Page 79 of The Owner's Temptation

The man collapses, groaning weakly, blood streaming from his nose. My breath comes in controlled bursts, adrenaline surging, yet my rage remains icy cold, tightly coiled beneath my composed exterior.

The image of Sienna trapped, vulnerable, sends a fresh wave of fury through me. Coldly, deliberately, I step over him, reaching for Sienna’s hand and pulling her protectively close.

Her safety matters above all else.

“Let me see.” I quickly inspect her for injury, my jaw tight with tension and a fierce need to shelter her from harm. “You’re okay?”

“I'm fine,” she assures me, voice steady despite the lingering tension in her body.

“Fucking asshole. Did he touch you?” I look back at the piece of shit, tempted to kick the piss out of him for good measure.

“Lucian.” Sienna’s voice pulls me back with a tug on my arm. “I’m okay.”

My chest tightens, her courage both admirable and frustrating. I should never have allowed this situation to unfold.

“Let's get out of here,” I murmur softly, guiding Sienna away, my pulse still pounding from a potent blend of anger, protectiveness, and an unsettling tenderness I’m not ready to acknowledge.

As soon as we emerge from the hallway, I spot a member of Ledger Security—a man from my detail, off-duty tonight but immediately attentive.

"Take care of that," I command quietly, nodding toward the crumpled figure behind me. He complies without question.

Sienna stays close as I lead her toward the gallery exit, her hand still firmly clasped in mine. The possessiveness and fury in my veins refuse to fade, my jaw clenched tightly as I guide her toward the waiting limo.

The night air hits us sharply, a cold contrast to the heated violence we’ve just left behind.

She glances up at me, questions swimming silently in her gaze. Questions I know I owe her answers to—but not yet. Not here.

I help her into the limo, my hand lingering protectively at the small of her back, sensing the slight tremble she tries so hard to hide. I slide in beside her, shutting the door with a firm, controlled click.

As the car pulls away from the curb, tension still coils tightly within me. Because tonight confirmed something I can’t deny, something dangerous and consuming:

Sienna isn’t just a Companion I'm responsible for.

She’s mine.

The silence in the limo feels thick and suffocating, pressing down heavily between us. Lucian sits rigidly at my side, his jaw clenched so tightly that I can practically hear his teeth grinding.

His gaze is fixed straight ahead, eyes distant yet smoldering with barely-contained fury. He’s nearly shaking with it, his breathing measured in careful, controlled breaths.

I stare down at my hands, shoulders tense, still replaying the incident in my mind. Seeing Lucian move like that—swift, brutal, precise—made it clear this wasn’t new to him.

This isn’t something he learned just to protect his companions. He’s done worse. Probably killed before.

And yet, despite knowing that, I can’t deny the unsettling rush of attraction that surged through me when I watched him handle that asshole.

It’s insane. Completely irrational. But I've never felt safer than I do right now, sitting next to Lucian Vale.

I glance toward him subtly, noticing the way his fists rest clenched in his lap. There’s blood smeared across his knuckles, a jagged line split open from striking that asshole’s jaw.

Without thinking, I lean closer, concern tightening in my chest.

“You’re hurt,” I murmur softly, reaching instinctively toward his hand.

He barely registers my voice, eyes flicking to me only after I’ve moved.

He glances down at his knuckle like he’d almost forgotten it was there, but his expression remains impassive, betraying nothing.

“Dammit, Lucian,” I mutter, scooting forward quickly toward the small built-in bar across from us. I snatch up a napkin, pressing it gently to the bloody gash on his knuckle.

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