OLEANDER
All thoughts of going hiking with Celina—her name, as she had introduced herself—vanished the moment the door opened.
Standing there in a charcoal grey tux was the most devastatingly handsome man I’d ever seen.
It should’ve been illegal for someone like him to exist in plain sight.
Just his presence felt like gravity, pulling everything toward him.
I swallowed hard, shifting on the bed as his gaze locked onto mine.
A frown creased his face, and something unreadable flickered in his eyes.
“I thought you said you wouldn’t be arriving anytime soon,” Celina said casually.
She looked perfectly at ease around him, like this was normal.
“I changed my mind,” he replied, voice low and rough.
“That’s not a very Dante Corsetti thing to do.”
Dante Corsetti.
The name sent a jolt through me, chilling my spine.
I sat up straighter, heart pounding as I kept my eyes on him.
There was something off, something dangerous about him.
I should know him.
I should run.
And yet, I sat frozen, watching as he moved toward me like I was prey and he was the predator.
“Run along now, Celina,” Dante murmured.
“I’m not a child,” Celina snapped, holding out her hand.
“You promised me something if I watched her.”
“Brat,” he muttered, reaching into his pocket.
He pulled out his wallet, slid out a sleek black card, and tossed it to her.
She caught it with a grin.
“Sweet! Now I can finally get that Halloween costume,” she said, practically skipping to the door.
“Thanks!”
Then she was gone.
I was alone with him.
My heart picked up speed as I stared down at my hands, refusing to meet his gaze.
“You lost your memory, huh?” he said.
I nodded slowly.
“Doctor Cameron said it’s temporary—”
His laughter cut me off.
Loud.
Cruel.
He threw his head back like I’d told the best joke he’d ever heard, though there wasn’t even a trace of a smile on his face.
When he finally stopped, he looked down at me, eyes dark and burning with something I couldn’t name.
The accusation stunned me.
I barely had time to blink before he crossed the room in two strides, grabbed my wrist, and yanked me out of the bed.
I stumbled, barely finding my footing before he shoved me against the wall.
The breath left my lungs.
He leaned in close.
I trembled beneath his stare.
“You’re hurting me,” I whispered.
Instead of loosening his grip, he tightened it.
“What gave you the right to forget everything that happened?” he growled.
My stomach twisted as fear lodged in my throat.
“Yes, yes,” Dante murmured, lips curling into a wicked grin.
“I love that fear in your eyes, Oleander. You shouldn’t forget who Dante Corsetti is or what you are to him. You shouldn’t forget why you’re here. Or your sins.”
His free hand slid to the back of my neck, pulling my face closer until I could smell him—spice, tobacco, and the faint burn of whiskey on his breath.
He planted his palm against the wall above my head.
The sound cracked through the silence, and I shuddered, breath catching.
“I asked you a damned question, and I expect answers!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said in an unsteady voice.
“Oh, you’ll know,” Dante murmured.
And the promise in his tone chilled me more than his anger ever could.
He’d make sure I remembered every single thing I’d lost, whether I chose to forget or not.
I parted my lips to speak, but the door swung open.
My mystery man stood there beside Doctor Cameron.
His jaw clenched the instant his eyes met mine.
His fists balled at his sides while Doctor Cameron only shook his head, his expression grim.
Dante’s grip clamped around my wrist again.
Without sparing either of them a glance, he began to drag me toward the door.
“Where are you taking me?” I stuttered.
“Where do you belong?” he said without looking back.
I didn’t know what that meant, but I knew I didn’t want to find out.
I didn’t want to be anywhere near Dante Corsetti—no matter how devastatingly handsome he was.
My gaze darted around the room, desperate for someone to stop him.
But neither of the men moved.
My mystery man still stood in front of the door, blocking our path, silent and still.
“I don’t think she’s stable enough to be taken out of here,” Doctor Cameron finally said.
“Then I’ll give her something to remember me by,” Dante cut in, venom thick in his tone.
“I don’t give a fuck if she forgets the rest of the world. But me? She’ll never forget me. I’ll make sure of that. Now.”
“You’re going too far,” my mystery man grunted, voice steel, eyes narrowed.
“She’s not some fucking possession.”
“Get out of my way, Hex!” Dante snarled, his growl shaking the room.
Hex.
So that was his name.
Strange, but it fits.
I’d imagined him as a Cole, something cleaner.
But Hex had an edge.
He didn’t move.
Dante stepped forward, his muscles coiled and trembling with restrained violence.
I flinched, sure he’d snap.
But before either of them could make a move, Doctor Cameron stepped in again.
“I think everyone needs to calm down,” Doctor Cameron murmured, making a slow-down gesture with his hand.
“Although I disagree with taking Oleander out of here, it’s your choice. She’s yours, after all.”
Yours?
I almost laughed.
What was I— his property?
Neither Dante nor Hex acknowledged the doctor.
They just stared each other down, tension thick enough to choke on.
After a long moment, Dante finally released me and stalked toward Hex.
“What the hell is between you and Oleander?” he glowered at him.
“Ever since she got here, you’ve been fighting me on everything. So tell me, Hex, did you fuck her behind my back and make her pretend she’s a virgin?!”
Heat flooded my cheeks.
I glanced at Hex.
He looked at me for only a moment before turning his head away.
“Look, man, I have nothing to do with her,” Hex said, voice tight.
“I’m only watching out for her. She’s human—”
“This is the third warning, Hex,” Dante snapped, cutting him off.
“Back the fuck off. Watching her is Celina’s job, not yours. Your job is to watch my back, be my best friend, and agree with me, not defend some damned whore!”
A muscle ticked in Hex’s jaw.
For a split second, his eyes flashed from warm brown to molten gold, too fast to be natural.
Too sharp to be imagined.
“Do whatever you want with her, man. I’m done.” He muttered it, turned his back, and walked out of the room.
Dante cursed under his breath, then returned to me, gripping my hand again, hard, and dragging me out of the room.