His Mortal Sin

2

Kianna

"Ahh... I promise I didn't touch her!" a shrill male voice screamed, each word laced in agony.

Everything was pitch black... yet I could still hear voices.

After what felt like a minute, I heard bones crack, making my eyes open.

My vision blurred a little… I had to shut my eyes tightly before opening them again to be faced with a dark ceiling.

I frowned, then furrowed, then hissed the moment I sat up on the satin sheets beneath me. I felt the world spin under me, hitting me with a huge headache…probably because of the amount of alcohol I consumed.

My head throbbed as I tried to recall how I ended up here. The smell of smoke and alcohol wafted through my nostrils. I looked up. The room was dimly lit, the air thick with the metallic scent of blood.

My eyes paused at the back facing toward me by the door, while a motionless, bloodied body lay on the floor.

My eyes widened immediately. The moment my breath caught, I wrapped my hands around the sheets as if they could save me from the sense of danger around me.

I bit my lips in sheer seconds, wondering how I got here in the first place… how I could escape. But that came to a halt the moment the back turned.

My eyes widened as I stared back at the fiery gaze that had been under my skin all night long.

I furrowed, then swallowed hard at the thought that passed through my head.

Did he bring me here?

My heart thudded more at the thought of him drugging my shot.

He raised his brows. “You keep thinking… yet no conclusion pops up.”

The silence between us was long... mostly because I couldn't believe him.

"Answer the goddamn question!"

He walked forward, leaning his tall stature down to my length on the bed—so close I could see red sparks in his irises.

"You talk much," he mocked, "for a person who almost got taken advantage of."

I didn't move or register the words that sprang out of his mouth. Instead, my attention was on his thick, plump lips that looked dangerously kissable at this length.

And the worst part was…he wasn't even that close.

“What do you mean by taken advantage of?” I asked, even though I knew what it meant.

He studied me coldly, reminding me how small I must look under him.

“I don't need to tell you what you already know, princess,” he muttered coldly, making my chest leap at that name.

“My name isn't Princess.”

“You surely don't look like one,” his eyes raked down my wrinkled clothes, then stopped at the midsection of my boobs.

On a normal day, I would’ve adjusted my clothes and looked away… but right now, I didn’t want to hide. I wanted his touch…his hand where his eyes lingered.

His eyes locked on mine as if he could sense what I was thinking. “Your friend is outside.”

My thoughts suddenly wandered back to Trish. Goosebumps rose on my skin as my eyes wandered to the unmoving, bloodied body.

‘Was this the same fate as hers?’ I thought, my eyes stinging.

Dead.

“What did you do to her?” I dragged out, grittingly.

He tilted his head, studying me again, and that instinct of danger kicked in…yet I wasn't afraid.

“You think I could kill?” he questioned.

I blinked, unsure if he was amused or sad. “Didn't you kill that man?” I said, pointing at the man who almost had his way with me.

“He's unconscious, not dead, bitch.”

I frowned, immediately standing up, ignoring the slight dizziness that clouded my head.

“Watch your mouth,” I snapped, folding my hands and giving him a deep glare.

He chuckled lowly, making me taken aback at how it sounded for a brief moment…mocking, deep. A wave of chill ran down my back.

“I don't have time for this,” I mumbled incoherently before walking out the door, but was immediately stopped the moment I was dragged toward his chest.

The smell of rough, damp wood invaded my senses as he leaned down to my ear, our height difference mocking me.

“You’re playing with fire… human,” he whispered darkly. My head leaned back to look at his face. His outlines showed perfectly, his eyes keeping my gaze buckled down.

And that bulge on his throat—

“Get off me, asshole!” I pushed back, using whatever strength I had to walk out that door, avoiding looking back at his gaze partially pointed at my back…or somewhere else…to which I hated to admit, it gave me a surreal feeling.

“f**k, Kianna,” Trish huffed, her normally neat hair all tangled and messy. “...Where the f**k have you been?”

