I was sitting on the edge of my bed, staring at the large black box that had been delivered to my dorm an hour ago. It was heavy, and the ribbon was real silk. I didn't have to guess who it was from. I pulled the small card out of the envelope and felt my heart skip a beat.

Wear this at seven, or I'll come put it on you myself. - Silas.

I scoffed, but my hands were shaking as I lifted the lid. Inside was a dress that looked like it cost more than my car. It was a deep emerald green with a high neckline-perfect for hiding the mark-and a back that dipped dangerously low. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

"I shouldn't go," I whispered to the empty room. "I should just stay here and lock the door."

But I knew Silas. He wasn't like Alaric, who used school to trap me. Silas used his shadow and his money. If he said he would come here, he would. I couldn't risk him showing up at a girls' dorm in a five-thousand-dollar suit.

By seven o'clock, I was standing in front of the mirror. The dress fit like a second skin. I did my hair in a way that felt sophisticated, but I still felt like a fraud. I was just Elena, the girl with the cheating ex-boyfriend and a pile of student loans. I didn't belong in a dress like this.

A sleek black limousine was waiting downstairs. The driver didn't say a word; he just opened the door. Silas was sitting inside, looking like a king. He was wearing a tuxedo that was so perfect it made my breath hitch.

"You look breathtaking, Elena," he said, reaching out to take my hand as I sat down.

"I feel like I'm playing dress-up," I admitted.

"Nonsense. You were born for this," he murmured. He didn't let go of my hand. He kept his fingers interlaced with mine for the entire drive, his thumb tracing circles over my knuckles. It felt warm and safe, which only made me more confused.

The gala was held in a massive ballroom filled with crystal chandeliers and the sound of a live orchestra. Men in expensive suits and women dripping in diamonds were everywhere. As soon as we walked in, heads turned. Silas didn't seem to notice. He kept me tucked close to his side, his arm firmly around my waist.

"Just stay close to me," he whispered. "Most of these people are vultures."

For the first hour, he was the perfect date. He introduced me as his guest, laughed at people's jokes, and made sure I always had a glass of sparkling water or champagne in my hand. He was charming and polite.

But under the table during dinner, things were different. While he talked to a business partner about real estate, his hand moved to my thigh. It wasn't a quick touch. He gripped my leg firmly, his palm hot against my dress. He didn't move it once. Every time a man looked my way or tried to engage me in conversation, Silas's grip would tighten just a little bit, a silent reminder of who I was with.

"Are you okay, darling?" he asked, turning to me with a bright, public smile. "You haven't eaten much."

"I'm fine," I said, my voice sounding strained. My skin was tingling everywhere he touched me. "I think I just need a moment. The crowd is a bit much."

"Of course," he said, finally letting go of my leg. "I have to finish this conversation with Mr. Sterling. Why don't you go find the bar? I'll join you in ten minutes."

I stood up, feeling like I could finally breathe. I wandered over to the far side of the ballroom where the bar was tucked away in a quieter corner. I leaned against the counter, watching the dancers.

Why was I doing this? Why was I letting a man I barely knew buy me clothes and dictate my night? And why did I still feel Alaric's voice in my head, or the memory of Killian's rough hands? It felt like I had three different men breathing down my neck at all times, even when they weren't there.

"It's a beautiful party, isn't it?"

I turned to see a younger man standing next to me. He had a kind face and was wearing a suit that looked a bit too big for him. He looked like an intern or a junior staff member.

"It is," I said, glad for a normal conversation. "A bit overwhelming, though."

"I'm Leo," he said, sticking out a hand.

"I'm with the catering firm, but I'm off the clock now. You look like you're looking for a way out."

I laughed. "Is it that obvious?"

"Just a hunch. Would you like to-"

Leo stopped mid-sentence. His eyes went wide, and his face turned pale. I didn't even have to turn around to know that Silas was standing behind me. The air in the corner suddenly felt ten degrees colder.

"Is there a problem here?" Silas's voice was smooth, but it had an edge like a razor.

"No! No problem," Leo stammered, backing away so fast he almost tripped. "I was just... I was just leaving. I didn't know she was with you. I'm so sorry."

Leo turned and fled into the crowd without looking back. I turned to Silas, feeling a flash of anger.

