8. Bound by fire and ice

Selene's fingers tightened around the door handle. Every logical part of her screamed to leave, to get as far away from Lucian Blackwood as possible.

But she couldn't move.

Not because she was weak but because the second she stepped through that door, she wouldn't just be running from him.

She'd be running from the truth.

She wasn't just caught up in the Blackwood brothers' world anymore.

She was trapped.

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears as she turned back, locking eyes with Lucian. He was still near the bar, swirling his drink, watching her with that infuriating smirk like he already knew what she was going to do before she did.

"What exactly do you expect me to do?" she asked, keeping her voice steady.

Lucian took a slow sip, then set his glass down. "Stay."

One word. A command, not a request.

Selene swallowed. "Why?"

Lucian tilted his head slightly, like he was trying to figure her out. "Because you intrigue me. And I don't like leaving things unfinished."

A dry laugh escaped her lips. "So, what? I'm just another deal to you? Something to be conquered?"

Lucian stepped closer, erasing the space between them. "No." His voice dropped lower. "You're the one thing I don't want to let go of."

Her breath hitched.

Not because she thought Lucian Blackwood was incapable of emotions.

But because he never admitted them.

And that was terrifying.

She took a slow step back. "You think keeping me here will change anything? That I'll suddenly just…what? Belong to you?"

Lucian's smirk deepened. "Not yet."

Selene exhaled sharply, frustration bubbling to the surface. "You can't control me, Lucian."

His eyes darkened. "Watch me."

Before she could react, his fingers brushed against her jaw, light, barely there, but enough to send a jolt through her body. A mix of heat and ice. His touch was gentle, but his presence was anything but.

"I don't want to control you, Selene," he murmured. "I just want you to admit something."

She swallowed hard. "And what's that?"

"That you don't actually want to leave."

Her body betrayed her.

Because he was right.

And she hated it.

Hated the way her pulse sped up when he was near. Hated the way his presence was both a trap and a temptation.

But most of all she hated that she couldn't decide if she wanted to push him away…

Or pull him closer.

Selene yanked herself from his touch. "I need air."

Without waiting for his response, she turned and stormed onto the balcony.

The night breeze hit her, cool against her heated skin. She gripped the railing, forcing herself to breathe.

This was a dangerous game.

And she wasn't sure if she was playing it…

Or if Lucian had already won.

Inside the Penthouse…

Lucian watched her leave, the ghost of a smile on his lips.

She could fight it all she wanted.

But in the end, she'd realize the truth.

She was already his.

And he'd do whatever it took to make sure she stayed that way.

On the Balcony…

Selene let the city lights blur before her. The crisp air did nothing to cool the fire racing through her veins.

She tightened her grip on the railing.

Lucian was twisting her thoughts, making her second-guess everything.

And the worst part?

A part of her was letting him.

"Drinking alone?"

The familiar voice sent a chill through her.

She turned.

Ethan.

He leaned against the glass door, hands in his pockets, watching her with that unreadable expression. Unlike Lucian's sharp arrogance, Ethan's confidence was quiet, steady.

It made him dangerous in a different way.

Selene's pulse jumped.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, struggling to keep her voice even.

Ethan stepped onto the balcony, standing beside her. "I could ask you the same thing."

She let out a breath. "I don't even know anymore."

Silence stretched between them, thick with things left unsaid.

Then, finally, Ethan spoke.

"My brother is relentless."

Selene let out a dry laugh. "Yeah. No kidding."

Ethan turned, watching her carefully. "Has he told you why?"

Selene frowned. "Why what?"

"Why he's so fixated on you."

She hesitated. Lucian had said she intrigued him. But somehow, that answer had never felt complete.

"You want to tell me?" she asked, searching Ethan's face.

Ethan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Lucian doesn't do things without a reason. And when he wants something…" His jaw tightened. "He doesn't stop until he owns it."

Selene swallowed hard. "And you? What do you do when you want something?"

Ethan's gaze darkened, his voice quieter. "I don't take what doesn't want to be taken."

Her breath caught.

The way he said it. The weight behind his words.

It was the difference between him and Lucian.

Lucian took.

Ethan waited.

And somehow, both were just as dangerous.

Selene turned back to the skyline, her thoughts a tangled mess.

She was caught between fire and ice.

One would burn her.

The other would freeze her.

And the worst part?

She didn't know which one she wanted more.

Selene's breath was shaky as she stepped back into the penthouse, Ethan's words still echoing in her mind. The warmth of his presence lingered on her skin, but now she was back in Lucian's world, a place where every move felt like stepping onto thin ice, one wrong step away from a plunge into the unknown.

She barely had a moment to collect herself before his voice sliced through the silence.

"Did he touch you?"

She froze.

Lucian sat on the sleek leather couch, one hand wrapped around a glass of whiskey. His piercing blue eyes locked onto hers, burning with something unreadable…something dangerously close to fury.

"Excuse me?" she asked, forcing her voice to stay steady.

Lucian set his glass down, slow and deliberate. "I asked if he touched you." His voice was calm, but there was a dangerous edge to it, like a warning before the storm.

A shiver ran through her.

The air between them felt thick, charged. Lucian's presence was suffocating, overwhelming, but most of all, possessive.

Selene squared her shoulders, lifting her chin. "And what if he did?"

The room seemed to darken.

Lucian stood in one fluid motion, closing the space between them with slow, measured steps. "Then I'll have to remind you," he murmured, his voice smooth but laced with something sharper, "who you really belong to."

Her pulse pounded in her ears.

Lucian was right in front of her now, his fingers barely brushing her wrist just enough to make her feel trapped in his presence.

Selene met his gaze head-on. "I don't belong to anyone, Lucian."

A smirk tugged at his lips, dark and knowing. "Keep telling yourself that."

Her stomach twisted.

Lucian was intense, overwhelming. A force she couldn't seem to escape. But then there was Ethan…the quiet storm. The man who made her question everything.

Lucian leaned in, his breath warm against her skin. "Stay away from him, Selene."

A long silence stretched between them.

Then, she whispered, "And if I don't?"

Lucian's fingers slipped under her chin, tilting her face up. His smirk was gone now, replaced by something much darker.

"Then you'll find out exactly how far I'm willing to go to keep what's mine."

It wasn't just a warning.

It was a promise.

And the scariest part?

Selene wasn't sure she wanted to run.