My chest heaved with panicked breaths and the world started to spin.
Cool hands gripped my chin and eyes the colour of the ocean filled my view. “Wilder, you’re safe. I need you to take a deep breath, baby.”
I couldn’t do it. Fear wrapped its hand around my throat and squeezed.
“Breathe, Wilder,” Byron whispered as his thumbs stroked soothing lines along my cheekbones.
I lost myself in the ocean of his eyes, drowning in the quiet calm that he radiated.
“That’s it,” he said softly. “Good boy.”
A whimper wrenched itself from my throat at his words, but not because I was panicking.
“Now, tell me who is following you and why because nobody but me gets to stalk you.”
I snorted at that. Then blanched. Oh god, I just found his obsession of me oddly charming.
Jesus. Kill me know.
He tapped the side of my face, refocusing my attention on him. “Why was he following you?”
“I don’t know,” I snapped. “Why doyoufollow me?”
He grinned again and leant in closer. “Because eventually, I’m going to sink my cock deep into your ass while you scream my name in holy fucking worship. Now tell me who the fuck this man is, baby.”
My brain stuttered and my pulse skyrocketed. It was impossible to think when he was this close and speaking likethat.The image of Byron pinning me down on a bed filtered through my mind and suddenly, that was all I could think about.
“Wilder,” he growled against my lips. “Tell me, or I’ll drag the name out of you and you definitely won’t enjoy that, baby.”
“My father, Lawler Rowan.”
Byron’s head jerked back. “What?”
I pulled the ring out of my pocket, my stomach rolling as it touched my skin. “It belongs to my dad.”
“Why’s he following you?”
“I—I think it has something to do with my past and being a Shadow Witch, but I can’t remember.”
Byron put some more distance between us and his gaze roved my face, his eyes dark and assessing. “If you can’t remember, why do you look like you’re about to be sick?”
I drew a sharp intake of breath and tears welled in my eyes. “Because he did something to me, Byron, and I don’t know what it was. I’ve been seeing these flashes, a-and I think my nightmares—all that pain and suffering—I think they’re the echoes of my memories.” I gripped Byron’s shirt, holding on to him to stop my knees from crumbling. “He hurt me, Byron, and I don’t know why. What does he want with me now?”
Byron’s face darkened as he stared deep into my eyes. “I’ll kill him, Byron. I promise you that. I’ll kill your father for putting that look of fear on your face. He will never hurt you again.”
His voice was calm and steady and full of threat. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention.
It wasn’t the only thing standing to attention either.
Which was ridiculous.
He’d just threatened to kill someone for me. I should be running the other way, should be as far away from this man as possible.
And yet…
Here was a man, swearing to protect me and it had me almost falling to my knees with sheer relief. I wasn’t on my own. For the first time in a long time, I actually had someone in my corner willing to fight forme.
It was just someone that I didn’t expect. When I’d first met Byron, I had been sure he’d hated me, or at least, not thought enough of me to warrant any interest.