"He was just being friendly, Silas. You didn't have to scare him like that."

Silas didn't answer. He just looked at me, his blue eyes dark and unreadable. He reached out and grabbed my wrist, not roughly, but with a firm grip that told me he wasn't going to let go.

"We're leaving this conversation," he said.

He led me away from the bar and through a set of heavy double doors into a hallway lined with quiet offices and coat closets. He pushed open the door to a small, private cloakroom. He pulled me inside and shut the door, locking it with a quiet click.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my heart hammering.

Silas didn't say a word. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long, silver silk tie. He stepped behind me, and before I could protest, he pulled my hands behind my back.

"Silas, stop," I whispered, though my body wasn't fighting him.

He tied around my wrists, knotting it loosely. It didn't hurt, but the feeling of being bound made my head spin. He turned me around to face him. I was trapped between his body and the racks of coats.

"I don't like other men talking to you, Elena," he said, his voice a low, dark hum. "I don't like the way they look at you. I want to see if you'll struggle. I want to see if you really want to leave."

He leaned in and kissed me. It wasn't a slow kiss. It was a deep, hungry claim. With my hands tied behind me, I couldn't push him away, and I couldn't pull him closer. I was completely at his mercy.

I felt a wave of heat crash over me. I was dripping wet, my body reacting to the restraint in a way that terrified me. I wanted him to keep going, and I wanted to run away at the same time. I let out a soft moan against his lips, and he groaned, his hands roaming over the curves of the dress.

He pulled back just an inch, his forehead resting against mine. He looked at my bound wrists and then at my flushed face. "You're not struggling, Elena. Why aren't you struggling?"

"I don't know," I choked out. "Please. Just take me home. I can't be here."

Silas looked at me for a long moment, his eyes softening just a fraction. He reached behind me and untied the silk, letting it fall to the floor. He didn't say anything as he tucked it back into his pocket.

"Fine," he said. "I'll take you home."

The drive back was silent. Silas looked out the window, and I sat as far away as possible, staring at my hands. I felt like a monster. Was I a nympho? Was there something broken in my brain that made me enjoy being tied up by a man who treated me like a prize? I had spent years thinking I was a normal, boring girl, but now I didn't recognize myself at all.

As the car pulled up to my dorm, Silas leaned over and kissed my cheek.

"Sleep well, Elena," he said. "I'll call you tomorrow."

I ran inside without looking back.

I stayed in the library until the very last second before closing. My phone had been buzzing in my pocket for hours, but I refused to look at it. I knew what was waiting for me. Missed calls from Silas. Texts from Killian.

I just wanted to be a student again. I had a huge midterm in Constitutional Law coming up, and my brain was already leaking information. I needed peace. I needed to not be "property" or a "little bird" or a "captivating guest" for just one night.

But as I stepped out of the library doors, the sky decided to join in on my misery.

The clouds were black, and it was raining cats and dogs out here. Within seconds, my thin sweater was soaked through, clinging to my skin. I pulled my bag over my head, trying to protect my textbooks, and started the long walk toward my dorm.

"Elena! Get in the car!"

The familiar hum of a car, I've gotten used to sounded through the downpour. Silas's silver sports car pulled up to the curb, the window rolling down just enough for me to see his frustrated expression.

"Silas? What are you doing here? I told you I was busy," I shouted over the thunder.

"You weren't answering your phone. You're going to get sick. Get in," he commanded, his voice tight.

Before I could even answer, a deafening roar drowned out the rain. A black motorcycle swerved around the front of Silas's car, splashing a wave of dirty puddle water against his pristine silver paint. Killian kicked the kickstand down and hopped off, his leather vest already glistening with water.

"She's coming with me," Killian growled, stepping toward me.

Silas opened his car door and stepped out, ignoring the rain that immediately ruined his expensive hair. The two men stood on the sidewalk, glaring at each other. The tension was so thick I could almost taste it. They looked like two predators fighting over the last bit of prey on the plains.

"She's shivering, you idiot," Silas snapped at Killian. "She needs a heater and a dry seat, not a death trap on two wheels."

"She needs to get out of the open," Killian countered, his jaw set. "My place is closer."

