Page 114 of In Shadows We Dance

He moves, sitting upright and swinging his legs off the bed. I watch, tongue snaking over my lips as he walks across the room, completely naked, and bends to pick up a pile of folded clothes from the chair by the wall. Sweatpants, my sneakers, and a black hoodie that looks impossibly large.

“Put these on.”

“When did you?—”

“I got them last night while you were sleeping.”

I take them, pulling the hoodie over my head first. It smells like him, woodsy and clean, and when it settles around me, I feel a strange mix of comfort and vulnerability. The sweatpants are a little loose, but I make them work. Once I'm dressed, he takes my hand, and leads me through the house, to where his car is parked outside.

He doesn’t say a word when he opens the passenger door for me. The door closes softly once I’m inside, and a moment later,he’s in the driver’s seat, the engine purring to life.

The hum of the car is the only sound as he drives, the streets eerily quiet in the soft light of early morning. My fingers fidget in my lap. I sneak a glance at him. His jaw is tight, his eyes locked on the road, one hand resting casually on the wheel.

He slows the car to a stop just down the street from my building. The early morning light casts everything in muted gray tones. His fingers tap the wheel, his focus fixed on the apartment, his jaw tight.

“You’ll confront them.” It’s not a suggestion.

I nod. “I will. I have to.”

His hand reaches across the console, his fingers curling under my chin. He tips my head toward him. “No backing out. No hiding. You’ll look them in the eye and make them tell you everything.”

His intensity grounds me, strengthening my resolve. “I’ll do it.”

For a moment, he just watches me, then he nods. “Good.”

I reach for the door handle, but his voice halts me again. “Wait.”

Before I can ask why, he’s out of the car, rounding the hood in two strides. He opens my door, holding out a hand to help me out. His touch is possessive, his fingers wrapping around mine as he pulls me to my feet.

“Wren—”

“I’m walking you to your window.” He doesn’t wait for me to argue, his grip firm as he guides me along the sidewalk.

The building looms ahead, familiar yet foreign now, every step toward it weighed down by the truth he’s revealed. When we reach my window, he turns to me, his gaze searing into mine.

“You’re sure about this?” His voice softens just enough to send a shiver down my spine.

“I have to do it.” My words are steady despite the nerves twisting in my stomach.

He nods once, his hand moving to my waist. “Get up.”

Before I can react, he lifts me effortlessly, settingme on the sill. His hands don’t leave me, his body pressed against mine as he steadies me. The air between us shifts, thick with tension.

“You’re mine. Don’t forget that. No matter what they tell you, no matter how they try to spin it. You belong to me.”

I barely have time to catch my breath before his lips crash against mine. The kiss is hard, consuming, his fingers digging into my hips as if he’s trying to anchor me to him. My hands clutch his shoulders for balance, my heart pounding against my ribs.

When he pulls back, his eyes burn into mine. “I’ll see you at school.”

I climb through the window, the familiar chill of my room pressing against my skin. My feet hit the floor, and I turn to lock the window.

Behind me, a lamp clicks on.

James—the man I thought was my father—sits at my desk, his face carved from stone.

“Where have you been?”

CHAPTER 58

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