CHAPTER 3

RAINORA.

A man, bound by wires onto a chair, bloodied, face swollen, streaked with tears, whimpered and begged

hoarsely for mercy.

Across from him sat a tall, sleek man in a tuxedo with an unnerving calm, an air of authority. Two other

men stood off to the side, postures menacing.

The man in the tuxedo murmured something, too low to hear.

"No! Please, I swear I didn't—" the bloodied man began, but his plea was cut off by a gunshot.

One of the men had shot him in the thigh.

The man in the chair screamed in agony, and I clapped a hand over my mouth to stifle a gasp. What was

this?

The tall man stood and, with unhurried movements, leaned in, whispering something into the bloody

man's ear. Whatever was said brought the man down in a fit of crying.

My heart pounded in my chest as one raised his gun and shot the man in the head. Blood had splattered

against the wall, and the room remained silent.

I stumbled backward, my stomach churning, bile rising in my throat. My shoulder hit the door, and it

creaked open.

All three of them turned to me.

My breath caught as their gazes landed on me.

"Fuck," I whispered, wheeling on my heels. I ran down the corridor, my heart racing as I prayed I

wouldn't trip. The sound of footsteps behind me sent me into panic. I didn't get very far. No sooner had I

turned the corner of the corridor than a firm arm pulled me from behind. I gave a muffled yelp as a hand

clamped over my mouth, dragging me backward. I kicked and struggled, but my captor was unyielding,

pulling me swiftly back into the room.

"Let me go!" I cried out, my voice shaking, when the hand moved from my mouth.

"Shut up," a cold, commanding voice said.

The tall man I'd seen earlier, the one in the tuxedo, now stood before me, his presence even more

menacing up close. His piercing grey eyes swept over me, cold and calculating. He radiated authority,

and his gaze pinned me like a butterfly on display.

"Who sent you?" His voice was low, deadly.

I blinked, panic swelling in my chest. "W-what? No one! I wasn't sent by anyone!" He stepped closer, his

height and demeanor towering over me. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying!" I blurted, shaking. "I-I was lost. I went to the bathroom and couldn't find my way back.

That's all, I swear!"He studied me, his expression unreadable but no less intimidating. "You just happened to wander in

here?"

"Yes!" My voice broke. "I didn't see anything. I didn't—"

"You saw enough," he cut in, his voice slicing.

I swallowed hard. My heart was racing so fast that I felt like I was going to pass out. "Please, I didn't

mean to—I just want to leave," I whispered.

One of the other men, the one who had shot the man in the chair earlier, spoke up. "Nikolas, just let her

go. She looks harmless."

Nikolas didn't say a word. His eyes didn't leave mine, and they were dark, judging. The silence in the

room was charged, and I folded under the weight of his scrutiny.

"What's your name?" he asked finally, his voice softer but no less commanding.

"R-Rainora," I stammered.

Well, Rainora," Nikolas said, his lips curving into the faintest hint of a smirk, "if you breathe a word of

this to anyone, I'll find you. And I'll hurt you. Do you understand?"

My mouth felt dry, but I nodded quickly. "I won't tell anyone. I swear."

His eyes flicked over my face one last time, and something in his expression shifted. It wasn't quite

softness, but a flicker of something I couldn't place.

"Good."

He stepped back, and without any thought to it, I took off running. This time they let me go.

My legs took over as I ran from the room, heels pounding against the floor. I burst into the main area of

the club, my chest heaving as the thrum of music and chatter swallowed me whole. Never had I been so

grateful for the deafening noise.

I spotted Eunice at the bar, her head swiveling in concern.

"Rainora!" Eunice called, flooding her face with relief as I stumbled over. "Where the hell have you

been? I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"I—uh, I got lost trying to find the bathroom," I said, forcing a laugh that felt brittle even in my ears.

"This place is like a maze."

Eunice frowned but didn't push the issue. "You look pale. Are you okay?"

Yeah," I said quickly, glancing over my shoulder toward the corridor I'd just escaped. "But can we leave?

I'm not feeling well."

Eunice studied me for a moment, then nodded. "Of course. Let's get out of here."

The ride home was silent. I stared out the window, my heart still racing. I couldn't shake the image of

Nikolas—the cold way he'd stared me down, the threat in his voice, and the eerie authority he exuded. As the club faded into the distance, I had a nagging feeling this wouldn't be the last time I'd encounter

him.

Once we got home, Eunice ordered some food, insisting I eat something before going to bed. We sat at

the kitchen counter as Eunice chatted about the club, completely unaware of the shitshow bubbling

inside me.

"I'm glad we went out, though," Eunice said. "Even if the night didn't turn out as exciting as I hoped."

I forced a small smile. "Yeah, it was. an experience."

Taking but a few bites of the sandwich, I excused myself and went to my room. I locked the window twice-checked it, and kept the light on. It wasn't just the shadows dancing along the walls that bothered

me tonight.

Lying down in bed, I failed to calm my racing thoughts. Every time I'd shut my eyes, they'd fall upon the

vision of the bloodied man, the gunshot, and those cold, piercing eyes that stabbed into my soul from

under Nikolas's brow.

Sleep didn’t come easily.