The next morning, Alivia woke up to an invasion.

A rack of clothes was wheeled into her bedroom by a woman with a severe bob cut and a tape measure around her neck.

"Up, up!" the woman clapped. "Mr. Blackburn says the 'hobo chic' look is retired."

"Who are you?" Alivia rubbed her eyes.

"Sasha. I'm here to format your hard drive. Or in this case, your closet."

For two hours, Alivia was poked, prodded, and draped in fabric. The hoodies were bagged up. The jeans were replaced with tailored trousers and silk blouses.

When Sasha was done, Alivia looked in the full-length mirror.

She was wearing a cream-colored cashmere coat, a navy dress that hugged her waist, and boots that added three inches to her height. Her hair was blown out in soft waves. She wasn't hiding anymore.

She looked... powerful.

She walked out to the living room. Gideon was drinking coffee, reading the Wall Street Journal.

He lowered the paper. His eyes swept over her, starting at her boots and ending at her eyes. He didn't smile, but his pupils dilated.

"Acceptable," he said.

"I feel like a doll," Alivia tugged at the coat.

"You look like a queen," Gideon corrected. "Act like one."

When the Audi pulled up to campus, Alivia stepped out.

The reaction was immediate. Heads turned. Conversations stopped.

She was no longer the invisible girl in the hoodie. She was an enigma, wrapped in cashmere and mystery, and the entire quad seemed to hold its breath as she passed.

She walked across the quad, the cashmere coat billowing behind her.

"Well, well."

Preston Lowe stepped into her path. He looked disheveled. His eyes were bloodshot.

"Look at you," he spat. "Spending my money?"

"Get out of my way, Preston," Alivia said calmly.

"My dad lost his grant this morning," Preston shouted. "And my cards are dead. You did this!"

A crowd began to gather.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alivia said, stepping around him.

Preston grabbed her arm. Hard.

"Don't walk away from me, you bitch!" He yanked her back. "I want to see what's under that coat. Let's see what you're selling!"

He reached for the lapel of her coat.

Alivia froze.

Before his fingers could touch the cashmere, a hand clamped onto Preston's wrist.

It wasn't Gideon. It was Silas.

The driver had moved with impossible speed. He twisted Preston's wrist.

Snap.

Preston screamed, dropping to his knees.

"Touch Mrs. Blackburn again," Silas said, his voice like grinding gravel, "and you will lose the hand."

The crowd gasped. Mrs. Blackburn.

Silas released Preston, who curled into a ball on the grass, cradling his wrist.

Silas straightened his suit jacket and turned to Alivia. He bowed slightly.

"Are you unharmed, Ma'am?"

Alivia looked at the groaning boy on the ground, then at the terrified faces of the students around her.

"I'm fine, Silas," she said. Her voice didn't shake.

"Good. The car is waiting."

Alivia walked to the car, leaving Preston in the dirt. She didn't look back.

The penthouse was quiet when she returned.

Gideon was sitting on the sofa, his laptop open. He didn't look up as she entered.

"Did Silas break it?" he asked.

"Just sprained, I think," Alivia said, taking off her coat.

"Pity."

Alivia walked over to him. "You did it, didn't you? The grant. The cards."

Gideon closed the laptop and looked at her. "He touched you."

"So you ruined his life?"

"I removed an obstacle. There is a difference."

Alivia looked at him. This man was ruthless. He destroyed people with a phone call.

And he did it for her.

She sat down next to him. "Thank you."

Gideon reached out and pulled her into his lap. It was a fluid motion, possessing her.

"You are my wife, Alivia. My protection is part of the deal."

"Is that all it is? A deal?" she asked, looking into his eyes.

Gideon didn't answer. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long, velvet box.

He opened it. Inside lay a necklace. A single, teardrop sapphire, dark as the ocean, suspended on a platinum chain.

"Turn around," he murmured.

Alivia turned. She felt the cold metal against her skin, then the warmth of his fingers clasping it at the nape of her neck.

He kissed the spot right above the clasp. A shiver ran down her spine.

"I have to go to Zurich tonight," he said against her skin. "Business."

Alivia felt a sharp pang of disappointment. "Oh. How long?"

"Three days." He turned her face to look at him. "Will you miss me?"

"Maybe," she whispered.

