A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 520

The hallway was brightly lit. The girl's silky black hair cascaded over her shoulders, accentuating her luminous, radiant skin. The flush of crimson on her cheeks was especially dazzling.

Rowan's breathing grew heavy, a dark surge of lust pooling in his eyes. But, not wanting to scare her off on her first night, he kept his voice deliberately casual. "Maybe it's a coincidence?"

"Oh."

Elissa knew it had to be a coincidence.

He wasn't psychic; there was no way he could have predicted which set she would grab.

Downstairs, Mrs. Garrett and the staff had all gone to sleep. Ian and the others were hanging out in the basement rec room.

Because of that, the entire house was completely silent.

It was so silent that being stared at by the man in front of her suddenly made Elissa incredibly nervous. She gripped the doorknob tightly. "I-I'm going to sleep now."

"Yeah, go ahead."

The man's response was low and steady, entirely devoid of hidden intent.

Feeling like she had just been granted a pardon, Elissa twisted the knob and darted into her room.

Watching her act like a startled deer, Rowan stared at the tightly closed door, the harsh lines of his face softening into a faint, tender smile.

She hadn't been this terrified of him in the past.

Who was the one who used to sprint into his bedroom in the dead of night, clutching a stuffed animal every time there was a thunderstorm?

Perhaps he manifested it, but just as Elissa fell into a deep sleep, a massive crack of thunder jolted her awake, sending her heart hammering in her chest.

Outside the window, a rare, torrential autumn downpour was raging. Thunder boomed, and lightning occasionally sliced through the sliver of space between the curtains.

Trembling, Elissa pressed a hand against her chest while her other hand fumbled out of the blankets to flick on the lamp.

Warm light flooded the room.

Staring at the familiar objects from her childhood, the tight, panicked knot in her chest slowly began to loosen.

After all these years.

She was twenty-five years old, and she was still terrified of thunderstorms.

Memories from her childhood suddenly flooded her mind. She found herself instinctively trying to remember which floor and which room Rowan slept in.

Could she still run to him for comfort, just like she did when she was little?

But she had way too much pride for that now. She absolutely wasn't going to go.

She sat propped up against the headboard for a moment before kicking off the blankets.

She was thirsty.

She would just go get a glass of water and come back to bed.

However, the moment she pulled her door open, still groggy from sleep, she saw the man 'coincidentally' walking past her room.

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