Her breath hitches. And that same flicker of thrill goes through her like it did earlier, when she got out of the car against my explicit order. I can see it in the way her body slackens, in the way her breathing pattern changes. If she were afraid, she’d try to get away. She’s not. No… she just doesn’t understand how this action makes her feel. I have so many delicious things to teach her.
“I’m the only one you can rely on here. So if you were smart, you’d choose your battles carefully. And youaresmart, aren’t you, Victoria?”
She keeps silent, but I can see the anger, the defiance swimming in her eyes.
The corner of my mouth lifts. “That’s what I thought.”
I release her, forcing myself to get up. As much as I’d love to keep taunting her for the rest of the night, I need to focus on the rest of the plan. It started with her, and it will end with her, but everything in between, I need a clear mind to take care of that.
“I’ll have Corinne bring you something to eat.”
“I don’t need your food. Or anything else you have.”
I quirk a brow. “Isn’t that one of the camisoles I bought you?”
“I had no choice.”
“Sleeping naked was a choice. You chose not to do that.”
“So you could pry on me all night? No, thanks.”
“I could get you naked and on your knees right now if I wanted to, love. That sheer layer of clothing means nothing. I’m sure you already know that.”
She snorts an incredulous laugh that I don’t buy. Our dynamic is clear, even if she refuses to accept it. I call the shots. She does what I want.
“You’ll get your food, and you’ll eat it. Be ready in the morning. I’ll be here to get you.”
Her brows furrow. “What? Where are you taking me?” A pause. “Wherever it is, I don’t want to come.”
I don’t bother to reply to that. What she wants is irrelevant. Besides, there will never be a good time for her to meet the others, so we might as well do it tomorrow and get it over with. I leave her room, locking the door behind me. Enjoying the feeling of having her trapped again. Of knowing she’ll depend on me from now on.
8
WOLFGANG
W: Hiding from me after what you did, huh?
I text Mikhail as I look for him throughout the house. He’s not in the other wing, not in his room, and no one seems to have seen him.
It’s what he does.
He likes to lurk in the shadows, to make you chase him. He disappears, sometimes for weeks, hanging out with his group of misfits and causing chaos wherever they go.
Only when he gets bored does he ever come out. And when he does, he’s twice as destructive, twice as difficult to keep in line. Nothing seems to touch a nerve with him, no matter how many things I threw in his face over the years or how many fights we’vehad. Instead, he smirks, amuses himself at the world around him, like we’re all puppets in whatever world he conjured for himself in his head.
He’s a dangerous man. And I’m not going to let his behavior with Victoria slide by.
My phone buzzes in my hand, getting my attention.
M: How could I be hiding if I’m right behind you?
I turn, anger flaring through me at the sight of him. He's smirking, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed.
I stalk toward him, his brows rising in pure delight. I don’t think about it. I simply pull my arm back and punch his jaw, a chuckle escaping him after the impact.
“Stay the fuck away from her. Let her be, or next time I hear she’s upset over your stupid games, it won’t end with one punch.”
He straightens himself up, touching his jaw. “It’s so fun to see you pussy-whipped.”
