I couldn’t focus on anything else after Jeremy left my office. My only worry was laying eyes on Azeira. The need to consume her filled me.
“Where’s Azeira?” I rushed out to Lillian, stepping into the kitchen. My eyes bounced around the room.
Lillian jumped, dropping the spoon in her hand.
“Mr. Navarr—”
My voice grew louder. “Azeira! Where is she?”
Her eyes widened. “She’s in the library.” Spinning around, I darted out of the kitchen to the hall that led to the library.
My stomach was in knots the closer I got to it. I told her she could make use of the library as much as she wanted because it no longer mattered to me. If she enjoyed it, then so be it.
Snatching the doors open, I stepped in. Azeira was curled on the chaise in the room. She lifted her head and smiled when she noticed me.
“Hey.” She must have seen I wasn’t in any mood for pleasantries because her smile slowly dwindled.
My hand went into my pocket as I kept my eyes locked on her. My muscles were tight as I breathed heavily.
“What’s wrong?” She closed the book and sat it on the table next to her. I watched her stand and she slowly made her way to me. I stood there unmoving.
“Kairus? Hey, what’s wrong?” Concern dripped from her voice and bled from her orbs. She lifted her hand to touch my face. My jaw clenched and I grabbed her wrist. She stared at me in shock.
“Kairus.”
“This needs to be done,” I stated stoically.
“What do—” Her words were cut short when I removed my hand from my pocket. I popped the cap off the syringe and shoved it in her neck, pushing down.
Her eyes grew wider. Instantly, betrayal flashed through them. It felt like the air was suddenly sucked out of the room.
“Why?” she croaked before going limp. I caught her and slowly removed the needle. I was used to being in control, but right now I felt anything but that.
My chest ached but I didn’t feel bad. Azeira would understand once she came to. How I felt right now was foreign to me and I didn’t know what to make of it. I did, however, know that until I could figure out what to do next, I had to take extreme measures to ensure I didn’t lose Azeira.
My head pounded as I slowly opened my eyes. My stomach swirled as if I had swallowed a tube of acid. Blinking a couple times, I waited for my eyes to focus. My mouth was dry along with my throat. I reached up, grabbing my aching head, trying to remember what the hell happened.
“What the…” My voice faded. My finger was sore and aching. Moving my hand from my head, I eyed it, trying to find the source. My eyes bucked when I noticed the red ink on my left ring finger.
Navarro.
With parted lips, I brought my hand closer, making sure I wasn’t seeing things.
Something wasn’t right. Shooting my head up, I darted my eyes around the room. They ballooned. My heart fell from my chest. Suddenly it felt hard to breathe as if someone had cut my air way off.
“No,” I whispered. Panic crept into my chest. My stomach twisted. “No!” I said again, this time my voice louder.
Shooting off the bed I rushed to the door and slammed my fist into it. “Kairus! Kairus!” I felt woozy as my pulse raced through me, pounding through my head. Knots bunched in my stomach.
“No. Kairus.” My voice felt strained. My head fell on the door and I squeezed my eyes shut. I was sure my heart was about to pound out my chest. The knots grew larger inside me. My chest felt as if someone had placed a bag of boulders on it.
One of my shaky hands lifted and went to the side of my neck where I felt a slight soreness. Faintly I remembered being in the library and Kairus coming inside. My heart felt like a dagger had been sent through it.
Things with me and Kairus had been good. We had grown closer and I felt like we had a connection. After the symphony, something in our relationship had shifted from captive and captor to something deeper. I found myself growing anxious for him to return home after he left to handle business. The times with just the two of us became precious to me. Never had I felt so attached to someone before. My previous relationships never left me yearning for my partner when he wasn’t around.
My hands balled, my nails pressing into my fists.
It felt like lava was shot inside my veins and filed through my body. Harsh air blew out of my nostrils as they flared. Shooting my arms to the side, I stepped away from the door and spun in a circle. I couldn’t locate it but I knew Kairus had a camera somewhere in here.
