I woke up in a bed too soft, in a room too quiet.
The sheets smelled like cedar and danger.
Lucien's world.
The memory of last night came rushing back—
His voice, low and possessive: "You are now."
I sat up, heart pounding.
The room was huge. Black marble floors. A wall of windows. A locked door.
He'd let me stay.
But I wasn't free.
I padded to the door. I tried the handle.
Locked.
I tried again, harder.
Still locked.
"You lock your guests in?"
I whirled. He was standing in the doorway between the bathroom and bedroom, shirtless, towel slung low.
"I lock what I don't want stolen," he said calmly.
I flushed. "You think someone's going to steal me?"
He walked toward me. "I think someone already tried."
He tossed something at me—my phone.
It was on. Charged.
But when I opened it, every app was gone. Wiped clean. My contacts? Deleted.
"What the hell?" I gasped.
"They had access to your phone," he said. "Your location. Messages. Everything. I cleaned it."
"You had no right—"
"You were a target. Now you're a ghost. You're welcome."
I stared at him, shaking. "I didn't ask you to save me."
He stepped closer, voice low and cutting.
"But I did. And now there are rules."
I backed away. "Rules?"
"One. You don't leave without telling me.
Two. You don't talk to anyone without my permission.
Three—" his eyes narrowed—
"Never lie to me, Ivy."
"And if I do?" I whispered.
He leaned in, his breath warm against my ear.
"I'll know."
Lucien left.
I didn't ask where he was going.
I didn't want to know.
But the moment the door clicked shut behind him, I moved fast. I searched the drawers, the wardrobe, under the bed—anything that could be used to escape or contact the outside world.
Nothing.
No landline.
No laptop.
No spare key.
Just velvet chains disguised as luxury.
I sat on the bed, shaking.
And then… the phone he returned lit up.
UNKNOWN NUMBER
One message.
"We know where you are. Tell us what he's planning. Or Ayra pays."
My heart stopped.
Ayra.
They knew.
I bolted upright, trembling fingers typing back:
"Please. Don't hurt her. I'll find out."
Before I could delete it—
The phone was yanked from my hands.
Lucien.
His eyes burned.
"You lied to me."
I froze.
He read the message silently. His jaw clenched. Then, without a word, he slammed the phone against the wall. It shattered.
"I didn't tell them anything!" I cried. "They just—They messaged first—"
"You replied."
His voice was deadly quiet.
I backed up. "I had to. They said Ayra—"
He grabbed me. "And you believed them?" he growled. "You gave them power. You risked her life."
Tears filled my eyes. "She's my daughter."
His grip loosened slightly.
"You should've come to me."
"I'm not yours to command!" I shouted.
His silence was lethal.
Then he turned, walked to the door, and spoke without looking at me.
"Get dressed. We're going hunting."
"Hunting?" I whispered.
He looked over his shoulder, cold and lethal.
"For the ones who dared threaten what's mine."