stepping through 50
1274 Words
chapter 50
Con pov
The moment we stepped through the portal, the air changed.
It wasn’t cold like the vampire realm. It wasn’t thick with magic either. It smelled… clean. New.
I took one slow step forward, my eyes scanning every inch of the place. Marble floors. Dark leather couches. A fireplace already lit. The kind of place built for power… not comfort.
“You did this?” I asked quietly, setting the suitcase down but not letting go of the briefcase.
Draya stepped further inside, graceful as always, like she belonged anywhere she stood.
“I told you,” she said softly, “it’s close enough for you to touch.”
I moved toward the window and pulled the curtain aside.
My office building stood just across the street…I turned sharply toward her.
“You bought property across from my job?”
“I prepared for you,” she corrected.
Prepared for me…That was different.
I walked through the house slowly, checking corners, checking exits, counting windows. There was a large kitchen.. stocked. A bar.. stocked. A massive bedroom down the hall.
I stopped in the doorway…The bed alone could fit four people comfortably…My jaw tightened.
“Are you planning on inviting company?” I asked dryly.
Her lips curved faintly. “Only if you request it.”
I scoffed, but something in my chest tightened. Everything here was tailored. The office space… already equipped. Screens. Secure connections. A private entrance. Even the layout mirrored the structure of my old home…She studied me as I moved, watching for approval…Or weakness.
“You think this makes me trust you?” I asked without looking at her.
“No,” she said honestly. “But it makes it harder for you to leave.”
That made me pause…I turned slowly.
“Careful,” I warned. “You don’t want to cage a wolf.”
Her gaze darkened slightly. “And you don’t want to underestimate a vampire.”..Silence filled the space between us.
Dangerous silence…I walked toward her, stopping inches away.
Close enough to feel her cool breath against my skin.
“You set this up too perfectly,” I murmured. “That means you’ve been planning something.”
She didn’t flinch.
“I have.”
My eyes narrowed. “What?”
“To keep you alive.”
There it was again. That careful answer. Not a lie. Not the full truth.
I reached up, brushing my thumb along her jawline… not gentle, not rough. Testing.
“You better hope that’s the only plan you have.”
Her fingers curled into my shirt, just slightly.
“Or what?” she challenged quietly.
I leaned in, my mouth near her ear.
“Or I’ll make sure you regret it.”
For a split second, her breath hitched.
Good..She wasn’t as steady as she pretended…I pulled away first.
“I have work in the morning,” I said, walking toward the office room. “If I find out you’ve touched anything in my files without permission, this deal is over.”
“I wouldn’t dare,” she replied smoothly.
But as I sat down at the desk, powering up one of the screens, something felt off…Too perfect…Too close.
And Draya… she was watching me like I was already hers.
Draya pov
He was suspicious. Sharp. Every move is calculated…Good.
That made this more interesting.
He noticed everything.. the building across the street, the office layout, the exits. But what he didn’t notice was the subtle enchantments woven into the walls. Nothing harmful. Nothing binding..Just… persuasive..Soft magic. Influence. Comfort.
He thought this was about seduction…He had no idea this was about control…When he brushed his thumb along my jaw, I almost reacted…Almost.
His warmth against my cool skin was distracting. Infuriating.
Why did it feel like that?..He thinks he’s playing me, I reminded myself…He believes he’s the hunter.
I stepped into the bedroom slowly after he disappeared into the office. The bed was massive, yes.. but not for indulgence.
For illusion…If I needed to, I could make him believe anything happened here. A night of passion. A night of surrender.
And in the morning?..He would wake more attached.
More convinced…More loyal.
A knock echoed lightly in my mind.. the Queen’s presence brushing the edge of my thoughts, waiting…Not yet.
I needed progress first…I walked back down the hall and leaned against the office doorway, watching him work. Focused. Intense.
Powerful…Dean would enjoy breaking him.
But first, I needed him wrapped around my finger.
“Con,” I said softly.
He didn’t look up. “What.”
“You’re safe here.”..His jaw tightened.
“I’m never safe,” he replied.
And for the first time since this game began…I almost believed him.
(The queen talking to Draya)
“Darya, how is everything? Are you keeping to the plan?”
“Yes, my Queen. Everything in due time. He will be falling to my feet before he even realizes it.”
“Good… good. Just keep me informed. Dean and I cannot wait for your return.”
“Yes, my Queen. I will keep you informed on everything that is going on.”
The connection cut off just as Con turned back around.
I slipped the communicator back into my coat, forcing my expression into something soft..unguarded. If he had caught even a whisper of that conversation, there would have been no fixing it. No excuses. No second chances…I would have had to kill him myself.
And that would have ruined everything.
Con studied me for a moment, his sharp gaze searching, always searching. He didn’t trust easily..that much was clear. He was powerful, dangerous… and smarter than most gave him credit for.
“Ready?” he said
I smiled, stepping closer, slipping my hand into his like it belonged there.
“Of course.”
If only he knew.
A small, deliberate tear in the fabric of realms shimmered before us as I opened the portal. The air crackled with magic, violet and silver threads weaving together until the doorway stabilized. I carried one case; he carried the other…Domestic. Almost laughably so.
We stepped through…The new home was quiet, dimly lit by lanterns along stone walls. It smelled untouched…dust and old magic lingering in the air. Isolated. Perfect…He set the luggage down first.
“You’re quiet,” he said, watching me again.
I let my shoulders soften, turning toward him slowly. “Just thinking about what this means… starting over.”..That word lingered between us…Starting over.
He stepped closer, brushing a strand of hair from my face. His touch was careful. Testing. “You won’t regret this.”
Oh, Con… I thought…You will.
But my lips curved into something warm.
“I trust you.”
And that was the most dangerous lie I had ever told.
Because while he believed he had found an ally… perhaps even something more… I was already weaving the threads around him.
A little isolation…A little doubt…A little fear.
Not enough to break him..no. Breaking him would be too quick.
No, I would make him question his own mind first.
A misplaced sound in the night…A whisper when no one was there.
Shadows that moved just a second too late.
And when he started to unravel..when sleep escaped him and paranoia crept in..I would be there. Soft hands. Gentle voice. His only comfort…His only safety.
Until the day I decided he no longer needed to breathe.
I turned away from him, pretending to admire the room…Behind me, he was still watching…Good…Let him think he’s the one in control.
Because by the time he realizes he isn’t…It will already be too late.
- Writer
