CHAPTER THREE
Niall POV
I blink my eyes open slowly, the world swimming into view as I tug lightly on my wrists. Tied.
Cute.
The rope isn't even that tight. I could slip out of it if I tried hard enough, but where's the fun in that? I stretch my legs out slightly and take in my surroundings.
Abandoned building. Dusty. Cold. Moonlight slices in through a cracked window, casting silver shadows across broken furniture and concrete rubble. In the far corner, some weeds poke up through cracked tile. Real rustic aesthetic.
And pacing in front of me—tension radiating off him like heat waves—is my kidnapper.
I say 'kidnapper' loosely, because I let this happen.
I noticed the sedative. Of course I did. The subtle bitterness in that warm cup of coffee? Amateur mistake. But the man offering it was beautiful, and I was intrigued.
How often does someone that pretty try to drug you and cart you off?
First time for me, actually.
And considering who I am, that's saying something.
People don't drug me. People don't touch me unless I let them.
I'm not arrogant—I'm just stating facts. So yeah, I let myself be taken. Call it boredom. Curiosity. Something in between.
But now that I'm here?
I expected more.
He's pacing. Nervous. Stressed.
Definitely didn't plan past step one. I watch him quietly through my lashes. The way his jaw tightens, the way he keeps glancing at me like he's expecting me to combust into flame or bite him.
Maybe both.
There's a trace of pheromones in the air. Omega. Suppressed, but there.
Interesting.
Mirelle always warned me about things like this. About the trafficking rings, about the men and women who try to take what they think they're owed. She once had to rip a guy's spine out for trying to steal her sperm. Literally.
Is this my turn?
Am I going to be the first Alden to provide a grandchild?
I try not to laugh.
Instead, I cough. A weak, wheezy thing for dramatic effect. Shuffle a little in my seat like I'm disoriented. Maybe he thinks the drugs are still working.
"What... am I doing here?" I whisper, letting my voice tremble just enough to sell it.
He stops pacing. Turns to me.
Our eyes meet.
And, wow. Okay. Those eyes are really something.
Father always said that when he met Dad, the first thing he saw were green eyes that drowned him like the sea. And that he was a goner. It was the cheesiest thing I'd ever heard—until now.
Because this guy's eyes?
They're like sunlight filtered through stained glass. Bright. Dazzling. Angry.
And I get it now. I get it.
Because if he's a flame, I'm the kind of idiot that walks straight into the fire without checking the temperature. I am my father's son.
"You're awake?" he says, voice sharp with surprise. He steps closer.
The faint light catches on his skin, on his wild curls, on the line of tension in his jaw.
He's even prettier up close. That shouldn't be allowed.
I can feel my brain short-circuiting.
Which is ridiculous. I grew up around Dad and Father. Around Thieran, hell even my own reflection in the mirror. I'm not new to pretty.
But this is different.
There's rage behind this one's beauty. Real rage. And pain. And something tightly coiled, like a string pulled taut.
"What… who are you?" I ask, soft and hazy, tilting my head just right. Playing my part. On the inside, I'm already naming our future children.
Probably just one.
Maybe two. Depends on howmany he wants really, it's his body.
"You're supposed to be under for a few more hours," he mutters, mostly to himself.
I blink slowly. "What... am I doing... here?"
He moves so suddenly, I almost flinch.
A knife.
Where did that even come from?
He presses it against my neck. Cold, sharp, and quick. A thin sting. A line of blood trickles down my throat.
His face is right in front of mine now, eyes burning.
"I'm not buying the act, Niall Alden."
He says my name like a curse.
Like he wants to cut it out of me.
That level of hate is concerning.
And yet...
Fuck me, he's so hot.
My heart does this weird little stutter, and not from fear.
I tilt my head slightly, the blade biting a little deeper. My breath hitches, but not from pain.
Definitely not pain.