Page 80 of Imperial: The Corvidae Family
Baylyn.
Emir and I settled into a routine of coexisting in his space. After meeting his parents, something shifted between us, but neither of us discussed it. I could, however, feel the attachment we shared. It wasn’t just me. He had no issues proving that our worlds being linked wasn’t a coincidence, it was intentional.
He drove me to and from work and on the rare occasion that I did drive, he checked in throughout the day. He sent me food from my favorite places and at night we chilled at his house, moving in sync like this was our regular routine.
When I told him I needed more clothes, he casually offered to send someone to clear out my place and bring everything Iowned to his but I shut that down because this was moving too fast.
He agreed to pull up and help me pack a few things, which I knew for him meant, instead of paying someone to empty my apartment, he planned on doing it himself. When Emir parked outside my building and cut the engine I reached for my keys and stepped out, with my thoughts still on our conversation from the car. His words played in my head on repeat.
There’s nothing wrong with us moving fast if it feels right. You’re mine, Baylyn. If you need time to make peace with that, you got it… as long as you’re working through that shit where I have access to you.
This man was a whole problem but one I was getting used to having as a permanent fixture in my life. I glanced at him as we walked up the steps to my apartment, but his expression was stoic.
I unlocked the door, pushed it open, and froze. The apartment was destroyed.
Cushions lay in pieces with the fabric ripped apart. My coffee table was flipped and the contents of my bookshelf were scattered across the floor. Cabinet doors hung open with the dishes shattered on the floor.
For a second, I didn’t move. My brain struggled to catch up with what my eyes were seeing. Emir’s arm came across my stomach, holding me back before I could fully step inside.
His body tensed while he scanned the wreckage. In one smooth motion, he drew his gun from his waist and moved me out the way.
“Stay here.”
I barely heard him because my pulse was pounding in my ears as I stared at the chaos.
“Baylyn.” His voice snapped me out of it. “Stay the fuck here.”
I wrapped my arms around myself as he moved forward, stepping over broken glass.
He cleared the living room first, then disappeared into my bedroom. I stood frozen in the doorway with my breathing unsteady and fingers digging into my arms.
When Emir came back, his expression was hard. “No one’s here.” He tucked the gun away and searched my face. “You okay?”
“No.” I walked inside, stepping over things. “Why would someone do this?”
He didn’t answer right away. His eyes swept the destruction, taking it all in. “Just to fuck with you. They weren’t looking for anything.”
“What do you mean?”
His jaw tightened. “This wasn’t about robbing you. They wanted to send a message.”
He stood, towering over me. “Get what you need and I’ll take you back to my house.” He lifted a hand to my cheek and I leaned into it before I sighed and headed toward my bedroom, carefully stepping over stuff. My hands were still trembling from being so angry about my space being violated while Emir was on the phone, speaking lowly to someone.
I packed in silence, grabbing essentials, shoving them into my bag with more force than necessary. Every drawer I pulled open annoyed me because I was stuck on the thought of someone being here. This was my space and someone had gone through my personal things, violating my home. When I was done and back in the living room, Emir met me, grabbing my bags as he balanced his phone against his ear.
“Yeah, get here as soon as you can.” He kept his eyes on me, looking calm but his voice was agitated.
I didn’t have to ask who he was talking to. His brothers.
He ended the call and turned to me. “Yair and Kades are on their way. They’re close though. You okay with waiting until they get here?”
When I didn’t say anything he dropped my bags on the table in the kitchen since it was the only surface that didn’t have broken glass. He grabbed my wrist, moving his thumb over the inside of it. “You good?”
“Yeah. Just pissed.”
The thought of someone stalking me to fuck with Emir pissed me off more than it had me scared. Most of that was because I had him and I knew with certainty, no one was touching me as long as he was around.
“Good. That’s better than being scared.”
