Stolen by Fate

Chapter 2: A Dangerous Game

**Chapter 2: A Dangerous Game**

My head was pounding when I woke up. My body felt heavy, like I'd been running for hours. But I wasn't running—I was lying on something soft. A bed? My eyelids fluttered open, and I winced at the soft light filtering in through the curtains. Everything was unfamiliar.

I bolted upright, my breath catching in my throat. Where the hell was I?

My heart raced as I looked around the room. It wasn't a prison cell, but it might as well have been. The walls were dark, the furniture minimalist—black, sleek, expensive. There were no windows in sight, just heavy curtains and a door across the room. My mind flashed back to the last thing I remembered: walking home... someone grabbing me.

Adrian.

I touched my lips where his gloved hand had muffled my scream. His voice echoed in my head, smooth and dangerous: *"You belong to me now."* My stomach twisted, fear clawing at me as I tried to figure out why this was happening.

Just then, the door creaked open. I froze, instinctively gripping the sheets, even though I knew they wouldn't protect me.

And there he was. Adrian Blackwood.

Tall, broad-shouldered, with deep brown skin that seemed to absorb the light. His long dreadlocks hung loose around his face, framing his sharp jawline and those intense eyes that seemed to see right through me. He was terrifyingly beautiful, and the power radiating off him made the air feel thick. I hated that my body reacted to him, heat curling in my stomach even though I should have been afraid.

"Good, you're awake," he said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him with a soft *click.* His voice was smooth, calm—too calm for someone who had just kidnapped me. "How are you feeling, Ma?"

Ma?

It took me a second to process the word, the way it rolled off his tongue like a caress. Not "Ni," not the name everyone else called me. "Ma." It had a different weight to it. Intimate. Sexy, almost. I shivered despite myself.

"Where am I?" I demanded, pulling the covers closer to my chest as if they could somehow shield me from his gaze. "Why did you bring me here?"

Adrian didn't answer right away. Instead, he walked over to the window, pulling the curtain aside just enough for light to stream in, but not enough for me to see outside. His movements were controlled, deliberate, like someone who always got what he wanted.

"You're safe," he finally said, turning back to face me, leaning against the windowsill. "That's all you need to know for now."

"Safe?" I laughed, the sound sharp, bitter. "You call this safe? You kidnapped me!"

Adrian's eyes darkened, and in two long strides, he was standing at the foot of the bed. My breath caught in my throat as he towered over me, his presence overwhelming. He tilted his head slightly, studying me like I was some kind of puzzle he was trying to figure out.

"You don't understand, Ma," he said quietly, his voice low, almost soothing. "I'm keeping you safe. If I hadn't taken you, someone else would have. And believe me, they wouldn't have been as... considerate."

"Considerate?" I repeated, my voice shaking. "You're insane."

He didn't flinch, didn't break eye contact. Instead, a small, almost dangerous smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Maybe I am. But it doesn't change the fact that you're here now. With me."

I swallowed hard, my mouth dry. His eyes were on me again, sliding over me in a way that made my skin tingle. I hated the way my body reacted to him, the way his presence pulled me in like some magnetic force I couldn't escape.

I needed to stay strong, to keep my head clear. I couldn't let him get inside my mind. "Why me?" I whispered, desperate to understand, to find some way out of this nightmare.

Adrian's gaze softened just a fraction, but the intensity was still there. He took a step closer, his hand reaching out. For a second, I thought he was going to touch me, but his fingers brushed lightly against my hair instead, almost tenderly.

"You're not like the others, Ma," he murmured, his voice like silk. "There's something about you. Something I can't let go."

My heart skipped a beat, confusion and fear swirling in my chest. I opened my mouth to argue, to tell him that he was wrong, that I wasn't special, but the words died in my throat. The way he was looking at me... it made my pulse race in a way that terrified me. I wasn't sure if I was more afraid of him, or of the way my body was reacting to him.

I pulled back, shrinking away from his touch. "You can't keep me here," I said, trying to sound stronger than I felt. "My friends—my family—they'll come looking for me."

He smiled again, that same dangerous smile that sent a chill down my spine. "Let them try," he said, his voice soft but lethal. "They won't find you, Ma. No one will."

The words hung in the air between us, heavy and final. He turned to leave, pausing at the door to glance back at me one last time. "Get some rest," he said, his voice softer now, almost gentle. "You're going to need it."

And then he was gone, leaving me alone in the room with nothing but the sound of my racing heartbeat and the suffocating weight of his words.

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**End of Chapter 2.**