Chapter 71: Kidnapped
TERESA’S P.O.V.
I crossed my arms and glared at Lucian, pacing across the room like an angry lion. The faint scent of his cologne joined with something wild—something untamed seemed to radiate off him as he kept on pacing. And right now? He looked beyond frustrated.
"You’re joking, right?" I finally said, my voice trembling a little. "Me moving back to your estate is one thing. I get it—my kids need protection. But Luke? His entire family? Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?"
Lucian stopped pacing and turned to face me, his green eyes narrowing in a way that sent a shiver down my spine. He walked towards me with that deliberate, predatory grace he always had. It wasn’t fair how someone could be that effortlessly intimidating and... well, attractive at the same time.
"You think this is a joke, Teresa?" he asked, his voice low and sharp, like the edge of a blade.
I felt my cheeks flush, but I didn’t back down. "Yes! I mean, no—not a joke, exactly. But you can’t just uproot Luke’s entire life like that. He has a job, a home, a family. He’s not going to—"
Before I could finish, Lucian grabbed my hands and held them firmly. The sudden warmth and sparks from his touch made me freeze, my breath catching in my throat. He leaned in, his face just inches from mine, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
"Teresa," he said, his voice softer now but no less intense. "You’re not taking this seriously enough. If Luke doesn’t come to the estate, he and his family will be dead before you can blink."
I stared at him, my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "What?" I finally managed to squeak.
Lucian’s gaze didn’t waver. "Adrian won’t hesitate. If he thinks for even a second that Luke knows something about you—something you haven’t told him—he’ll use Luke to get what he wants which is you. And then he’ll kill him. All of them."
I shook my head, disbelief washing over me like a cold wave. "Adrian wouldn’t... He might be a blood-sucking monster, but he wouldn’t hurt my family. He’s not—"