I stood between them, water dripping off my nose, feeling more like an object than a human being. They weren't even looking at me; they were measuring each other.

"Stop it!" I yelled, stepping back. "Both of you. I'm not a prize. I'm not a trophy. I'm a person who is trying to go home and study."

"Elena, don't be stubborn," Silas said, stepping toward me with his hand reached out.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I'm not picking. I'm walking. I'd rather be wet and alone than trapped in a car or on a bike with either of you right now."

I turned and started walking. I didn't look back, even though I could hear them arguing behind me. I walked for ten minutes, my shoes squelching with every step. My teeth started to chatter, and my fingers went numb. Maybe picking a ride would have been smarter, but I was too angry to care.

I was crossing the edge of the campus woods, a shortcut to the dorms, when a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind.

"I told you I was out of patience, Elena."

It was Killian. He didn't give me a choice this time. He lifted me up and carried me off the path, heading deep into the trees.

"Put me down! Killian, I'm serious!"

"Shut up," he grumbled. "You're turning blue."

He didn't take me to his bike. He carried me to a small, secluded wooden shed tucked away behind the old maintenance building. He kicked the door open and set me down on a pile of dry moving blankets. The shed was small and smelled of cedar and old tools, but it was dry.

"Take those off," he said, pointing to my soaked sweater and jeans.

"What? No!"

"I'm not asking, Elena. You're shaking like a leaf. If you stay in those wet clothes, you're going to get pneumonia. Turn around if you have to, but get them off. Now."

He turned his back to me and started rummaging through a chest, pulling out a thick, oversized shirt. I hesitated, but he was right. I was freezing. I peeled off my wet clothes, my skin pebbled with goosebumps, and threw on the flannel shirt.

It reached mid-thigh on me and smelled exactly like him-smoke and spice.

"Done," I whispered.

Killian turned around. He had stripped off his own  vest and shirt, leaving him in just his heavy work pants. His chest was massive, covered in lots of tattoos that looked so beautiful in the dim light. He sat down on the blankets and pulled me toward him.

"What are you doing?"

"Body heat," he said simply. He pulled me back so I was sitting between his legs, my back pressed against his bare chest. He wrapped a dry wool blanket around both of us, tucking it in tight.

"I should be studying," I muttered, though I was starting to stop shivering. His heat was like a furnace.

"You should be resting," he replied.

We sat in silence for a long time, listening to the rain hammer against the tin roof of the shed. It was a rhythmic, soothing sound. I felt his arms wrap around my middle, pulling me closer until there wasn't a single inch of space between us.

His hands began to move, rubbing my arms and thighs to get my blood flowing. But the movement didn't stop for long. His touch became slower, heavier. He began to grind his chest against my back, his breath hot against my neck.

"Killian..." I breathed.

"Don't," he groaned. "Just let me hold you."

He started to shift, his lower body pressing firmly against me. It wasn't sex, but it was intimate. We were both fully clothed from the waist down, but the friction was enough to make my head swim. He moved with a slow, agonizing rhythm, his hands roaming over my stomach and up toward my ribs.

I felt a wave of that "wrong" pleasure hit me again. I was exhausted, stressed about my test, and yet I was leaning back into a man who had practically kidnapped me from the rain. I felt like a mess.

"You're so warm now," he whispered, his lips grazing the mark on my neck.

I didn't pull away. I let my head fall back against his shoulder. The fear and the anger were being washed away by a heavy, sleepy fog. His scent was filling my nose, and for some reason, it made my heart ache.

I closed my eyes, the sound of the rain turning into a lullaby. As I started to drift off, I inhaled deeply against his skin. My brows furrowed in my sleep. He smelled like woodsmoke, yes. But underneath that, there was something else. A scent of sandalwood and rain.

It was the exact same smell as Professor Blackwood.

I wanted to ask him about it, but sleep pulled me under before I could find the words. I fell into a deep, dreamless slumber, locked in the arms of the man I was supposed to be running from.

I woke up in my own bed, but I didn't remember getting there. The last thing I remembered was the sound of rain hitting a tin roof in Killian's arms. Now, the morning light was peeking through my thin dorm curtains.

I sat up, my head spinning. I looked at the door. It was locked from the inside, just how I always left it. I looked at my nightstand. There was a glass of water and two aspirin sitting there.