I blinked. “Um…”

“Thank goodness Zane found you,” she added, searching to see if there were any bruises or marks on my body.

I furrowed. “Zane?”

She looked up at me, searching my face for any answers to her unheard questions. “Yeah, the bartender asshole guy.”

So that was his name…Zane.

“I thought something bad happened,” she mumbled.

“Nothing happened, Trish… like you said. Zane found me,” I mocked.

She eyed me for a moment before we both laughed out our guts.

“Seriously… I called your dad,” she said after the laughter died down.

I paused. “What? Why?”

“I was worried… and besides, I dragged you here, and your dad has connections, so…”

I twisted my head, looking around. “So where is he?”

“Well…”

“Goodness, princess!” I turned immediately at the sound, and before I could react, a soul-crushing hug fell on me as my father stroked my head and hands, as if comforting me.

“Dad,” I managed to choke, “I… can’t breathe.”

His hands went loose, but he kept hugging me like I was going to disappear. After a moment, he broke the hug. “I was worried and afraid.”

“I'm fine, Dad… I just got lost.”

“I know you’re all grown, but you’re still a baby to me…” I rolled my eyes immediately before stopping them at him.

Zane.

“Mr. George,” he called out to my father, making my brows furrow. How does he know my dad’s name?

“Oh! Lowe…” my father answered, making me confused about what was happening.

“You know him?” I asked my father, pointing at Zane, who kept his eyes directly on my father with a stern face.

“Oh yes! He’s one of our company staff…well, security.”

“What?” I exclaimed. “That’s not right… he’s a bartender here. In this club!”

My father nodded. “I know… I just hired him.”

My eyes moved between them.

My father and the man who had just called me ‘human’ in the darkest, most dangerous tone I’d ever heard… standing there, talking like they knew each other.

“Hired him?” I repeated, almost laughing at how ridiculous that sounded. “Dad, you can’t be serious, he works here! In a bar!”

My father smiled faintly, clearly missing the storm raging in my head. “Not anymore, sweetheart. I offered him the position earlier this week. He’s starting full-time on Monday.”

Zane didn’t speak. He didn’t even flinch. Just stood there, tall and impossibly composed, his fiery eyes locked on me like he could read every thought that threatened to escape.

“Congratulations,” I muttered under my breath, my tone sharper than I intended.

His lips curved….not quite a smile, more like something dangerous. “Thanks, princess.”

I stiffened.

The way he said it sent a jolt straight through me….the kind that made your stomach twist, that made your pulse trip over itself.

“Right,” my father said, clearing his throat, clearly oblivious to the tension that filled the space. “Well, Lowe’s going to be around the estate often, Kianna. He’ll be in charge of private security for the property.”

“What?” I blurted, louder than I meant to. “You mean… like, our house?”

My father nodded. “Yes, honey. You know how things have been lately. I’d feel better if someone was watching out for you.”

Zane’s gaze flickered, the faintest spark of amusement behind that coldness. Watching me. Of course, he’d be watching me.

I clenched my jaw. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

“You need protection,” my father said simply, his tone final. “And Lowe comes highly recommended. Trust me, sweetheart… he’s the best there is.”

Something about the way Zane’s lips twitched made me doubt that “highly recommended” meant normal.

“Anyway,” my father sighed, turning to Trish, who’d been unusually quiet. “Thank you for calling me, dear. You probably saved me from a heart attack.”

Trish smiled awkwardly, muttering something about being glad I was okay. I barely heard her. My focus was entirely on the man standing a few feet away….the one who had pulled me out of whatever mess had happened in that club.

And called me human. As if he wasn’t one.

“Ready to go?” Dad asked, squeezing my shoulder.

I nodded numbly, still trying to piece everything together. I turned toward the exit, my heels clicking softly against the tiled floor… only to pause when I felt it.

That same heat.

That same burning gaze.

I turned slightly, meeting his eyes once more.

“See you soon, princess,” Zane murmured.

My breath caught….because this time, I didn’t imagine it. His voice wasn’t teasing. It was a warning.