Chapter 540
Chapter 540:
Skye stopped breathing.
“He’s waiting for you there, isn’t he? Or he thinks he is.” Lucian’s voice dropped to a growl. “Drink it. Prove to me that you’re staying. Prove to me that I don’t need to blow up the pier p>
Skye looked at the cup. Then at Lucian’s eyes. There was no mercy there—only a hunger for control that could never be sated.
If she drank it, she was compromised. If she didn’t, Liam died. It wasn’t a choice. It was a transaction.
Skye reached out. Her hand trembled, rattling the cup against the saucer. She took it. The ceramic was warm.
“Good girl,” Lucian murmured.
Skye brought the cup to her lips. The smell was overpowering now. She closed her eyes. She thought of Liam, blindly walking into a trap at the pier. She thought of Alistair, somewhere out there, regrouping after the ambush.
She tilted her head back and drank.
The coffee was bitter, scalding her throat. She swallowed it all, every drop, refusing to gag.
She lowered the cup. She looked at Lucian, defiance blazing in her eyes.
“Happy?” she hissed.
Lucian took the empty cup from her hand and set it on the shelf. He reached up and stroked her hair.
“Ecstatic p>
It hit her fast.
First, her fingertips went numb. Then a wave of artificial warmth washed over her, starting in her stomach and spreading to her limbs. The sharp edges of the room began to blur. The fear in her chest dissolved, replaced by a fuzzy, heavy contentment.
Her knees buckled.
Lucian caught her. He pulled her against his chest. She felt like a rag doll—heavy and pliable.
“Shh,” he soothed as her head lolled onto his shoulder. “Just let go, Skye. No more fighting. No more pain p>
𝘍𝗂ոd 𝘆𝗈𝗎𝘳 𝗳𝘢vо𝗋𝘪𝘁е g𝗲n𝗿𝘦 𝗼𝗇 𝖻𝘦𝘭𝗇𝗼v𝖾𝗅ѕ.сo𝘮
“Liam…” she mumbled, her tongue feeling too big for her mouth.
“He’s fine,” Lucian lied. “We’re going to see him. We’re going to have a little reunion p>
He lifted her into his arms. Skye tried to push him away, but her arms felt like they were underwater. She only managed to rest her hand on his lapel, gripping the fabric weakly.
The world tilted and spun into a kaleidoscope of colors.
“You’re so beautiful when you’re quiet,” Lucian whispered.
Skye wanted to scream, but all that came out was a soft, compliant sigh.
The world was a smear of neon lights and darkness.
Skye was floating. She was in the back of a car, her head resting on leather that smelled of smoke. Lucian’s arm was around her, a heavy weight keeping her anchored to the seat.
“Look at the lights, darling,” Lucian said, pointing out the window.
Skye turned her head. The motion was sluggish. Vegas slid past, a river of gold and red. It was beautiful. Why had she ever hated it?
No. A small, sharp voice in the back of her mind screamed.
Focus. This is the drug. Fight it.
She bit her tongue. Hard. The metallic taste of blood grounded her for a second.