Page 81 of What Comes Around

“Chances like this do not come along often,” he said quietly. “Two people twisted in the exact same way.”

I bit my lip and looked up into his eyes, my expression in awe. Something in his voice, in the way he said twisted, made my pulse jump. Not fear. Recognition.

He leaned closer, his forehead brushing mine. “You trust me with this?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

The word left my mouth before I could second‑guess it. Before I could think about how dangerous trust had been in another life. Before I could remember all the ways it had been used against me.

But with him, it felt different. It felt like stepping toward something instead of away from it.

Knox exhaled, a slow breath that sounded almost relieved. His hand slid to the side of my neck, warm and steady, grounding me.

“Good,” he murmured. “Because I don’t take that lightly.”

Chapter 26: Vampire Marks

The next morning, I sat at the counter in my robe, drinking coffee and humming softly to myself. Every time I shifted, a faint ache reminded me of the way Knox had woken me, the way he had taken control before I was fully conscious.

He had rolled me onto my stomach, covering me with his body, holding me there while his voice stayed low and rough in my ear as he told me exactly what he wanted, what he intended to take, how completely helpless I was pinned beneath him.

I had come apart twice under him.

And it had been glorious.

Knox was somewhere in the house now, bare-chested and wearing only his dress pants, waiting for Nathan to bring him fresh clothes. His suit from last night was the only thing he had with him.

A knock sounded at the front door.

Assuming it was Nathan, Knox moved down the hall and opened it. When I didn’t hear any greeting or conversation, I pushed my chair back and stepped into the hallway.

The tension hit me before I even reached the doorway.

Knox stood there with his arms crossed over his bare chest, filling the frame of the door, his expression calm but unmistakably hostile.

On the porch stood Liam, dressed in running clothes, his posture rigid and his jaw set tight.

And then it hit me.

“Oh my god, Liam,” I blurted as I moved closer to the door. “I am so sorry. I completely forgot we were supposed to run this morning.”

Guilt rushed through me as I stepped up beside Knox. Liam had driven all the way here because I had mentioned in self-defense class that the gym was far and I didn’t feel comfortable running alone in a new neighborhood. Liam had offered to join me, saying he needed the cardio anyway.

He didn’t answer right away.

Instead, his gaze shifted to my neck, then lower to my collarbone, to the skin visible above the loose edge of my robe. His expression sharpened, his eyes narrowing with a look I had never seen from him before.

Heat rushed to my face. I turned my head slightly and pulled the collar of the robe higher, suddenly very aware of what he was seeing. I had looked in the mirror earlier.

Knox had left marks.

Not subtle ones.

Knox noticed Liam’s stare. Without looking away from him, he stepped closer to me and slid his hand to the back of my neck, his fingers warm against my skin. The touch itself was gentle.

The message wasn’t.

It was possessive, deliberate, and impossible to misunderstand.