...The mansion was alive. Not with people, but with the echoes of power and whispered secrets. Lena’s heels clicked against the polished marble floor, each step amplifying the tension she could feel crawling along her skin. She wanted to turn back, run, escape, but the gates had closed behind her. There was no retreat. Only forward....
...Rafael Blackwell appeared first, materializing from the shadows like he had been waiting for her every second. He was taller than she remembered, shoulders sharp, eyes sharper. The intensity in his gaze made her shiver, though she couldn’t tell whether it was fear or something dangerously close to anticipation....
...“Sit,” he commanded, gesturing toward a grand leather chair in the study. His voice was velvet, low, and undeniably authoritative. Lena obeyed, even though the urge to run screamed louder in her mind....
...“You’re brave,” Rafael said, circling her slowly. “Or foolish.”...
...“Maybe both,” Lena replied, her voice steady despite the storm in her chest....
...Before he could respond, a second shadow appeared — Caine Voss. His presence was quieter but no less imposing. He leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, a smirk dancing at the corner of his lips....
...“She always speaks back,” Caine murmured, as if to himself. Then his eyes locked on hers. “I like that.”...
...Lena’s pulse accelerated. These men, each exuding a different kind of danger, made her feel like prey and predator at the same time. She realized, with a thrill she didn’t understand, that she wanted this. Wanted them....
...Then Jaxon Thorne appeared. He moved like liquid, sliding into the room with an ease that belied his sharp features and unreadable intentions. “Why so tense, darling?” His voice was teasing, honeyed, impossible to ignore. “You look like you’ve already made up your mind about what you want… or maybe what you fear.”...
...Fear, indeed. But it wasn’t the fear she expected. It was the lure of danger, the thrill of not knowing which of them would consume her first, and which would protect her in their own twisted way....
...Silas Vale remained in the corner, quiet. Silent. Observant. The most unnerving of them all, not because of what he said, but because of what he didn’t. When his piercing gaze met hers, Lena felt something she couldn’t name—an acknowledgment of the storm that had begun the moment she stepped onto this estate....
...Rafael leaned closer, tilting his head. “I hope you understand, Lena, that once you’re here… everything changes.”...
...“I think I do,” Lena said, swallowing hard. “And I… I’m ready.”...
...A laugh, low and dark, echoed from the fireplace. Jaxon’s eyes glinted with mischief, Caine’s smirk deepened, and even Silas’s shadowed features seemed to soften for the briefest second....
...They weren’t asking for permission anymore. They weren’t inviting her into their world—they were claiming it. And, unknowingly, Lena allowed them....
...The night stretched on, conversations laced with power and challenge, each word a subtle push and pull of control. Rafael’s intensity threatened to consume her, Caine’s calculated charm beckoned her curiosity, Jaxon’s playful danger teased her restraint, and Silas’s silent presence wrapped around her like a shield she didn’t know she needed....
...By the time the grandfather clock struck three, Lena realized she had not moved, had not even considered leaving. She was caught in the web of four men—each dangerous, each intoxicating, each impossible to resist....
...And as she finally sank into the chair, exhausted, exhilarated, she understood: she didn’t want to escape. She wanted to see where this darkness would lead her....
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