Chapter 2

Jade felt trapped and frozen. Who was this man? And what the hell was he doing in her apartment? She watched him watch her, his eyes never leaving her form. Jade swallowed and bit her lip. The thought that kept running through her mind was that she should run. And fast too. He seemed a little less dangerous now than before. But she had felt his strength, his muscles. And he was superhumanly fast. Still very, very dangerous.

'Cat got your tongue, Jade? Never seen you this quiet.' That was what set Jade off. She didn't think, she just opened her mouth.

'I have never, ever, seen you before. So you don't get to say shit about me, you hear?' It was the first time she spoke up and her voice sounded at least a bit like it should. For a moment it felt good, brave even. But Jade saw the difference in the man before her. His eyes darkened a bit. His breathing became a little faster. It was what Jade noticed about him, even the little things, while she was completely sure she had never seen him before. It was like he was restraining himself. Jade wondered why. What in the words she had spoken had bothered him so? Why did he care?

He tilted his head a little. She watched his Adam's apple go up and down as he swallowed before putting his hands on the table in front of him. It was really as if he was forcing himself to remain calm, to keep himself in check.

'There's a lot you don't know, Jade. A lot that I am not going to tell you today. But we will lay the foundation. The basis of our shared future. ' Jade felt a lump form in her throat.

'What are you talking about? You are currently a burglar. Someone who robs me of my freedom.' Again her mouth ran away from her, she bit her tongue.

'Jade, Jade, Jade, what am I going to do with you?' Jade watched him recover from her words, still visually keeping himself calm, calmer than he wanted to be apparantly. From one moment to the next he seemed much more dominant and more in the lead than before. As if he was really here for a reason. And he wasn't just going to leave her alone anymore. Fuck. When he shifted his chair again and got ready to get up, Jade took several steps back. His grin did not escape her. But he did stand.

'So careful. So scared. Smart. Very smart indeed.' He leaned his hands on the back of the chair, as if he didn't want to chase her away, but wanted to get closer. As if he couldn't help it.

Again Jade got the feeling that he was not completely human. He seemed to sense her feelings. Her fear and her panic. He responded to her feelings, kept himself in check for her not to run. But that was impossible. Right?

'I want you to leave. Now. Please.' Jade added the latter when she saw that her words didn't affect him, as if he didn't care what she thought and wanted. He seemed visibly convinced that what he wanted was going to happen. Whatever that might be.

She tried very hard to think about how to get herself out of this situation. How she got herself away from this madman, this man who had been waiting for her in her house for christs sake! She swallowed painfully and felt nauseous as his grin widened at her discomfort. He seemed to enjoy this. The villain.

It was that moment of doubt when her phone ringtone rang from the hallway. Shit. Why had she left it in her coat? She saw the man turn his head in the direction of the sound for a moment, before his eyes and found hers again.

'You expecting anyone Jade?' He sounded dark, his voice even deeper than before. Jade swallowed and slowly shook her head.

'Are you sure? I would hate to break the neck of the guy on the other side of the phone if he is calling you to court you.' Jade balled her fists and started to see the picture in her head. He was dead serious about having her. He thought she was already his to keep. What the fuck. How the hell had she ended up in this situation in the first place?

'You are jealous of something not even happening. Not that you have any right to be jealous anyway.' She saw his jaw twitch, but he still stood his ground, not moving his body, but his eyes… His eyes said it all and that was what made her terrified of him. The silver orbs glittered dangerously, his arm muscles moving the slightest, showing his anger at her words.

'I'm not jealous, Jade. I'm territorial. Jealous is when you want something that's not yours. Territorial is protecting what's already yours.' Jade was flabbergasted at his words but even more at his facial expression. He meant every word.

'You're kidding, I hope.' His grin now had something predatory. Something very dark and dangerous. Jade felt herself freezing. For a moment she had forgotten that she didn't know him at all. He could be some kind of crazy person. In any case, he believed she somehow belonged to him. And he was strong. Too strong to fight. She could only convince him, or manipulate him. She felt lost when she took a closer look and his eyes never lost sight of her.

'Oh Jade, when it comes to you, I'm not kidding. Or making mistakes. But you will learn that soon enough.' She saw him let go of the chair and straighten up, suddenly bigger and scarier than before.

'We've played long enough. Time for the next step. And that means that you come with me.'

Jade immediately took action by taking another step away from him. If he thought she was going with him, he was really crazier than she thought.

'I'm not going anywhere with you. Go away. I don't want anything to do with you.' She saw a nerve twitch at his temple. His jaw tightened and he turned to face her fully now.

'We can do this in two ways. Option one is that you come along, voluntarily, calmly…' Jade breathed more quickly and tried hard to find a way out. Would she survive a jump from the balcony? Her eyes drifted for a moment to the balcony door. A mistake she only realized too late. With three long steps the man stood right in front of her, clasping his hands around her arms like vises. He snorted in amusement.

'You're too much like me to even try option one. That's my girl.' Jade tried to pull herself free, but his hands simply held her tighter.

'Who are you…' She almost hammered the words, so in shock by his closeness. She hated his hands on her. They were too strong, too big. And very firm and warm too.

The man looked at her calmly, it seemed as if he was just more at ease standing so close. As if this was what he had wanted all along. He seemed so himself, so completely at ease with the situation. He felt in charge and in the lead and the worst part was… that Jade knew he was. Jade, on the other hand, felt uncomfortable, out of place and anxious. His nostrils moved for a moment. She felt his fingers flex around her arms, not once lessening his grip on her. Not for a second. He pulled her a little closer even, his face a little above hers, but his eyes always burning in hers.

'I am Riddick. Richard B. Riddick. Your mate.' He saw the words having impact on her instantly. He felt her tense even more. She was growing colder too as panick kicked in. That was fine, she would get some time to get used to being his. He would grant her that much. He had had a complete lifetime waiting around for her, getting used to her, watching her grow. She had never seen him before. But she would be by his side, no matter how much he frightened her.

He would set fire to the world around him, but never let a flame touch her.

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