The room was pitch black except for the light from the balcony.
As I blinked again, a figure emerged from a dark corner.
“Who’s there?”
No answer.
I slid off the bed and ran toward the en-suite bathroom, where I’d left my cell phone on the charger. Someone pushed me into the room before I could close the door and turn on the light.
Stumbling backward, I grabbed the edge of the sink for support.
“Get away from me!”
“No.”
“Luca?” I looked in the mirror and released a relieved breath. “Why didn’t you say anything? You scared the shit out of me.”
He lifted me by the hips, his fingers branding my skin as he slammed my butt down on the counter.
“Say something! What’s wrong with you?”
Luca grabbed my shoulder and held me in place, the heat from his body radiating off him. “Drea,” he whispered as he pressed his forehead to mine. “I need you, baby.”
"Luca, talk to me. Why do you look like you’re possessed?”
I fisted his dress shirt in my hands and shrieked at the liquid on my skin. Even in the dark, I knew it was blood.
“You’re hurt.” I shoved his suit jacket off his shoulders. “Why are you bleeding?”
“It’s not my blood,” he said with a dead look.
“What did you do?”
“Everything I do is for you.” He twirled his finger around a strand of my hair and said, “I won’t let anyone take what’s mine.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Baby, please.” He kissed my lips. “Not tonight.”
“Luca, stop being so cryptic. Tell me what’s wrong.”
I shoved my hand through his spiky black hair, forcing him to look at me. “What happened tonight? Whose blood is on your clothes?”
His lips crashed into mine, his tongue aggressively sweeping into my mouth. He stole one kiss after another, claiming me like he needed my last breath to survive.
Plagued by whatever he’d done tonight, I let him use me for his twisted purposes, forgetting about our issues for the moment.
I closed my eyes and scraped my nails along his skin. Luca growled as I clawed at his back, biting his lip as we fought a silent war.
Luca looked at me, his eyes even more haunted than usual. “I know you hate me. But you have to marry me. It’s the only way I can keep you safe.”
