Twice Taken: 8. Shattered Boundaries

Elena's POV

The city skyline looked impossibly serene from the guesthouse balcony, the early evening sun painting the glass towers gold. Yet serenity was a lie. Every shadow seemed sharper, every sound magnified, like the world itself was conspiring against me.

Julian had been pacing the house all afternoon, moving with that predatory precision that made the hairs on the back of my neck rise. He hadn’t spoken much, only issuing terse updates about his investigation into the blackmailer. But every glance he threw my way carried that familiar mix of command and desire that had me simultaneously trembling and burning from the inside.

I tried to busy myself in the kitchen, chopping vegetables, making notes, keeping my hands moving to stop them from trembling. But every sound—a car door slamming, a distant siren, a knock on the guesthouse door—made my heart leap. My mind replayed the messages, the photos, the USB, every violation of our privacy. Someone