Zane
The private jet sliced through the clouds, its hum a monotonous backdrop to my restless thoughts. The two-hour flight back to Seattle felt like an eternity. I had left the Robertson' estate without a backward glance, my hasty departure a stark contrast to my usual composed demeanor. Ethan had asked no questions, and I had offered no explanations. He didn't need to know the real reason I'd run. He didn't need to know the sight of his little sister had awakened a monstrous part of me I thought I'd buried years.
The moment the car pulled up to my glass-and-steel penthouse, I felt a familiar, chilling sense of calm settle over me. The built was my sanctuary, a place where I was the king of my shadows. I made my way to my private study, a room even myost trusted staffs were forbidden to enter. Inside, I moved to the largest bookshelf, my fingers tracing the spine of a leather bound book. With a quiet click, the bookshelf swiveled inward, revealing a hidden, and subterranean room.
The air in the room was stale, a single halogen light illuminated the space. It was a stark, almost clinical environment, except for one thing: a massive wall-to-wall corkboard that dominated the space. And on that board was a world I had meticulously constructed, a world that revolved around Sadie Robertson.
Pictures of her were pinned everywhere, organized chronologically. There were grainy candid shots from her campus newspaper, photos from social media, and a few high-quality pictures I'd had my people take from a distance. She was smiling in a coffee shop with her friends. She was laughing while studying in the library. There were a few blurry shots of her walking to class, her red hair like a beacon in the crowd. The pictures were like puzzle pieces, and with each one, I was putting together a portrait of a life I could never be part of.
The center of the board held a single, enlarged photo of her. It was the picture Ethan had shown me years ago, a beautiful, high school graduation photo with her eyes shining brightly. Her eyes were so full of life and light, a painful jolt went through me as I remembered the terrified look I had seen in them when I had threatened her. I had seen her fear, and it had been both a victory and a profound loss.
And then there was the other part of the board. The part that showed the other men. Her ex-boyfriend, Sam. A few of her classmates she'd been seen with at parties. I'd had them all investigated, their backgrounds scoured for any potential threat to her. My men had reported on their every move, their every relationship. The thought of any of them touching her made my blood run cold, and I felt the familiar, ugly rage bubble up inside me. I was a monster, a stalker. I knew but I didn't care.
I had pushed her away, but I would not let her go. I would never be able to live in her light, so I would have to be content with watching her from my shadows. I ran a hand over board, a dark, possessive smile on my face.
"You're mine alone, princess," I whispered to the empty room. "And I will protect you from the shadows even if I'm the one casting them"