Fire coils in my chest, every nerve in me tightening, every thought narrowing to her—her eyes, her smirk, her impossible confidence.
Her lips twitch, but she opens wider, her tongue out and begging for me.
I feel myself coming undone from the inside. My control splinters in ways I didn’t think possible. Every second she holds my gaze feels like an eternity, a push and pull I can’t escape. Anger and something far worse twist together, leaving me raw and electric.
Fuck, she wins. My head falls back; I can’t keep my eyes open any longer.
She’s too good at this. Too confident for a girl who’s supposed to be terrified. The girl I once knew.
I’m lost in it. In her. In the tension she creates. I feel myself unravelling, pulse pounding, closer and closer—
And then it stops.
My eyes jerk open. She’s already on her feet, wiping her lips with the back of her hand as though she didn’t just have me ready to fall apart in her mouth.
“What the fuck?” My voice is raw, gravel-edged.
She smirks, perfectly collected, the perfect contrast to the storm she’s just left in me. She extends her hand, as if making a business arrangement.
“Do we have a deal?”
I stare at her, disbelieving. This girl. This fucking girl.
You have to be kidding me.
“Get back on your knees, Aurelia.”
“Oops.” Her tone drips with sarcasm. “I’m not a sex toy. I’ll do you a favour if you do one for me.” She shrugs. “If not, I’m happy to go back to my cage.”
The audacity.
I’ve never forced a girl in my life, but right now I want nothing more than to shove her back to the floor and make her keep going until I break. My body screams for it. My blood roars for it.
But I am an Orlov. And an Orlov doesn’t beg.
I drag my pants back up with intense, controlled movements, forcing the weakness out of me. My hand reaches out, clamping around her chin, yanking her face up to mine.
“You think this is a game?” Venom laces my every word. “You think you have control here, but you don’t. You are nothing.”
Her eyes flash, but I don’t stop. I lean closer, twisting the knife deeper.
“You are a girl who will be fucked by my father and burned on a stake for your mother’s desperate pussy.”
Her lips part, trembling, her eyes watering. Finally—fear.
Good.
For the first time since she was dragged into my world, she understands the severity of her capture.
I shove her back, releasing her chin with a clip of finality. “Get the fuck out of my sight.”
She stumbles away, silent. And I stand there, chest heaving, every muscle tight with fury.
I’ve scared her. Broken her. Reminded her of where she is.
And yet, I will be dead before I allow another soul to lay a hand on my prisoner.
Chapter 40
