Page 170 of The Wishing Game

"Please don't be mad at me. I couldn't bear it if you were mad at me," I mumble as I drag myself closer to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. My chest brushes against his, and we both suck in a breath at the sensation. Goosebumps cover my body, a tingle of awareness spreading to my core. Raising my gaze to meet his, I note the darkening of his eyes. His pupils are dilated, his lips half-parted as his breathing intensifies.

"I'm not mad at you, sweetheart. I'm mad at myself because I didn't realize what you were going through. I thought you were healing. I thought time could cure it, but it didn't, did it? It only made it worse."

I stifle a sob at his words and give him a slow nod.

"We'll get through this together. Because you have me, Luce. You'llalwayshave me."

"I know. I was foolish to say that. You're the most important person to me, Nikki."

He pulls me flush against him, his arms resting against my lower back as he urges me to wrap my legs around him. We're so close, I feel that hard part of him resting against my core.

"Nikki..." I moan softly.

His breath fans my face as he skims his lips across my cheek.

"Are you in pain, sweetheart? Tell me where it hurts and I'll kiss it better," he murmurs lovingly. I turn my face, catching his lips with mine, brushing my mouth against his in slow, gentle movements.

"Nikki," I call his name, wiggling my hips to feel him better against me.

I brush my tongue against his mouth to deepen the kiss, but instead of tasting his lips, I taste the empty air. A whooshing sound makes me jump back just in time to avoid the cut of a sword. Wide with shock, my eyes take in the sharp blade and the person handling it. He's wearing a black tunic over a pair of loose pants, his dark hair curling over his forehead. His eyes are a deep purple that glints with dangerous intentions. A twitch appears in his cheek, his muscles tense as he pulls his sword back, sheathing it in the scabbard at his waist. Still, he doesn't take his eyes off me, staring me down with a mix of loathing and anger that's apparent in the clench of his jaw.

"Who are you?" I shout, scrambling back. At the same time, I notice that the spot previously occupied by Nikki is empty.

What? Where did he go? What...

It also dawns on me that I'm fully naked in the presence of a murderous stranger. Is he here for Nikki? Did his family send him to kill us before we got married for fear they might lose access to his money?

I struggle to cover myself with my arms, my eyes dipping quickly to the floor where Nikki had discarded his clothes. But there's nothing there.

"What—"

My words are cut off as the stranger advances toward me. Without thinking, I get out of the tub and make a run for the door. But I only manage to take one step before he grips my arm, pulling me toward him.

"Stop moving," he barks in my ear, his voice barely contained.

"Please don't hurt me," I whisper, squeezing my eyes shut.

"I will not hurt you, human," he grits out. "Though I have never in my life experienced such an all-encompassing rage," he states and I feel a current of anger course through his body as he struggles to keep himself from smothering me to his chest.

"What are you talking about?" I ask weakly, daring to open my eyes to look at him.

Those eyes. Those purple eyes. Why are they so familiar?

A sharp pain echoes in my brain and I sway from side to side. He's there to hold me, lowering his arm to my waist.

"Ze?" I whisper, blinking hard against an onslaught of images that inundate my brain. "What's happening?"

His features are tight, his lips compressed in a scowl.

"I told you to wait for me," he speaks in a slow, thick voice. "You fell through a portal."

"What do you mean?"

"This..." He nods to the area around us. I turn to look, and that's when I notice that we're no longer in the bathroom, nor am I naked anymore.

I'm wearing the same hoodie and tights I was wearing before—when we were in P'davi. And just like that, I remember everything.

Nikki is...dead. And I'm in a foreign world, competing in a game to get him back.

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