room fell d

one foot to the other. Elara Vang was a frequent guest, and the Vang fam

ing directly on Damien. He needed t

r chest. She kept clutching her heart, but her tear-fil

her arms over her chest and turned her head t

long fingers reached down, methodically but

He wrapped his heavy arm around her waist, pulling her back flush

eyes were completely dead. His voice dr

t hear my w

had been struck. He snapped his spi

arge room, "my wife's orders are my orders. Disobeying her

ansfer of power. Giovanna wasn't just a wife on paper an

ward. They grabbed Elara by her up

her legs, her expensive heels scraping against the floorb

d her backward out of the dining room, down

through the large windows as the guards hauled Elara down the l

hard. Her pristine white

wealthy occupants rolled down their windows, pointing and

ard it bled. The humil

ean the spot where Elara had been sitting, scr

op of Giovanna's head. His

er chin. He tilted her head back, forcing h

voice a low rumble. "You used me to get r

eeply ingrained paranoia wouldn'

ip. She looked straight into the stor

of his mouth. "I plan," she whispered against his

ped a beat. The heavy walls in

e tension. She glanced at the anti

g. "I have to go to Oakhaven Universit

y'. The concept of

he warmth vanished from his eyes, replac

a vice, pulling her so hard against him it knocked