Three days felt like three years.
Alivia spent her time in the library, burying herself in books to avoid the whispers. The campus was terrified of her now. Or rather, terrified of the shadow that loomed behind her.
It was late when she finally left the library. The sun had set, casting long shadows across the quad.
She walked toward the pick-up point. Silas was usually waiting right at the curb in the silver Audi.
She saw the car idling, but as she got closer, a campus security vehicle screeched to a halt beside it, lights flashing. Two officers got out and began talking animatedly to Silas, pointing toward a minor fender-bender down the street involving a university van. Silas, looking annoyed but obligated, got out to deal with them. It was a perfect, seamless distraction.
Alivia frowned, hesitating. She pulled out her phone to text him that she would wait.
A figure stepped out from behind a large oak tree.
"You think you're safe?"
It was Preston. He looked like a wreck. His arm was in a sling, his clothes were rumpled, and he smelled like whiskey.
"Preston," Alivia backed away. "Stay back."
"My dad got fired today," Preston slurred, stepping closer. "Tenure revoked. Because of you."
"He got fired because he raised a predator," Alivia said, her hand clutching her phone.
"You ruined everything!" Preston screamed. He lunged at her.
Alivia turned to run, but he was faster. He grabbed her hair, yanking her back.
"I'm going to make you pay!" he shrieked. He raised his good hand, balled into a fist.
Alivia squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the impact.
Screech.
Tires squealed against asphalt.
Blinding white light flooded the area, washing out the darkness.
Preston froze, shielding his eyes.
A massive black car had jumped the curb, sliding to a halt ten feet away. It wasn't the Audi.
It was a Rolls-Royce Phantom.
The rear door flew open before the car even fully stopped.
Gideon Blackburn stepped out.
He wasn't wearing a suit. He was wearing a black dress shirt, unbuttoned at the collar, sleeves rolled up. He looked wild. He looked lethal.
He didn't say a word. He walked straight toward them.
Preston let go of Alivia's hair, stumbling back. "Who... who are you?"
Gideon didn't even look at him. He reached Alivia, grabbing her face in his hands, tilting her head up.
"Did he hurt you?" he demanded. His eyes were frantic, scanning her for injuries.
"No," Alivia breathed, grabbing his wrists. "You're back."
"I'm back."
Gideon turned his head. He looked at Preston.
It wasn't a look of anger. It was a look of absolute annihilation.
"Silas," Gideon said calmly.
Silas, having disentangled himself from the now-apologetic security guards, stepped out of the driver's seat of the Rolls. "Sir."
"Make sure Mr. Lowe never sets foot in New York again."
"Understood."
Preston scrambled backward. "Wait! You can't-"
Gideon ignored him completely. He wrapped an arm around Alivia's waist, pulling her flush against him and turning her away from the scene. With his broad back shielding her from view, he propelled her toward the open door of the Rolls-Royce.
A crowd of students was pouring out of the library, drawn by the lights and the car.
"Gideon," Alivia whispered, her face pressed against his chest. "Everyone is watching."
"They can't see a thing," Gideon growled, pushing her gently but firmly into the plush leather of the back seat before sliding in behind her and slamming the heavy door shut. The world outside went silent.
The privacy partition whirred up, encasing them in a dark, intimate cocoon. He turned to her, his blue eyes blazing in the dim light.
He lowered his head and crushed his mouth to hers.
It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was possessive. Hungry. A raw, desperate claiming. He kissed her until her knees buckled, holding her up with his arm like iron.
He pulled back, breathless, his forehead resting against hers.
"Let them wonder," he whispered. "But you will know who you belong to."
Alivia clung to his shirt, her heart soaring.
The monster had come to save her. And for the first time, she didn't want to be saved from him.
