“You—” My voice came out as a strangled whisper. Heat burned on my cheeks and ran down my throat. “How long have you been—? The whole time?”
His smile was predatory. “I sent poor Brynn on an errand to the kitchen. Quite convenient timing, wouldn’t you say?” He tilted his head, studying me like I was his favorite dessert and he was trying to decide where to take his first bite. “You have no idea how useful you’ve just been. I can see exactly why Enzois so taken with you, my dear. So trusting, so exquisite, so…vulnerable.”
Rage exploded through me, my blood turning molten in my veins. I was shaking with fury and humiliation as I panted hard. “Get out of here. Now.”
He tilted his head back and laughed, the sound echoing off the marble walls. “Oh, I don’t think so. We’re just getting started.”
I thrust my palm toward him, water droplets flying from my fingers.
Get him out
The shadows in every corner of the bathroom responded instantly, erupting like black flames. They shot across the room and swarmed around him, coiling like serpents around his arms, his legs, his torso. I sent them higher, wrapping around his throat and sealing over his mouth. I never wanted to hear that slimy, manipulative voice again.
Ari's eyes went wide with shock, then blazed with fury as he struggled against my restraints. He thrashed violently, tossing his head from side to side and writhing his body, but the shadows held firm. He even slashed at the shadows with his fingernails, but his claws just swept through empty air. For once, he couldn't talk his way out of something.
Good.
Tears of rage and humiliation burned my eyes. He’d violated me in the most intimate way possible—watched me bathe, touched my hair, made me trust him while he gathered intelligence to use against everyone I loved. I’d make him pay for this.
With a sharp gesture, I sent the shadows sliding across the marble floor, dragging Ari's bound form toward the door. He could rot in the hallway for all I cared.
I reached for the towel on the nearby rack, my other hand still commanding the shadows. I needed to get out of this tub—needed clothes, needed to be less vulnerable. My fingers closed around the soft fabric.
Brynn entered the bathroom carrying a silver tray laden with a delicate teapot, matching teacups, and small frosted cakes.
She froze.
Her pale gray eyes widened, the color draining from her face until she looked like a ghost. A sound tore from her throat—a raw, piercing scream that echoed off the marble walls.
The tray slipped from her trembling hands. China shattered on impact, shards skittering across the tiles like sharp snowflakes. Scalding tea splashed over the floor, mingling with the crumbled remains of the cakes.
Oh, shit.My heart stopped.The guards. They'll hear that and come running.
Heavy footsteps pounded down the hall, accompanied by the clash of weapons and shouted questions—the guards racing toward the chaos.
Brynn staggered back, pressing her hands over her mouth, her body shaking. For a fleeting moment, her gaze darted to me—wide, haunted, almost…knowing.
Crap, I was stark naked in this tub, holding a dangerous Dark Demon prisoner who was testing my ability to keep him that way. My arm shook as I battled to keep him tied up.
My body trembled as the shadows around Ari began to waver as my concentration split between maintaining control and panicking about my exposure.
“You’ll be punished for this,” Ari’s muffled voice managed to break free.
No, no, no.I tried desperately to reinforce the shadow bonds, but it was too late. The approaching guards, my nakedness, the humiliation of what he'd done—it all crashed over me at once.
My concentration shattered like glass.
The shadows screamed as they tore apart, dissolving into nothingness. Ari was free.
He moved with lightning speed, crossing the distance between us in a heartbeat. His hand cracked across my face with brutal force, the sharp smack echoing through the chamber like a sword striking steel. Stars exploded across my vision as I nearly pitched sideways out of the tub.
Before I could recover, his fingers twisted cruelly in my wet hair, yanking my head back. "Don't you ever," he snarled, his face inches from mine, "try that again, you little bitch."
Armed guards surrounded us, their weapons drawn. I sat in the tub shivering, the cooling water lapping over my breasts. Tears slid down my cheeks as I dragged the towel into the tub, trying desperately to cover myself.
All I wanted was for Enzo to appear behind the guards—to knock them aside, tear Ari apart with his bare hands, and carry me away from this nightmare. But he wasn’t coming. He didn’t even know where in this vast, twisted dimension I was trapped.
