Page 53 of Claimed By the Damned

His suit is sharp, his shoes expensive, and I’d bet my next paycheck he hasn’t personally picked out a bouquet in over a decade. He gives the shop a quick once-over, eyes briefly landing on me before shifting to Grim, who stands off to the side like a very large, very armed problem waiting to happen.

He glances at Grim, then at me. “Is it bring your boyfriend to work day?”

I choke on my own spit. “Excuse me?”

Grim, the absolute menace, grins like he’s just won the lottery.

“Oh yeah,” he says smoothly, slinging an arm over my shoulder. It feels like a steel beam settling there. “She just can’t keep her hands off me.”

I elbow him in the ribs.Hard. He doesn't even flinch.

The guy chuckles. “Or is he your sugar daddy?”

Grim rubs his beard, considering. "Idokeep her safe. That's worth something, right?"

“Ihateyou,” I mutter under my breath, pointedly ignoring the customer and focusing on straightening a display that doesn't need straightening.

Stephanie, of course, is loving this. While smoothly ringing up the customer's purchase, she fans herself dramatically with her free hand. “Damn, Lila. You reallyareliving the dream.”

The customer pays, takes his flowers with another amused glance between Grim and me, and the bell jingles as he finally leaves.

Thesecondthe door closes behind him, I drop my head onto the cool surface of the counter with a thud. "This is my life now," I groan into the wood. Grim has way too much fun making me suffer. Unfortunately… he isn’t going anywhere.

Stephanie finishes putting the money in the till, then pats my back sympathetically, though her eyes are still dancing withlaughter. "There, there. Could be worse. He could be ugly." She pushes off the counter. "Speaking of things that need handling, I need to unpack that new shipment in the back before Mrs. Davison picks up her standing order."

She disappears through the doorway leading to the storage area. A moment later, her voice calls out, slightly muffled. "Hey Grim, Muscles, could use your help over here for a sec? This box of vases weighs a ton."

Grim grunts an affirmative, giving me a look that saysdon't wander off, before lumbering behind the counter and heading toward the back room. It probably won't take more than a minute, but it’s the first time all day he hasn't been within arm’s reach.

The shift has been uneventful—right up until I head toward the back of the shop, intending to grab a new bundle of roses from storage. The tiny hallway near the bathroom and the back alley exit is dimly lit, and a figure detaches itself from the dense shadows pooled near the exit. I barely have time to register movement before a rough hand clamps around my wrist.

Ice-cold panic shoots up my spine, raw and immediate.Kolya.The name screams through my mind, a visceral terror tightening my chest, stealing my breath. This is it. He found me. His touch, his smell, the way he used to grab me—it all slams back, a nightmare made real.

“Don’t scream,” a voice rasps near my ear. “You and I are gonna have a little talk.”

I stiffen, eyes darting toward the front of the shop. Stephanie is busy ringing up a customer, completely oblivious. Grim—

Grim is nowhere in sight. Shit.

“Let go of me,” I say, keeping my voice low and steady despite the tremor starting in my hands.Not again.My ribs feel tight, my breath shallow. The walls press in.Not Kolya. Not him.But my body screams otherwise. Every nerve ending is on fire, catapulting me back to those dark rooms, his bruising grip, the feeling of being utterly trapped.

The man’s grip tightens, yanking me closer. The acrid scent of stale cigarette smoke and cheap cologne fills my nostrils, making me gag. As he leans in, I catch a glimpse of a faded, poorly drawn spiderweb tattoo creeping up his neck from beneath a stained collar. Recognition chills me further—it's one of the men from town, the one Ethan warned off, the one who eyed me like prey.

“Kolya wants his property back,” he sneers, and the words are made uglier by the nasty-looking chip missing from his front tooth. “And we both know you don’t belong here.”

Fear curdles into a sharp, bitter feeling in my chest.He works for Kolya.The realization hits like a physical blow. They aren't just watching from afar anymore. They'rehere.

My heart pounds as I try to jerk away, but his grip is unrelenting. My breath hitches, panic creeping in like a slow-moving toxin.

Then, a shadow darkens the hallway.

A low chuckle. A predator’s grin.

Grim.

His eyes flick to me, then to the man gripping my wrist. Instantly, the air crackles, thick with danger—even the asshole holding me feels it, his body going rigid. The playful, irritating giant is gone. In his place is something cold, sharp, and utterly lethal. The contrast is jarring, terrifying in its own right.

“You have about three seconds to let her go,” Grim says, voice eerily calm, but his eyes promise something much worse. “Before I do somethingrealunpleasant.”

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