”

“That’s ridiculous. Those were earthquakes.” But even as she said it, something nagged at her. The timing had been... convenient.

Draken turned to the guard in the shadows. “Open it.”

The cell door soon creaked open, and Draken stepped inside. The air seemed to crackle with electricity as he approached her. Every nerve ending in her body came alive like she’d stuck her finger in a light socket. Heat bloomed in her chest and spread outward, making her skin tingle all over.

His nostrils flared slightly as he drew closer, and his pupils dilated. Whatever this was, he felt it too.

“Give me your hand,” he commanded.

“You know, most guys buy me dinner first.” But she extended her hand, unable to resist the pull between them.

The moment their skin touched, a jolt shot through her arm and straight to her core. Energy surged through her veins like liquid lightning. She gasped, and his fingers tightened around hers.

He guided her hand to the wall, pressing her palm against the cool stone. “Focus on the wall. Picture it crumbling beneath your touch.”

“Right, because that’s totally a normal thing to do on a Tuesday.” She closed her eyes if only to humor him. The stone felt different under her palm now - alive like it was breathing. She could sense every crack, every mineral running through it. The sensation both thrilled and frightened her.

“Focus,” he murmured near her ear, his breath warm against her skin. “Will it to break apart.”

Lorelei imagined the wall dissolving beneath her fingers, pictured the stones separating and falling away. A vibration started in her palm, traveling up her arm. The wall trembled.

Then, with a sound like distant thunder, the stones began to crumble. Pieces fell away, creating a growing hole in the ancient wall. Dust and debris rained down as the opening widened.

She stared at the destruction before her, her hand still outstretched, and her mouth hanging open. The logical part of her brain - the part that understood load-bearing walls and structural integrity - short-circuited completely.

Her fingers tingled where they’d touched the stone, and her skin buzzed with an energy she’d never felt. Draken’s presence behind her sent another kind of electricity through her body - one that wasn’t caused by her earth magic and had everything to do with his overwhelming masculinity.

“This cell,” he said, his voice a low rumble that seemed to resonate through her bones, “was designed as a tribute to you. No prison could hold an earth Luna.”

“Earth Luna?” She turned around to face him. “I don’t know what that means, but as an architect, I can tell you this space needs serious renovation.” She sneezed as more dust settled around them. “Starting with proper ventilation and maybe, I don’t know, a bed?”

His lips twitched. “You’d prefer a bedroom?”

“Yeah, a bright one. With windows. And definitely a mattress that isn’t made of limestone.” She brushed debris from her hair, grimacing at the grit that coated her skin. “And right now, I’d give anything for a bath.”

“That can more than be arranged.” His eyes darkened as they swept over her, and heat flooded her chest. He stepped closer, and her breath caught in her throat. “Though I must say, you wear the dust of destruction well.”

“Smooth talker.” She coughed, waving away another cloud of stone particles. “But flattery won’t make me forget you locked me in a dungeon.”

“A tribute,” he corrected, his voice carrying that note of authority that made her knees weak, even as her mind rebelled against it. “One you’ve proven worthy of.”

“By breaking it?” She gestured to the hole in the wall.

His laugh echoed off the remaining walls, rich and unexpected. “You’re extraordinary, Lorelei.” He extended his hand. “Come. Let me show you what that means.”

The sincerity in his voice caught her off guard. Everything logical in her screamed to run, but something deeper, something primal, urged her to take his hand. Maybe it was the same force that had let her crumble solid stone with just a touch.

Lorelei’s fingers tingled where they touched Draken’s hand as he led her through corridors that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a European castle. Marble floors gleamed beneath their feet, and tapestries adorned walls that stretched up to vaulted ceilings.

“So, I caused that construction site collapse.” Her voice cracked. “All those workers could have died because of me.”

Draken’s grip tightened. “But they didn’t. You protected them instinctively. The building partially fell, but not a single person was seriously injured.”

“That’s supposed to make me feel better about having earthquake powers?” She stumbled on the polished floor, and his arm shot out to steady her. “What’s next - am I going to accidentally create the San Andreas Fault 2.0?”

“I’ll teach you control.” His voice carried absolute certainty. “You won’t hurt anyone.”

They stopped before massive double doors inlaid with silver. Draken pushed them open to reveal a suite that made her inner architect swoon. Soaring windows overlooked forested mountains while hand-carved wooden furniture and silk drapes in deep blues and silvers created an atmosphere of understated luxury.

A petite woman with auburn hair stepped forward. “I’m Kelly. I’ve laid out some clothes and run a bath for you.”

“Thank you.” Lorelei glanced at her dust-covered clothes.

“I’ll leave you to settle in.” Draken’s eyes lingered on her face. “Kelly will help you with anything you need.”

After he and Kelly left, Lorelei called her office. Her hands shook as she dialed.

“Lorelei! Thank god!” Her assistant’s voice cracked with relief. “When the building collapsed-“

“I’m okay. Just... taking some personal time.”

“Of course, take all the time you need.”

The marble bathroom was bigger than her entire apartment. She sank into the deep soaking tub, letting the hot water ease her aching muscles while her mind spun with questions. Earth magical powers. Wolves. A castle in the middle of nowhere. It felt like she’d stepped into some bizarre fairy tale.