Archer was staring at me again, his expression curious. I folded my arms over my chest and looked away. “So, Evie,” he said, and I tensed. “How do you know Luc?”

“I don’t know him,” I said, and Luc’s shoulders stiffened.

“That’s interesting,” Archer began. “I wonder if—” A phone rang from his pocket and he pulled it, a soft smile forming on his lips as he answered. “Hey, babe. Give me a sec, okay?” He lowered the phone as he pushed away from where he was standing, starting for the door. “It’s Dee,” he said to Luc’s back. “I’ll tell her you said hi.”

Luc didn’t respond, and that seemed normal to Archer, because he walked out of the room, glancing in my direction. The man on the bed moaned again as a shudder rocked his entire body.

“You’ve got to let go,” Luc said to Chas as his arm moved, blocking his face. “It’s the only way you’re going to heal. You’re safe here. Just let go.”

I bit down on my lip as Luc leaned back, turning the cloth over. I saw streaks of red staining the cloth. Luc was . . . he was cleaning his face, wiping away the streaks of blood.

The man’s body shook once more and then I saw him slip into his true form. Part of me thought I should look away, but I couldn’t as a flickering white light encased Chas’s entire body. Within seconds, the human façade slipped away. My lips parted, but there were no words as I took in the luminous skin and the intricate veins appearing beneath it. This was the first time I’d seen beyond the light of a Luxen, and it was . . . it was strangely beautiful. Mom had been right, in a way. Their skin was like a jellyfish’s.

Luc twisted, facing me. “You brought someone with you?”

I frowned, unable to take my eyes off Chas. He’d stopped moaning and appeared to have settled down. Or he’d passed out. “Yes. He’s downstairs.”

“Boyfriend?” he asked.

I shook my head.

“Figured. If he was a boyfriend, you’d need a new one. Well, he’s obviously not a good friend either if he didn’t insist on coming up here with you.”

My spine stiffened. “I can take care of myself, thank you very much.”

“Did I suggest you couldn’t?” Luc folded up the stained cloth and tossed it to the left without looking. It landed in a small trash can as he turned back to Chas. “Take care of the friend downstairs, Kent,” he said. “Make sure he gets home safely but fully understands that he was never here.”

I almost stopped breathing. “Wait. James rode with me.”

Kent stood, sending a half smile in my direction as he walked past me, toward the door.

Luc dropped his hands to his thighs, his back still to me. “James might’ve ridden with you, but you are not leaving with him.” There was a pause that felt like an eternity. “Actually, you’re not leaving at all.”

Every part of my being stilled. There was no way I’d heard him right. No way at all. “You . . . can’t be serious.”

Slowly, Luc rose and turned to me. “Oh, I’m as serious as heart attack. Cliché saying, I know, but you came here and you’ve seen things you shouldn’t have. Multiple things. Things I don’t want you repeating, especially to that mother of yours.”

I gasped. Why was he bringing her up? Did he know her?

That wolfish grin returned, turning the almost angelic beauty of his face to something darker, crueler. “Then you threaten me and what I’m doing here, and if you haven’t quite figured that out yet, that really doesn’t sit well with me. But most important?” Drawing his bottom lip between his lips through his teeth, he inched closer. “You broke the deal. You’re not leaving.”

7

Aw, hell no.

Fear pinged around inside me, but anger was like battery acid in my veins. Luc was out of his freaking mind.

“I don’t think so,” I said, backing up toward the door. “You can’t keep me here.”

“Really?” He tilted his head to the side. “Is that a challenge? Because I love challenges. I find them a fun way to pass the time.”

Finding my phone was my top priority, and I would do some insane level of stupid to get it back, but this was going too far.

“It’s not a challenge.” I backed into the hallway, discovering it was empty. No Archer. No Kent. The only exit was at the end of the hall, feeling like a mile away. “It’s a statement.”

Luc smiled, and it was so misleading. It was the kind of smile a predator showed off as it sized up its next meal.

Not wanting to take my eyes off him until the very last second, I headed to the right. My plan was pretty much to run—run as fast as I ever had in my entire life. I lost sight of Luc. Pressure clamped down on my chest.

I spun around and took off, arms pumping at my sides as my flats slipped over the carpeted floor. I didn’t even make it to the halfway point when something rushed past me, blowing my hair around my face. Inherently I knew it was Luc. The Luxen were fast, mind-bendingly so.

And I was correct.

Luc appeared in front of me.

I shrieked as I slid to a halt, almost losing my balance but catching myself at the last moment. Breathing heavily, I straightened. “That’s not fair.”

“Never said it would be.” He came forward. “There’s no place in here for you to run. This building, all of it, belongs to me.”

“That’s impossible. You’re only eighteen. You can’t own this building or a club.”

“Nothing is impossible . . . when you’re me.”

“Wow. You’re so special.” Dismay rose as I looked behind me. I was trapped. There was no stairwell behind me, only rooms, and I knew I wasn’t going to get past Luc.

Luc prowled forward, and I panicked. With my heart in my throat, I darted to the left and grabbed a handle. The door opened about an inch, but then slammed shut as if a gale-force wind had pushed it. Fear and anger swirled inside me as I whirled around.

Luc arched a brow. “Not sure where you think you’re going.”

I rushed to the left, a scream of frustration building inside me. “You need to let me leave.”

“But I thought you weren’t leaving until you got what you wanted,” he mocked. “Your phone.”

“You’re not going to help me.” I pressed against the wall, inching sideways toward the stairwell. “You’re—you’re trying to kidnap me.”

“Hmm.” He turned slowly so he was facing me. “I wouldn’t say I’m trying to kidnap you. I would say that I’m actively offering you a place to stay for an undetermined amount of time.”

My jaw hit the floor. “That’s just a really nice way of saying you’re kidnapping me!”

“You say kidnap; I say offering you an all-inclusive vacation.”

“I don’t want an all-inclusive vacation!”

“Well, it’s a break - it - you - buy - it kind of thing.”

“I didn’t break anything,” I seethed, putting a decent amount of distance between us. “If I don’t go home—”

“People will come looking for you.” He rolled his eyes. “Blah. Blah. This sounds like a boring version of Taken, and how do you make—”

Launching off the wall, I took off running. Part of me knew it was pointless, and it was. A rage-filled scream erupted from me as Luc suddenly appeared in front of me.

I didn’t get a chance to turn around. He shot forward and dipped low. I screeched as he scooped me up, tossing me over his shoulder like I was nothing more than a sack of potatoes.

“Put me down!” I shouted, my chest smacking off his back as he turned.

“I really don’t feel like chasing you around, so sorry, that’s not happening.”

“Oh my God.” Completely forgetting what he was, I pounded my fists into his back. “Put me down, you son of a—”

“Ouch.” He bounced, causing my stomach to come down on his shoulder. “Hitting is not nice.”

I guessed he was also going to have a problem with kicking as I swung my knee into his stomach.