Page 18 of Shadow

Camilla’s fists clenched at her sides, her chest tight with indignation. How dare he address her like that, as if she were a pawn in some twisted game? Even as fury coursed through her veins, she knew deep down that Jake was right about one thing—he expected her compliance, and he was likely to get it. After all, he suspected her feelings for Shadow ran deep enough to cloud her judgment.

Before she could move, Shadow stepped forward, his presence commanding and protective. With a swift movement, he grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to meet his intense gaze.

“Do you really want to go with him?” he demanded.

Camilla’s heart hammered and she adamantly shook her head.

“No, I don’t,” she admitted, her fingers trembling as she reached out to gently cup his unshaven cheek.

Despite the tension and uncertainty surrounding them, she found solace in the warmth of his touch, in his possessive look. She knew she owed him an explanation, but in that moment, all she could feel was relief. He wasn’t about to let her go without a fight, and for that she was eternally grateful.

“You heard her. Camilla’s not going anywhere,” Shadow said.

He slid his arm around her, pulling her close to him in a protective embrace.

Camilla felt the weight of Jake’s gaze boring into her, his silent threat hanging heavy in the air. She squared her shoulders, refusing to cower under his intimidating presence.

“This won’t end well and you know it,” Jake warned.

Camilla wasn’t backing down. “Tell my brother I make my own choices now,” she declared, her grip on Shadow’s jacket tightening.

“Now leave, before I change my mind and shoot you,” Shadow told Jake.

For a moment, Jake seemed to consider his options, his eyes flickering with anger and frustration.

“You’ll pay for this,” he spat, before finally turning on his heel and storming away, leaving them alone in the tense silence.

Once the threat had passed, Shadow released Camilla. “You owe me an explanation,” Shadow reminded her.

Camilla met his gaze, her heart pounding in her chest. “Yes,” she agreed, drawing in a deep breath. “It’s time for me to come clean.”

Chapter Seven

Shadow rode back to the MC clubhouse with Camilla seated behind him. The atmosphere between them remained heavy with tension.

Shadow could sense Camilla’s unease, her body rigid against his back, her breaths shallow and rapid. He wanted to reach out to her, to offer some form of comfort, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Not now.

Thoughts raced through his mind, each one more troubling than the last. Camilla was sister to Fernando Hernandez, the leader of a notorious cartel. The realization hit him like a sledgehammer. He had been harboring feelings for a woman involved in a world like his own.

Camilla had mentioned her family was complicated, but this took the cake. Yet, despite the danger she posed to Shadow and the Death Seekers, every fiber of his being rebelled against the idea of letting her go back to that life.

Once they were in his room, Shadow watched as Camilla took a seat at the edge of his bed. Her shoulders slumped, and her eyes seemed distant. He couldn’t bear to see her like this, the sight of her so defeated tugged at his heartstrings.

Moving closer, Shadow sat down beside her and reached out to gently grasp her hand. As their eyes met, he could see the vulnerability in hers, the unspoken pain and fear that lingered within.

“I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere,” he murmured.

He brushed away the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, hating he was the cause of it.

“I didn’t mean to deceive you,” she whispered.

Shadow shook his head. “I know you didn’t,” he assured her.

He listened intently as she recounted her life before her kidnapping, the restrictions and isolation imposed upon her by her brother’s world.

“All my life, I lived in my brother’s shadow. Because of what he did for a living, he said he needed to always keep me close, because his enemies would use me against him,” Camilla said.

She recounted how her life had been before her kidnapping.

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