Chapter 1

I'm dead.That's the first and only thought that floats through my mind as the darkness closes in and consumes me.

"Lux!" There's a voice, a deep baritone drifting through the darkness. "Lux, wake up."

The pressure on my chest is gone, and my body instinctively draws in a lungful of air, waking me up. I sit up abruptly as a coughing fit grips me, squeezing my lungs. I blink, and see Roman beside me, half on top of my body.

I'm not dead.

I blink at Roman. "W-what happened?"

"Someone tried to run you over," he answers, his gaze searching my face. "Are you okay?"

I pull away, and shake my head, pressing a palm against the gritty asphalt to steady myself. "Did you tackle me?"

I realize now, the impact I felt was Roman's huge body. He must have thrown himself at me to get me out of the way of the car.

His breath is heaving as he studies me, and I know he's waiting for me to tell him whether I'm okay or not. But honestly, I don't know. My head hurts, and it feels like I've been trampled by a herd of elephants—or one very muscular rich boy.

Somewhere in the distance, tires squeal and the street goes dark again. Roman and I are lying at the end of someone's driveway—and that someone comes out of their house to see what's going on.

"Everything okay?" the guy asks.

I open my mouth to ask him to call the police, but Roman speaks before I can. "Yup, fine. Just some asshole speeding. Sorry to bother you," he says, gathering me up and helping me stand. "Can you walk?" he asks in a low tone, for my ears alone.

I nod, and he helps me over to his car, opening the passenger side door, and guiding me inside. Only when I'm inside his car, staring out of the windshield, does it dawn on me exactly what just happened.

"W-who was that?" I ask when he slides into the driver's seat, threading my fingers together to stop them from trembling. My whole body is vibrating, though—the adrenaline still pumping through my veins.

"I don't know. The headlights were blinding. I couldn't even see the make of the car," Roman says, starting the engine. "But whoever it was is going to be sorry they fucked with you."

As he peels out of the quiet street, I can see the anger pulling at his features—even in the near darkness. But is it anger that I was put in danger, or anger that he was forced to save me?

I still can't help but wonder if he's behind all of this somehow. I mean, it just so happens he reached me in time to shove me out of the way? Is he trying to play the hero, so I'll trust him?

I lean back against the headrest, and push out a sigh, trying and failing to calm my rioting nerves. Is there anyone I can trust? Roman's words from the Prefrence Ceremony come floating back to me.

Careful where you step, Little Rabbit. There are vipers everywhere in this house.

No fucking joke.

At the time, I had no idea how true those words would be. In just a couple of days, I've been assaulted, my friend has gone missing, and someone just tried making me roadkill.

Either Roman Rush is a prophet or he knows because he's the one backstage, pulling the strings. He doesn't strike me as the spiritual type, so I'm betting it's the latter.

We drive the two minutes to school, and he pulls into Rush House's long driveway.

"Why are you bringing me here?" I ask, alarmed. "I want to go back to my dorm room."

He shakes his head and parks in the back, killing the engine. "It's not safe for you there."

I twist in the seat, so I can look at him head-on. "How do you know that?"

His head lolls onto the headrest, and he looks over at me with a nonchalance I find infuriating, given what just happened. His dark wavy hair is mussed, and there's a scratch running along his cheekbone. I swallow, averting my gaze. Why does the devil have to be so damn handsome?

"You think that asshole—whoever it was— is done with you?" he asks. "Nah, you'd better stick close to me."

Ah, there it is. I look at him, my lips pressed together. "Is that what this is all about?"

"What?"

I could beat around the bush, but I've discovered that being direct is better with Roman. "Was this all orchestrated to scare me, so you could play the hero? So I would be grateful to you?"

His hand is on my leg, and he strokes my inner thigh through my jeans, stirring that tension inside me that it seems only he can create. I grab his hand and try to pull it off, but his grip tightens, his fingertips digging into my thigh painfully. "I told you there were vipers hidden everywhere, Little Rabbit. Do you believe me now?"

