Page 18 of Dark Awakening

Danica shifts awkwardly from foot to foot, avoiding direct eye contact as she tucks back an errant strand of hair. "Um, hi...I'm Dani," she says hesitantly. "And this is my friend Emily."

She motions to Emily, who stands rigidly with her arms crossed, looking annoyed. Danica glances at her friend apologetically before turning back to Lucian.

Just hearing my angel speak her sweet name sends hot lust raging through my veins. The overpowering urge sweeps through me to grab her this instant and make her utterly mine—to claim every inch of her body and soul in every way imaginable.

The intensity of my urge to claim her, to brand her mine and mine alone, hits me like a damn freight train—it’s unsettling, goes against every oath I made to myself to never let a woman get under my skin again. But here she is, this mortal, effortlessly cracking that vow into pieces. She tempts the beast in me, whispers to the shadows—the drive to dominate, to own her so completely she couldn't dream of walking away.

Still, keeping my distance proves agonizing when every cell in my body screams to close the gap between us. This exquisite woman has awakened passions and instincts I thought long dead. I crave her with a ferocity that defies all logic. Somehow, I must find a way to reconcile desire and duty before she becomes my undoing.

"We were here last night, and we think our drinks may have been spiked," Danica explains. "My friend here got home, but we don't know how—Things got hazy..."

She looks distinctly uncomfortable now.

Emily picks up where Danica left off, her irritation clearly evident. "So we need to see your security footage from last night," Emily interjects bluntly. "We need to figure out what the hell happened and who might have drugged us."

Danica gives a slight nod. "I know it's an odd request, but if you could let us look at the tapes, we'd really appreciate it," she adds earnestly. "We're just trying to piece together our night."

Lucian's jaw tightens almost imperceptibly at the accusation, but I detect a glimmer of apprehension in his eyes.

Though he tries to hide it, Lucian has always had a strange soft spot for mortals. "Spiked, you say?" He keeps his tone calm and sympathetic. "How awful that would be. But may I ask—why do you feel it was in my club that your drinks were tampered with?"

Emily crosses her arms, glaring daggers at Lucian. "We're damn sure your bullshit club staff or one of your sleazebag patrons slipped something in our drinks," she snaps angrily. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have blacked the fuck out with almost no memory of last night."

Lucian only smirks, amusement glinting in his eyes. "Well, aren't you just a polite little princess," he replies, sarcasm dripping from his tone.

Emily scowls, clearly not appreciating his mocking response. "Screw you," she spits out venomously. "This isn't a joke."

Lucian holds up his hands in a conciliatory gesture, though his expression remains patronizing. "Of course, of course," he says smoothly. "I meant no offense."

Danica shoots her friend a pleading look before turning back to Lucian. "Look, we just need to see the security footage from last night. We need to figure out who left with Emily and what the hell happened after she passed out."

Lucian dips his head. "Of course, I understand completely." He unfolds his arms and turns to walk. "Follow me."

I trail several paces behind, eyes tracing her alluring curves teasingly silhouetted against her clothes. The potent current of desire between us is undeniable. When our eyes meet, her breath audibly hitches. Curiosity and shyness wanted to shine in her caramel gaze. I maintain an impassive mask, though hunger boils just below the surface.

Lucian pulls up security footage on a large monitor at his desk as Danica recounts last night in meticulous detail. Her keen, analytical mind impresses me. She is laser-focused on making sense of this disturbing violation. Our intense magnetic chemistry distracts her until Lucian recaptures her full attention with the tapes.

I remain silent in the corner of the office, selfishly enjoying my continued anonymity, not yet ready to process the troublesome feelings she evokes within me.

We all watch the recordings intently as Lucian navigates expertly through timestamped footage. Soon, the vile figure of Max appears, slyly dropping pills into the women's drinks when Danica's gaze is averted.

Danica's delicate features contort into a mask of anger and confusion. Emily reacts more viscerally to seeing the violation occur, shouting curses and slamming her hands on the desk in impotent outrage. "Fuck me, I knew it!"

However, observant Danica absorbs the scene thoughtfully, continuing to analyze it in her keen scientific way. Their markedly different responses are pretty telling.

Watching my angel's trauma replay vicariously through the grainy video feeds my protective rage. Witnessing her obvious distress, I am furious for not intervening sooner last night. Though I got her away safely, she still bears emotional scars from the experience that no words can completely soothe. Yet still, I resist the inconvenient strength of my feelings for her, denying our profound connection even as its irresistible allure intensifies.

Danica insists they must go to the police straight away. Lucian strongly objects, fear creeping into his voice as he pleads with them not to involve the authorities. He is terrified his beloved club will be blamed and shut down if this scandal gets out.

Danica's innate morality flares at his attempts to dissuade her from justice, and the room's tension ratchets up several degrees as tempers flare over how to proceed. "If we can't contact the authorities, what should we do? We can't just let this slide. One of them fuckin' tried to rape me in your shitty back alley last night!"

Lucian's expression morphs into a vicious snarl, rage smoldering behind his eyes. I, too, must restrain the fury blazing within at the memory of that vile worm laying hands on my angel, violating her precious innocence.

Sensing there was no dissuading Danica from her righteous path, Lucian attempts to reassure her that he will handle doling out proper retribution without involving the authorities or harming his business. "We'll search all the people entering this club for weapons and drugs. I apologize that it was not caught sooner. I'll take care of it, and he and that assholes's friends will pay for their actions."

"He's going to pay for this?" Emily snorts. "How, exactly? That creep needs to be locked up for what he did!"

Lucian's jaw tightens, clearly perturbed by her aggressive tone. "Do not worry your pretty little head over how I will handle the matter," he replies in a chillingly calm voice. "I said it will be dealt with. That should suffice." His icy stare bores into Emily until she inhales sharply, looking unnerved. Slowly, she nods in acquiescence.

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