HOW HAD THIS happened?

Where did it all go so wrong?

Jethro was supposed to love me. I was supposed to love him.
Yet hed given me over to his family. Hed bound the ropes, blindfolded my eyes, and
gifted me to his kin.
Know what time it is, Nila Weaver? Daniel breathed in my ear.
I jerked away. The restraints around my body meant I couldnt run, couldnt fight; I
couldnt even see.
Oh, God.
Please dont let them do this.
I wanted to scream for Jethro to save me. I wanted him to put an end to this and
claim me once and for all. Didnt our connection mean anything?
You know its all different now.
Ever since Id returned to Hawksridge Hall, things had been differenthorribly,
horribly different.
The fire crackled in the billiards room where the Hawk men had been playing poker.
The air was hot and muggy and laced with cognac fumes.
Tonight, Id had plans to end whatever changed between Jethro and me forever.
But nowthose plans had changed.
Kestrel ran his fingers over my collar. Relax, little Weaver. It will all be over soon.
Cut chuckled. Yes, soon you can go to sleep and pretend none of this happened.
My ears strained for one other voice. The voice of the man who controlled my heart
even though hed thrown it back in my face.
But only silence greeted me.
Daniel snickered, licking my cheek. Time to pay, Weaver.
Someone clapped and in a voice full of darkness and doom said, Its time for the
Third Debt.

I shook my head, my heart smarting with pain. What happened to you? I reached
for him, wanting to clutch his forearm and reassure myself that our bond was still there.
With a sneer, he sidestepped, staying out of reach. What happened to me? Smiling
coldly, he made me seem as if I were some idiot child asking for the universes secrets.
I got better. Thats what happened to me.
I dontI dont understand. You werent ill.
You wouldnt understand. No one can understand anothers problems. All you need
to know is that Im cured and I wont make the same mistakes again.
I took a step back, goosebumps scattering over my body. Dont say that. Im in love
with you. Something like that cannot be undone
Love is a chemical imbalance, Ms. Weaver. I am no longer imbalanced. He came
closer. Dont get cold feet on your invitation. You promised you would come, and you
dont want to give me a reason to punish you so soondo you?
My skin pinpricked with panic. That sentence shouldve dripped with eroticism. But it
wasnt. It was coldlifelesslike him.
Snapping his fingers, Jethro held out his hand. He kept his digits curled slightly so I

couldnt see the tattoo marks on the tips. Come. I

want to be back at Hawksridge before sunrise.

Nila dropped the jumper onto the desk, cupping her breasts. Does this count as
acceptable to you?
I couldnt breathe.
Everything Id been running from made my head pound, my cock beg, and the drugs
in my system to fucking disintegrate.
What was it about her? Why did she have this control over me? And why was I
utterly, ridiculously helpless around her?
God fucking help me.
Didnt she know the more she antagonised me and made me slip, the more likely Cut
would give her to Daniel and fucking slaughter me in my sleep? I wanted to strike her
hammer the precariousness of our situation home.
Why did you bring me here? she murmured, skirting the desk.
I couldnt tear my eyes away from the hard pinpricks on her chest. She couldnt be
coldnot in this furnace. That meant she was turned on.
My mind instantly went to one question. Is she wet?
Kes told you. Our secrets are now yours.
I dont think thats the only reason. Closing the distance, she licked her bottom lip.
I think you wanted me off the estate, so you could have me without anyone seeing.
Her voice layered with sex and invitation. You wanted me away from the cameras, so
you could drop the act and show me the truth.

Fuck.
I cleared my throat. What truth?
That all of this is a lie. That youre still the man I fell forplaying the same game
you said you were sick of before I left.
Shaking my head, I tried to clear my thoughts. Youre once again delusional.
Swallowing hard, I ordered, Go down to the sorting floor. I have a meeting to take care
of
No, she breathed. Im not going anywhere until you stop being an asshole and
show me the real you. Closing the final distance, she stood beside me, crackling with
mischief and lust.
Locking eyes, she undid the button and zipper of her jeans. Dont hide from me,
Jethro. I cant stay strong if you cut me out.
My legs bunched to push the swivel chair backward. One heave and I could launch
myself free and run from her web. But somehow, I couldnt. I remained tethered in place;
breathing fast, fear swamping my lungs.
She grabbed my wrist. Dont fight it. You cant fight the inevitable. Without a word,
she pressed my hand into her trousers.