Did he… did hetaze me?
My limbs are all wobbly as I struggle to sit up, but I’m too big of a guy to let this stop me. I swear I noticed movement in the corner of my eye a second ago, but now as I blink away the confusion, the reality in front of me is immobile and very,verysharp.
Just like in that underground room where Corvus led me out of the cell, this is undoubtedly a place for torture. It smells of bleach, Corvus’s tools of the trade adorn the wall next to a steel table reminiscent of those at the hospital, and the gray walls are covered with large tiles, for easy cleanup.
Is this what he’s into?
Will he keep me here like an animal until he’s bored, and then disposes of me?
I must have really been dazed because I only now realize I’m in a cell even smaller than the one I was in before. This one doesn’t have walls, just floor-to-ceiling bars of steel.
I’m gonna be sick and I’m starting to regret the delicious steak I had on Corvus’s dime.
“I know this isn’t convenient.” His voice feels like a leash, and I stiffen, focusing on the dark corner, where my captor sits in an old leather-upholstered chair. Corvus is wearing black joggers and a T-shirt featuring some kind of bald monster with long claws. His body language speaks of fatigue as he exhales, pinning me with that blue gaze, which now resembles the glint of a blade.
I have no words to describe how I’m feeling, so I let him continue in the same monotone. “My home isn’t equipped for guests. You will need to stay here until I prepare something better.”
I squeeze my fingers on the bars, staring him down despite the precarious position I’m in. “You fucking tazed me! What the fuck’s going on?” My blood pressure is spiking by the second, but unlike my usual agenda of punch first, think later, all I can think of is him under me, squirming on my dick but begging for more. It’s so confusing I don’t know what to do with myself, because he’s out of my reach.
Corvus shifts his weight, resting both elbows on his thighs as he leans forward, handsome face devoid of the passion we shared for those brief moments together.
He’s a fucking psycho.
“What did you expect? That I’ll just invite you to my bed, like you couldn’t murder me in my sleep?”
I blink, holding on to the thick bars. I try to pry them open, but it’s no use. They’re steel. This isn’t even a cell, but a cage. A cage, like the ones they keep animals in.
Despair worms its way into my heart, but I summon all the reason I can and meet his gaze. “But… you brought me here as your fiancé. I thought—”
A scowl passes over Corvus’s features. “I just paid for your life. A million, and some interest, and I’m not letting that go to waste when you decide it’s time to run.”
A slimy feeling settles in my stomach. “I’m not a pet to be bought and kept. If this is how you see me, you might as well grab a crossbow yourself and be done with it.” A bluff, since I don’tactually want to die, but just because I’m a gambler, doesn’t mean I’m a good one. I’m too angry to care about consequences.
Corvus cocks his head. “No. You’re an investment. I saved you, because the dicking was good, so you better keep that up,” he said, clipping his words as the muscles in his neck twitch.
His words shouldn't hurt as much as they do. Sure, I pride myself on being a good lover. Lord knows that’s one of the few things I’m good at, but to have it thrown in my face like that? As if it’s the only use I can have to him?
I stare into his eyes imagining all the ways in which I can make him flush and squirm. But that’s what he wants, so my feelings become a tangle of snakes in my gut. I shouldn’t want him to like me, I shouldn’t care, but I don’t just have the hots for him, I’m eager for his attention and approval. Like when I had a crush on Anthony Lambeth back in high school and would do anything for him to give me the time of day. Like Corvus, he was rich, handsome, and an asshole. A combination I apparently find hard to resist.
“Let me get this straight. You’re saying you’ll keep me here and pull me out when you want sex? Like I’m some fuck machine on your command?”
Corvus places his hands on the cracked leather of the armrests and squeezes them. “No need to be so dramatic. Within days, you will be moved to a large room with its own ensuite. You will be fed, have access to gym equipment, and any entertainment you might want. Considering that without me, you would be in a giant pot for defleshing, I think you got the best possible outcome out of it all.”
“A glorified prison,” I snarl. “Is this for life or just until my dick stops working?” I drill holes into his skull with my gaze as I extend myarm out for a better gauge of how far I can reach. Call me an idiot, but I kinda thought we’d have a good time when he called me his fiancé, not whateverthisis.
Corvus shrugs. “It is a prison. But if you prove yourself, and I decide you can be trusted, we can rethink this arrangement at a later date.”
Since I can’t reach him with my hands, I’ll try with my words. “You don’t want to do this. I’ll forget the tazing, and give you a chance to start this over. You were so hot, moaning my name last night. You think I’m going anywhere when your lips and ass are on the table?”
For the first time since we left the van der Horn mansion, I see Corvus’s mask slip. His lips open, and his eyes relax as he looks at me, leaning forward, as if he longs for my hand in his hair.
Too bad it doesn’t last.
“Don’t talk to me like that,” Corvus snaps, shooting to his feet and rushing toward the cage. He stops beyond my reach. “You’re not in charge here! And you will obey!”
I squint at him and spread my arms. I can’t even dothatwithout hitting the bars. “Or what? You’ll send me back? And what will you tell your family then, huh? Until you let me out, this dick is closed!” He could probably tempt me into forgetting that, but he doesn’t need to know how much he pushes my buttons.
Corvus shuts his eyes, exhales, and finally looks my way again, his wall of composure back in place. “Suit yourself. We’ll see how long you last,” he says and points to the floor on the side of my cage, at a wooden tray piled high with snacks. There is also a large bottle of water, and a big thermal cup. “Enjoy.”
