|Draven's POV|
The moment I drop Casmira off at her penthouse, I feel the hollow ache in my chest expand. Leaving her like that—flushed, breathless, and with the ghost of my touch still on her—goes against every primal instinct in me. I want to take her, claim her, tie her to me in ways she'll never escape.
But not yet.
I lean against the driver's seat of my car, the leather creaking under my grip as I force myself to calm down. There's too much at stake, too many moving parts in my life for me to lose control now. Casmira doesn't know the truth about who I am, about the empire I've built in the shadows. And for now, it needs to stay that way.
The streets blur as I drive toward one of my safe houses. Elias is waiting for me, and I know exactly what he'll say when I walk in.
"She's tro