"How did he even get in here?" I muttered to myself.

I wasn't even surprised anymore. Between Alaric, Silas, and Killian, privacy seemed like a dream. They were everywhere. They were mysterious, they were overbearing, and they were starting to make me feel like I was losing my mind.

I felt terrible. My stomach was doing somersaults, and my skin felt cold and clammy. Every part of me wanted to stay under the covers and hide from the world. But then I looked at my desk. My Constitutional Law textbook was sitting there, reminding me of the mock trial today.

"I can't miss it," I whispered. "If I lose my scholarship, I lose everything."

I forced myself out of bed. I skipped breakfast because the thought of food made me want to gag. I dressed in a high-necked sweater again, brushed my hair, and headed to the law building. I just had to get through this one class.

The lecture hall was packed. The mock trial was a big deal, and everyone was dressed in their best suits, pretending to be real lawyers. I took my place at the defense table, my hands shaking as I shuffled my papers.

Alaric walked in, looking as sharp and lethal as ever. He didn't look at me, but I felt his eyes on the back of my neck.

"Begin," he said.

I stood up to give my opening statement. "Your Honor, the defendant in this case..."

The room started to tilt. The voices of my classmates sounded like they were underwater. I gripped the edge of the table, trying to steady myself. The lights above seemed to get brighter and brighter until everything turned white.

My knees buckled. I felt myself falling, but I never hit the floor.

Strong, firm arms caught me.

"Elena!"

That was the last thing I heard before the world went black.

****

When I opened my eyes, I was lying on a bed in the campus infirmary. The smell of antiseptic was strong. Alaric was standing by the window, his back to me. He looked like he was vibrating with tension.

"You're awake," he said, turning around. He didn't look angry; he looked worried, which was somehow scarier.

"I'm fine. I just didn't eat breakfast," I said, trying to sit up.

"Sit down, Elena," he commanded.

A man in a white coat, Dr. Aris, walked in holding a clipboard. He looked at me, then at Alaric, and back at his papers. He looked like he had seen a ghost.

"The blood work came back," Dr. Aris said, his voice shaky.

Alaric stepped toward him. "And?"

The doctor leaned in and whispered something into Alaric's ear. I couldn't hear a single word, but I saw Alaric's face change. His eyes went wide, and his jaw tightened so hard I thought it might break. He looked at me with an expression I couldn't read-it was part shock, part hunger, and part something else entirely.

"Is something wrong?" I asked. "Do I have a fever?"

"We're leaving," Alaric said, ignoring my question. He grabbed my coat and helped me up.

"But the doctor said-"

"I said we're leaving."

He didn't take me back to my dorm. He took me straight to his private office in the law building. He locked the door and pointed to the leather chair behind his desk.

"Sit," he said.

"Alaric, tell me what is going on. What did the doctor say?"

He didn't answer. He walked over to me and did something he had never done before. He sat in the chair and pulled me down onto his lap. I was too weak to fight him, and honestly, I didn't want to. I felt so tired.

"You need to rest," he murmured, his hand stroking my hair. "You've been very careless with yourself."

I tried to stand up. "I need to go study. I have to make up for the mock trial."

Alaric reached onto his desk and picked up a wooden ruler. As I tried to push off his knees, he gave my palm a light, sharp tap with the ruler.

Snap.

"Ow! What was that for?" I asked, staring at my hand. It didn't really hurt, but it startled me.

"I told you to rest," he said, his voice a deep, calm hum. "Every time you try to get up before I say you're ready, you'll get a reminder. Do you understand?"

"You can't treat me like a child," I said, but I stayed put.

He didn't say anything. He just held me. I leaned my head against his shoulder, listening to the steady beat of his heart. I realized then that I had stopped fighting. I was sitting on my professor's lap, being told when I could move, and I didn't want to leave. I was starting to crave the rules. I wanted someone to tell me what to do so I didn't have to think anymore.

"Why are you being so overprotective all of a sudden?" I whispered.

Alaric kissed the top of my head. "Because everything has changed, Elena. You just don't know it yet."

I closed my eyes, falling into a light sleep on his lap, wondering what the doctor could have possibly said to make a man like Alaric Blackwood look so terrified.