Reaching for the door handle, I pop the car door open, and cool air rushes into the cabin. I try to undo my seatbelt, so I can leave, but his hand is still clamped around my thigh, holding me in place.

"Let me go," I say as calmly as I can, but honestly, fear is rushing through me. Roman is powerful, and controlling, and he scares the shit out of me. I have no idea what he's capable of, but I have a feeling he'll do whatever is necessary to get what he wants—even if that means kidnapping my best friend to get me under control.

His lips twist into a smile. "It's too late for all that, Lux. You might as well give in to me. It'll make things a lot easier for us both."

Is that a veiled threat?

I stop struggling then. "If I do, will you tell me where Bree is?"

I'd do anything to get my friend back. Anything.

He reaches over with his other hand, and pulls my chin forward, pinching my skin painfully between his thumb and the crook of his forefinger. "There won't be conditions on this thing between us, Lux."

Leaning in, he brushes his mouth over mine, and my eyelids flutter closed. I can feel the warmth of his breath on my lips, practically taste it on my tongue, and my mouth waters. "It's too strong to resist, so why even try?"

There's truth to what he's saying. Since our first wild encounter on the beach, I've been drawn to him. The jolting energy between us is hard to deny, and Lux from a year ago might have given in, despite all the red flags. But I can't do that now. This guy is no good for me, no matter how rich, or beautiful, or powerful he is.

"I want to go back to my dorm room," I say, avoiding his question. "I'm tired."

He releases my chin and sits back in his seat, his hand still firmly planted on my thigh. "We need to talk about last night."

Oh, last night, when he fucked me so hard, I felt my soul leave my body? Yeah, no. I don't have the headspace to deal with any of this right now, especially after what just happened. The absolute last thing I need to think about is the wicked things Roman did to my body last night.

"I'm tired," I say again for emphasis.

His gaze narrows. "When I say we need to talk about something, it's not an option."

I push my head back against the headrest, and close my eyes briefly, drawing on all the strength I have left in my body. My head still hurts, and every single one of my ribs feels bruised, but I force myself to ignore the discomfort.

With a soft smile, I lean forward and touch my lips to his. His musky scent surrounds me, and I breathe deeply.

This guy is such an asshole, and yet, he has an indescribable pull on me. That just proves how fucked up I am inside. I fear him, and yet he makes my blood sizzle—and I don't care who you are, or how many alarm bells are ringing inside your head, that physical pull is going to override everything.

"What is there to talk about?" I say softly, brushing my lips across his, like he'd just done to me. He leans back, allowing me this small degree of control, and I take it. "Last night happened, and that's all there is to it, right?"

A growl rumbles in his chest, and his hands slide up my back, over my cotton shirt. If we weren't inside the car, then I'd really be in trouble. He'd have me up against a wall, pants off, in seconds. But within the confines of the car, it's harder to maneuver, harder for him to take control.

Biting my bottom lip, I find the hard ridge of his erection, straining against his jeans. He shifts in his seat, leaning forward to kiss me, but I'm quick, and I pull back a little.

With a frustrated growl, he grips the back of my head and pulls me forward roughly. His grip on my thigh loosens, and I shift my body as his mouth moves over mine, tugging me into a hard kiss, his mouth pulling mine apart. His tongue is soft inside my mouth, and I sink into it, my hand stroking him over his jeans.

He moans against my mouth, his hips lifting off the seat, silently urging me on as his grip on my neck tightens, and his kiss deepens. It's a frenzy of kissing, our teeth gnashing together as he frantically devours me.

With one hand, I manage to unzip his jeans and pull his cock free. My hand smoothes over his velvety shaft, stroking, and squeezing as he continues to kiss me.

Then, abruptly, I pull away. In the darkness, his breath is heaving as he looks at me like, what the fuck? "What?" he asks, reaching for me.

I flash him a smile, easing out of the car slowly. "Who is in control now?"

And then I run. For the second time in one night, I run away from Roman Rush as fast as I can…