Kira’s POV
“Liana. Stay.”
I froze.
Liana froze.
Even the air seemed to hold its breath the moment those words left his mouth.
For a full second, nobody moved, not even Adrian. The only thing I could hear was the sharp, panicked flutter of Liana’s heartbeat behind me.
I turned slowly, very slowly, because if I looked too fast I might actually lunge at him. “Excuse me? What do you want with her now? Gonna bully her because I got a sweet ride out of you? She pays for this somehow? You’ll punish her later? Is that how twisted you are?”
His whole face twisted like I’d actually punched him in the stomach. The color drained from his skin. He looked…sick. Hurt in a way I’d never seen on anyone.
“I don’t blame you for seeing me as a monster,” he said quietly, voice rough and unsteady. “That
