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I stood frozen, Seraphinaâs words curling around me like smoke.
Run.
A warning. A challenge. A death sentence.
My pulse pounded as I turned back to the door. I had two optionsâstay and let Taehyun consume me, or run and risk being hunted.
I knew what I had to do.
I slipped off my heels, the marble floor cold against my bare feet. Every muscle in my body coiled as I crept toward the hallway, praying I wouldnât run into anyone.
The mansion was vastâendless hallways, towering doors, the scent of power and sin thick in the air. A kingdom built for a king who played by no rules but his own.
And I was about to break one.
I reached the staircase, heart hammering. Just a few more steps.
But the moment I stepped downâ
A hand wrapped around my waist.
I gasped, my body yanked back into a solid chest.
A deep chuckle rumbled against my ear. "Where do you think you're going, little rabbit?"
My stomach twisted.
I tried to fight, but his grip tightenedânot enough to hurt, but enough to remind me who was in control.
I didnât have to turn around to know who it was.
Taehyun.
His scent wrapped around meâdark spice, leather, something dangerously intoxicating.
âLet me go,â I breathed.
His lips brushed against my ear. âYou think I donât know when my princess tries to run?â
My pulse skipped. âIâm not your princess.â
His grip tightened.
âSay that again,â he murmured. âGo on. Lie to me.â
I clenched my jaw. âI. Am. Not. Yours.â
A sharp chuckle.
Then, he spun me around and pinned me against the wall.
A gasp tore from my lips as my back hit the cold surface, but before I could reactâ
His hands were on me. Caging. Possessing. Branding.
His fingers curled around my throat, his knee pressing between my legs, spreading me open just enough to make me feel it.
I sucked in a breath. âYouâre insane.â
His gaze burned. âNo, sweetheart.â His lips ghosted over mine. âIâm obsessed.â
I tried to shove him away, but he caught my wrists and slammed them against the wall above my head.
âYou want to run?â he murmured. âRun, then. But know thisâevery time you run, Iâll hunt you down. And every time I find you, Iâll make you remember exactly who you belong to.â
I shivered as his teeth grazed my jaw, his breath hot against my skin.
His free hand trailed down my side, slow, torturous.
âYou hate me, donât you?â he mused. âHate how I touch you. Hate how I make you feel things you donât want to.â
I swallowed hard. âI donâtââ
His fingers gripped my jaw, forcing me to look at him.
âSay it.â
I glared at him. âI hate you.â
His lips curled into something dangerous. âLiar.â
And thenâ
He kissed me.
No, not kissed. Destroyed.
His lips crashed against mine, hot, bruising, unrelenting. His tongue swept inside, tasting, claiming, ruining.
I gasped, but he swallowed it, his grip tightening like he was devouring every part of me.
I hated him.
I hated how I was kissing him back.
A moan slipped from my lips, and his smirk against my mouth was pure sin.
âSee, princess?â he murmured, dragging his lips down my neck. âYou donât hate me.â
His teeth grazed my skin, his voice dipping into something dark. âYou crave me.â
I gasped as his hand slid lower.
But before he could do anythingâ
BANG!
A gunshot echoed through the halls.
Taehyunâs body tensed.
His head snapped toward the direction of the sound, and in that second, I saw itâ
The flicker of rage. Danger. Death.
He let go of me, his body a storm ready to unleash hell.
âStay. Here.â His voice was a low growl.
And then, he was gone.
I exhaled shakily, my body still burning.
But something told meâ
This night was far from over.