I drained the last of the whiskey in my glass, the fiery liquid doing little to calm the storm inside me. I slapped a few crumpled bills onto the sticky table and, taking a breath that felt like a leap into a dark abyss, I placed my hand in his.

His palm was warm and rough, engulfing my own cold, slender fingers. A strange, unexpected jolt of heat shot up my arm, a pleasant shock that made my pulse quicken.

He led me from the bar. As we passed the table where the two Rogues sat, they flinched and ducked their heads, refusing to meet his gaze. The air around him crackled with an authority they wouldn't dare challenge.

The cold night air hit me as we stepped outside, and for a terrifying second, sobriety and sanity tried to reassert themselves. What was I doing? I tried to pull my hand back, a last-ditch effort by my battered self-preservation.

He felt the movement, and his grip tightened, not painfully, but with an undeniable finality. "Too late for regrets," he murmured, his voice a low rumble beside my ear.

He didn't lead me to one of the flea-bitten inns that dotted the town's main street. Instead, he turned down a dark, narrow alley. I felt a flicker of fear, but he walked with such confidence that I followed. At the end of the alley was a plain, unmarked building. Two men in sharp, modern suits stood by the door.

When they saw the stranger, they immediately bowed their heads in deep, unquestioning respect and opened the door without a word.

A sliver of confusion pierced through the fog of alcohol and despair in my mind. What kind of Rogue commands that kind of deference? But the thought was fleeting, washed away by the sheer, overwhelming momentum of the night.

The inside of the building was a world away from its drab exterior. The lobby was a study in understated luxury, all dark wood and polished marble. The air smelled of sandalwood and old money.

My companion bypassed the front desk entirely, leading me straight to a private elevator. As the doors slid shut, the small space became charged with his presence. His scent was everywhere, his powerful aura pressing in on me, making it hard to breathe. I could feel his eyes on my masked face, a heavy, assessing gaze that made my skin prickle.

The elevator opened directly into a sprawling penthouse suite. A wall of floor-to-ceiling windows revealed a panoramic view of the squalid little town below, its sad lights twinkling like fallen stars. The contrast between this place and the hovel I'd been sleeping in was staggering.

He finally released my hand and moved to a crystal decanter on a sidebar, pouring two glasses of deep red wine. "Drink. Relax."

I took the glass he offered, our fingers brushing for a second. That same jolt, like a spark of static electricity, shot through me again. It was the "Sparks," the faint connection any two werewolves feel, but with him, it was startlingly potent.

I walked to the window, staring down at the world that had become my prison. It all felt surreal, like a fever dream.

"Who are you?" The question I'd suppressed finally broke free.

He came to stand behind me, so close I could feel the heat radiating from his body. His voice was a low whisper against my hair. "Tonight, I am just a man who needs to feel something other than emptiness. And you are a woman who needs to be held. That's all that matters."

He was deflecting, of course, pulling us back to the stark, simple terms of our agreement. A bitter, self-mocking smile touched my lips. He was right. What else was I looking for?

I turned to face him, drained the wine in one long swallow, and set the empty glass down with a decisive click.

"You're right," I said, my voice steady now, filled with a reckless resolve. "Let's begin."

A flicker of something-approval, mixed with a more complex, unreadable emotion-crossed his eyes. He moved toward me, his steps slow and predatory.

I held my ground. I lifted my chin, straightened my back, and met his advance like I was facing a firing squad.

He stopped directly in front of me. He raised a hand, and my entire body went rigid as his fingers brushed against the edge of my leather mask. For a heart-stopping moment, I thought he was going to break his promise.

But his fingers only lingered for a second before sliding down to cup my chin, tilting my face up to his.

Then, he lowered his head and, through the barrier of worn leather, he kissed me. The pressure of his lips was firm, warm, and utterly commanding.

His other hand came up to cradle the back of my head, his fingers tangling in my hair as he deepened the kiss. A low growl rumbled in his chest, a sound of pure, possessive satisfaction that vibrated straight through me.

"Your scent," he murmured against the mask, his breath hot. "It's even more intoxicating up close."

Chapter 6

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