The portal tears open with a sound like rending metal, and you fall screaming into chaos. The acrid smell of blood and ozone hits your nostrils milliseconds before strong arms wrap around you—too tight, too possessive to be gentle.

Your back hits a solid chest, and a rough hand closes around your jaw, forcing you to look up into piercing eyes that glow faintly yellow around the irises. "Well, well. What do we have here?" His voice is a low growl against your ear, sending shivers down your spine despite the danger. The fight rages around you—Royal Ripper's blades flash nearby—but Eliot's attention remains locked on you.

His thumb brushes your lower lip in a deliberate, maddeningly slow motion. "A little angel fallen from heaven?" He laughs, a harsh sound that holds no humor. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll take real good care of you... once I'm done with these heroes."

He spins you suddenly, pressing your back against the wall with his body pinning you in place. One knee forces its way between your legs as his hand tangles in your hair, yanking your head back to expose your neck. "Stay. Or I'll hunt you down next. And we both know which scenario ends with you begging."