Wisps of that shadowy energy whirled around me, taking me under into a place of solace. I sighed, content for perhaps the first time in my life while miraculously aware that a foreign presence had put me here. One I shouldn’t trust.
I stirred, bewildered, only to be pushed back down by a strength surpassing my own. A cry tore from my throat, frustrated at losing control over my own mind while my body quivered in delightful confusion.
Adrik, I whispered, tasting his name, memorizing it.
“I’m still here, little bird,” he vowed, his voice deep and hypnotic. “You can rest.”
How? I barely knew him, didn’t trust him, couldn’t move…
“Shh,” he cooed. “It’s nearly morning now.”
What? How was that even possible?
Warm lips brushed my own, fingers drawing through my hair, my body pressed against hot steel. He’d lost his clothes at some point.
No.
Just his shirt and pants.
His boxers remained.
My mind drifted in and out of comprehension, the world not one I understood. Never in my life had I felt so intimately connected to someone—a man I didn’t know.
This is wrong.
“I know,” he agreed. “And for that I’m very sorry.”
Why are you doing this to me?
“To help you.”
I don’t understand.
“I know,” he repeated, his mouth against my temple. “But one day you will.”
Who are you?
“Ah, now you are traveling the right path, little bird. Keep wondering. Keep searching. You’ll find me eventually.”
That’s not helpful.
His chuckle seeped into my skin, rousing my heartbeat and scattering goose bumps down my arms and legs. Dark energy crawled over me, traversing my veins and mingling with my very soul. I sucked in a breath, shocked by the penetration and dulled at the same time.
A tear slid from my eye, one caught by his tongue.
And then I stilled, the warmth slowly leaving a coldness in its wake.
Ice slithered across my skin.
Loneliness blossomed in my heart.
Adrik?
No reply.
My eyes finally opened, the sun peeking through the curtains off to the side. Morning.
I blinked, uncertain, only to find myself very alone with no signs of Adrik. Merely the hint of his masculine aftershave, a minty essence that seemed to be ingrained into my skin.