When I returned with our tea, Elijah was sprawled out on my bed in a rather suggestive manner. My idea was not to receive him in my room, but I was feeling rebellious. Still, I narrowed my eyes at him as I placed the cups down on the table surrounded by couches that were in my room. Elijah started laughing and got up to take a seat on one of them. “I just wanted to see your reaction, Lana. It’s priceless, I have to say.”

I didn’t find him so funny anymore. I forced a smile and sat down next to him to be polite. He reached out and grabbed a cup of tea and started drinking it, slowly. My wariness grew stronger as I felt his eyes on every inch of my body when I leaned forward to pick up my own cup. Was I being paranoid? Seeing signs of something that wasn’t really there? Get it together, Lana! I mentally slapped myself. Elijah isn’t the bad guy here!

Never judge a person so quickly, my lady. I chocked on my tea when I heard Kalen’s voice drift through my mind. It wasn’t possible. I was imaging his voice. He couldn’t possibly be in my head. I was going insane! This house was driving me mad.

Even with that revelation, warning bells were sounding in my head, threatening to overwhelm me. I decided it was a good time to bid adieu to Elijah and see him another time. He couldn’t be the reason that my instincts were screaming for me to run. If he was, wouldn’t I have felt this earlier while I had been spending the day with him? My whole being felt anxious. I needed a warm bath; it was all that could think to cure this feeling.

I got up and walked over to the door. “I’m weary, today has been a very nice, but long day. We should do this again sometime, but for right now I will ask you to leave so that I may get some rest,” I said in the sweetest and most polite voice I could conjure up.

Elijah gulped down the last bit of his tea and made all the motions to leave, but instead of walking through the door, his pushed it closed behind my back, pinning me between it and him. “But the night has just started. I wager we could find something more to do before I take my leave.”

I ducked out under his arm and started backing away further into my room. “I really am exhausted, it would be better if we met again at another time,” I replied, a slight edge to my tone now. Why wouldn’t he just go? Wasn’t that what nice men did? Leave when you asked them to?

He closed the distance between us. “I know what will make you feel more awake.” There was a mischievous glint in his eyes that I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen before. His hands went around my waist and he pulled me closer to him, his lips crushing mine in the same movement. His tongue poked at my lips, but I refused to give him access. I pushed him off me, surprised that I was actually able to.

“I think you need to leave. Now,” I said, all traces of politeness gone from my voice. He was still standing very close and didn’t make a move to leave.

He pulled me closer to him again and I used my hands to try to keep our bodies apart, but his strength was greater than mine. “I don’t think so. We were just getting started.”

My hand slipped and his lips were once again on mine. How I had gotten myself into a situation like this again was beyond me. As soon as the thought settled in, I became paralyzed, the memory of John taking over. Although nothing had happened then, the event still had a great effect on me. It was a shadow that clung to me and refused to let go. And now, I was sure there wouldn’t be someone to barge in at the right moment to save me.

He pushed me onto the bed, but didn’t leave me time to roll away before he climbed on top of me, a malicious glint in his eyes that even the self-proclaimed “evil” sorcerer didn’t have. I cursed myself. How could I have missed this? It was painfully obvious now.

“Get off me!” I yelled as I tried to push him away, to no avail.

His lips crushed mine again and I half-expected to feel like the same scared girl I had been a year ago when John had tried to do this to me. To my surprise, there was more fight in me now. I would not give in without a fight, no matter how futile it might seem. I bit his lip and he pulled back slightly in shock.

“You bit me!” he exclaimed, fury rocking him.

“Get off me!”

He sneered with malice. “A whore of Andreas doesn’t say no.”

And just like that the fight drained out of me, I was body completely stunned by his words. Satisfied, he leaned down to reclaim my mouth, but he would never reach it.

I couldn’t fully comprehend what happened next, not until much later that night when I was lying in a hot bath trying to ease the tremors that shook me. One moment Elijah had been on me, ready to pounce once more, and the next he was against the opposite wall hovering in the air, unable to move. My eyes darted around the room frantically, not believing that I could have done that. I was right. Between me and Elijah, acting almost as a shield, was Andreas.

I had never seen him that angry. “Don’t you ever call her that again,” Andreas said, his voice so dangerous the walls seemed to tremble in fear. Elijah’s eyes almost popped from their sockets.

I watched Andreas, my eyes unable to leave him as he glared at Elijah. The tangible darkness that surrounded him every time he got angry or excited was swirling around him right now, but it was darker and more prominent than I had seen it before. If it said anything about his level of anger, I didn’t want to be Elijah at that moment.

Elijah was braver than I had given him credit for. “What, a whore? It’s all women are to you, is it not?”

Andreas’ eyes narrowed and Elijah started clawing at his throat as if he couldn’t get enough air, which I quickly realized seemed to be the case. “I warned you not to call her that again.” Andreas cocked his head to the side, some of that malice that he claimed he had deep within him finally showing through his eyes. “You may think you are brave for testing my patience, you ignorant fool, but all you are is stupid. The only thing I have to do to end your pathetic life is will it to be so.” The timbre of Andreas’ voice was so deep, it shook the entire room. The darkness around him multiplied, almost filling my whole bedchamber. I felt it wrap around me, terror striking me.

Andreas finally let Elijah breathe, something that seemed to require great effort on his part. My mind was still too stunned from seeing Andreas in my room facing Elijah to fully grasp anything that was going on at that moment.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t end you this very second,” Andreas demanded, his voice laced with authority and burning rage.

The darkness spread and curled itself around Elijah’s legs, his terror now evident on his face. He wasn’t ready to die yet, but he also didn’t know what to say to spare his life. “My family, they need me to survive,” he attempted frantically.

“I do not care. You should have thought about that before you tried to harm Lana. And since you can provide no good reason for me to spare your life, tonight will mark the end of your miserable existence.”

Just like that, I was snapped back to my senses. I couldn’t let Elijah be killed. Not matter what he tried to do, he didn’t deserve to die. And despite how much I now despised him, Izzy still needed her brother. For all his faults, he was good to her, at least as far as I could tell. “No!” I screamed and Andreas abruptly faced me.

His rage hadn’t subsided, but it lessened slightly as he regarded me, a single eyebrow raised. “You can’t kill him. He doesn’t deserve to die,” I choked out, surprised at how hard the words were to say out loud.

It seemed as if my words ignited an even stronger fire within Andreas. I couldn’t understand his actions. First he led me to believe he doesn’t care and now his actions suggest exactly the opposite. Someone needed to hand me a manual on the enigma that was Andreas Scott Grigoli, and fast. I wasn’t sure I could keep up anymore. “You. Want. Me. To. Let. Him. Live?” he asked very slowly through clenched teeth. I nodded.

Andreas regarded me like I was some wild animal. Confusion marked his handsome face, his thick lips slightly parted. “You can’t be serious,” he said with incredulity marking his deadly tone.

“He doesn’t deserve to die,” I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Unbelievable,” Andreas muttered to himself before turning his attention back to Elijah. The darkness grew more intense in Andreas’ expression and Elijah fell to the ground onto his knees with a crash. Something sounded like it snapped and Elijah cried out in pain. “If I ever see you again, no matter when or where, I will kill you and I am nowhere near as forgiving as our Lady Lana over here. Despite you having assaulted her, she wants me to let you go. And so I shall. But heed my warning. I see you again, anywhere, and I’ll kill you. Do you understand?” Andreas’ voice sent chills all over my body. I had never heard him so cold before when addressing anyone. It only reminded me for how short a time I truly did know him.

Elijah nodded frantically and ran from the room and out of the house, not even sparing a second glance back.