Gideon smirked. "Liar."

He brushed his thumb over her lips. "Wear the necklace. It tells them you're mine."

"I'm not a dog, Gideon."

"No," he agreed. "You're a wolf. But you're my wolf."

He stood up, adjusting his cuffs. "Silas will stay with you. Don't go anywhere without him."

"I won't."

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. It was a chaste kiss, but it burned.

"Be good, Alivia."

Then he was gone, taking all the air in the room with him.

Alivia touched the sapphire at her throat. It felt heavy. It felt like an anchor.

Three days felt like three years.

Alivia spent her time in the library, burying herself in books to avoid the whispers. The campus was terrified of her now. Or rather, terrified of the shadow that loomed behind her.

It was late when she finally left the library. The sun had set, casting long shadows across the quad.

She walked toward the pick-up point. Silas was usually waiting right at the curb in the silver Audi.

She saw the car idling, but as she got closer, a campus security vehicle screeched to a halt beside it, lights flashing. Two officers got out and began talking animatedly to Silas, pointing toward a minor fender-bender down the street involving a university van. Silas, looking annoyed but obligated, got out to deal with them. It was a perfect, seamless distraction.

Alivia frowned, hesitating. She pulled out her phone to text him that she would wait.

A figure stepped out from behind a large oak tree.

"You think you're safe?"

It was Preston. He looked like a wreck. His arm was in a sling, his clothes were rumpled, and he smelled like whiskey.

"Preston," Alivia backed away. "Stay back."

"My dad got fired today," Preston slurred, stepping closer. "Tenure revoked. Because of you."

"He got fired because he raised a predator," Alivia said, her hand clutching her phone.

"You ruined everything!" Preston screamed. He lunged at her.

Alivia turned to run, but he was faster. He grabbed her hair, yanking her back.

"I'm going to make you pay!" he shrieked. He raised his good hand, balled into a fist.

Alivia squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the impact.

Screech.

Tires squealed against asphalt.

Blinding white light flooded the area, washing out the darkness.

Preston froze, shielding his eyes.

A massive black car had jumped the curb, sliding to a halt ten feet away. It wasn't the Audi.

It was a Rolls-Royce Phantom.

The rear door flew open before the car even fully stopped.

Gideon Blackburn stepped out.

He wasn't wearing a suit. He was wearing a black dress shirt, unbuttoned at the collar, sleeves rolled up. He looked wild. He looked lethal.

He didn't say a word. He walked straight toward them.

Preston let go of Alivia's hair, stumbling back. "Who... who are you?"

Gideon didn't even look at him. He reached Alivia, grabbing her face in his hands, tilting her head up.

"Did he hurt you?" he demanded. His eyes were frantic, scanning her for injuries.

"No," Alivia breathed, grabbing his wrists. "You're back."

"I'm back."

Gideon turned his head. He looked at Preston.

It wasn't a look of anger. It was a look of absolute annihilation.

"Silas," Gideon said calmly.

Silas, having disentangled himself from the now-apologetic security guards, stepped out of the driver's seat of the Rolls. "Sir."

"Make sure Mr. Lowe never sets foot in New York again."

"Understood."

Preston scrambled backward. "Wait! You can't-"

Gideon ignored him completely. He wrapped an arm around Alivia's waist, pulling her flush against him and turning her away from the scene. With his broad back shielding her from view, he propelled her toward the open door of the Rolls-Royce.

A crowd of students was pouring out of the library, drawn by the lights and the car.

"Gideon," Alivia whispered, her face pressed against his chest. "Everyone is watching."

"They can't see a thing," Gideon growled, pushing her gently but firmly into the plush leather of the back seat before sliding in behind her and slamming the heavy door shut. The world outside went silent.

The privacy partition whirred up, encasing them in a dark, intimate cocoon. He turned to her, his blue eyes blazing in the dim light.

He lowered his head and crushed his mouth to hers.

It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was possessive. Hungry. A raw, desperate claiming. He kissed her until her knees buckled, holding her up with his arm like iron.

He pulled back, breathless, his forehead resting against hers.

"Let them wonder," he whispered. "But you will know who you belong to."

Alivia clung to his shirt, her heart soaring.

The monster had come to save her. And for the first time, she didn't want to be saved from him.