I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, gagging again. I can’t imagine how disgusted he must be with me right now.
But before he could say anything, I let out my first thought. “And you,” I murmur, “are you just as repulsive?”
He smirks, tight with venom. “I don’t need to be forceful with my women, malyshka. Unlike you, most women enjoy my cock.”
I let out a harsh laugh, the sound catching in my throat. “Those women are lying,” I bite.
Almost naked, covered only by a small, flimsy sheet which doesn’t even cover the flecks of blood and bile, I feel… surprisingly safe in his presence.
He leans back slightly, but his eyes never leave me. There’s amusement in them, but it’s edged with that unmistakable, lethal undercurrent that makes my pulse spike.
Slowly, he removes his black jacket and extends it toward me.
We don’t speak. I take it wordlessly, turning my back to him.
The blanket drops, and I feel his gaze tracing the curve of my shoulders and the lines of my back. I shiver under it, a strange mix of exposure and heat. Carefully, I lift my arms and pull the jacket over me, tucking it around my body before turning back to meet his eyes.
“So,” he says finally, “what was your plan? Fuck him so well he decides to let you go… or just keep yourself busy until you’re killed in front of your family?”
I shrug, giving him nothing. No hint, no justification, no apology—just a blank stare. “Fuck him good enough to let me go I guess.”
He lets out a deep laugh. “At least you’re honest.”
But before I can respond further, he’s walking over to me, tightening his grip on my arm. I stumble slightly as he hauls me upright, holding me in his arms, his strength undeniable as his body doesn’t even flinch at the weight of me, his control absolute.
My senses reignite, every nerve alive as the world tilts and shifts. We move up a narrow set of stairs, each step pulling me deeper into his domain, the weight of his presence pressing down on me.
Finally, we stop, the dim light casting the familiar doorway of his room into view.
Walking inside, Nikolai sets me down, locks the door behind me, and then moves toward a feature wall at the back of the room.
A secret door pushes open silently, revealing more space than I could have ever imagined. The room stretches beyond the two main doors I had noticed before, with hidden corners, sleek furniture, and dim lighting that makes the shadows feel deeper, more private. My chest tightens, not just from fear, but from how impossibly vast and controlled everything feels now that I can see more.
Standing in the doorway of this newly found space, he holds out a hand for me.
I look around for a moment, confused about who he’s gesturing to right now, but when his movements refuse to falter, I feel obligated to do as he’s suggesting.
I take a few steps, bringing my hand into his, allowing him to guide me toward a bathroom, only releasing me once I’m standing in front of a gleaming glass shower.
“Clean yourself off.”
I let out a soft, incredulous giggle. “And what, you’re just going to… watch?”
“Don’t be so full of yourself, Aurelia. I’m not interested. Your friend Elijah and I have been busy enough without you,” he says casually, like he’s speaking about an everyday inconvenience.
I tense at the mention of his name, trying to keep unshakeable. “Elijah?”
I can’t help the slip—I wasn’t expecting that. But I try to save it. “I couldn’t care less.”
“That’s sweet, Aurelia. I like when you act unfazed,” he replies.
I force a smile, but there’s no real amusement in it. He notices, of course, and I can feel the scrutiny in his gaze even as he reaches into his pocket.
Before I can react, he pulls out his phone. My stomach drops. The screen lights up, and there it is: Elijah, sipping a drink while a topless girl grinds on him. Heat floods my face. It stings, but I can’t say I’m surprised. After everything that’s happened, I know now. Elijah never cared about me. Not like I wanted him to. Not the way I had imagined. He’s just another guy, another person who never really saw the real me.
I force a small, brittle smile. “Cool. Where’s yours?”
“Mine?” His brow raises, clearly expecting a different reaction from me.
