Chapter 13
13
I wake up tucked against Casimir’s body. He uncuffed me at some point during the night and now is breathing low and even. That, at least, I recognize on an intrinsic level. I’ve slept next to this man for two years. I know the cadence of his heartbeat against my ear, of his slow exhales and deep inhales. I don’t know if it’s reassuring or horrible that he can’t lie in his sleep.
I lift my head and study his expression, trying to compare it to the one I knew so well. His brow is relaxed in sleep; his jaw too. It makes him look younger. More like Luke, the man I originally fell in love with. Except he isn’t Luke. He never has been.
He’s Casimir Romanov.
I still can’t quite wrap my head around it... or the implications. Everything he’s said has been focused solely on me, aside from answering that more Romanovs are in Carver City. But he can’t be here because he’s so in love with me. He’s here at his father’s behest. Or, worse, his uncle’s. Jovan Romanov is head of the Romanov empire that stretches the globe and his reputation is akin to the boogeyman of the mafia. You don’t fuck with him if you want to live.
Getting out of here has to be the first priority. My family needs to know that there’s something coming. Something bad.
That, more than anything, gets me moving. It’s one thing to endanger myself with my choices. Hurting my parents? My aunts and uncles? Unacceptable.
Casimir’s hand shoots out and closes around my wrists before I make it more than an inch from him. He speaks without opening his eyes. “The door is locked, baby.”
Sure, but there’s a panic button. Pushing that probably cancels the contract right there and there. The Concierge doesn’t seem like someone to fuck with, and the rules of the auction are sacred. “Let me go.”
He opens his eyes and sighs. “We’re not past this then.”
I jerk away from him, and he releases me, dragging a finger over the ring I’m still wearing. It’s achingly apparent that he chose to free me. I didn’t do it with my own strength. I glare. “Tell me what your family wants with Carver City.”
Casimir stretches out and props his head on his arm. “The same thing we always want. Power. Territory. Money. Not necessarily in that order.”
I cross my arms over my chest, which feels ridiculous while I’m naked. “That is not a plan.”
“You didn’t ask for the plan.”
“Casimir.”
His slow smile makes my heart backflip. The only warning I get is a slight tensing of his abs, and then he’s on me, flipping me onto my back and settling between my thighs. “Say it again.”
He’s holding me down, but his expression is hardly threatening. I narrow my eyes. “No.”
“So difficult.”
“Answer my question. The plan. Your intentions. Whatever you want to call them. We’re talking about my family’s safety. I might be a fucking fool when it comes to dealing with you, but they are my priority.”
“I know.” He sighs again, as if already tired of this game. “I feel the same.”
The Romanovs are notoriously clannish. Their moves make the dangers that Carver City has seen in the past look like children’s games. They might marry for alliances and power, but they are loyal only to each other... and sometimes even that loyalty falters. At least that’s the recent rumor in regard to their American cousins. The New York branch has been making moves and...
I frown. “Were you part of that stuff that went down with the New York Romanov heir?”
He catches my hands and presses them to the bed on either side of my head. “Baby, I don’t want to talk about the family business right now. All you need to know is that we don’t want your family dead. There’s no need for war when an alliance brings the same outcome with fewer resources wasted.”
An alliance.
Something is going wrong in my stomach, my chest. It feels like I’m free-falling and slamming to earth, all at once. “I see.”
“Get that look off your face,” he snaps.
“Make me,” I snap right back.
“I’m not sorry I lied to you. If I’d told you the truth, you would have run crying to your parents and then things would have gotten complicated. If you’re waiting for an apology, you’re going to wait a long fucking time, baby.” His expression is so damn serious. “The moment I knew who you were, I claimed you as mine. We were always going to end up here. And I was never going to play fair.”
Because I’m the fucking Belmonte heir.
Did I think I was feeling reckless before? Well, that was nothing compared to right now. I want to scream at him, to claw at his face, to grab a gun and pull the trigger over and over until there are no bullets left. He lied to me, yes, but I’m starting to realize I was already rationalizing that away. Because he wanted me .
Except he didn’t. He was sent to seduce and marry the Belmonte heir. If I had an older sibling, it would be them beneath him right now. Not me.
“Ruby—”
“Huntsman.”
He blinks down at me as if he can’t believe I just said it. Casimir eases off me but doesn’t move far away. “This conversation isn’t done.”
No, it’s not. I can’t go back to Carver City with him chasing me. Even if I called in my parents, he’s the Mad Wolf . He’s a notorious killer, and while my fathers might be able to kill him before he hurts them... there are no guarantees. And if they succeed? I’m not ready to examine the pain that thought causes.
“I need some space.”
“No.”
I slide off the bed and start looking around for something to put on. The rubies on my collar slide luxuriously against my skin, and I want to rip them off with my bare fingers, but Casimir has the key and I don’t feel like arguing with him to get it back. “You don’t get to tell me no. Not right now. Gods, you don’t even see why I’d be pissed about this, do you? It’s like talking to a wall.”
He watches me with a predator’s intent but makes no move to get off the bed. It doesn’t matter. I know firsthand how fast he is when he wants to be. There’s nowhere in this room that I can escape him. Which means I need to get out of the room.
“When’s the last time you ate?”
His question brings me up short. I spin around and point my finger at him. “Don’t do that.”
“Don’t do what?”
“Don’t ask me a Luke question.” I am notorious for getting bitchy when I’m hungry, and at some point, when we were on the verge of arguing for real, Luke learned to ask me that question. It’s frankly embarrassing how many arguments died a quiet death the moment I got some protein in me.
Casimir may have Luke’s face, may be asking me Luke’s question, but that can’t mean anything. Softening toward him, sharing a smile in acknowledgment that my blood sugar is probably low, letting two years of knowing a person make me believe his lies? Out of the question.
He watches me closely. “I’ll call for some food.”
“I’d rather leave the room and get it myself.” I glare. “You know, stretch my legs and shit.”
“You’re going to run.” Now, finally, he moves, easing off the mattress and pulling on his pants. “Haven’t you figured it out yet, baby? There’s nowhere you can run that I can’t find you. I’ll chase you to the ends of the earth if that’s what it takes.”
My stomach does that strange swoopy thing again, but I’m too twisted up to tell if it’s good or bad. Maybe it really is just hunger. “Because I’m the heir.”
His brows slam together. “Because you’re mine.”
“Tomato-tomahto.” I grab the silk robe that’s been left on the hook in the bathroom. It’s short and slinky and leaves nothing to the imagination, but at least I’m not naked.
I stalk to the door and bang on it. “Let me out. I’m done.” I am not ready to cancel the contract, but surely they have surveillance—whether digital or a person lingering in the halls if something goes wrong.
“We’re not done.”
“I am.” The lock clicks open, and I shove out into the hallway.
Casimir is right on my heels, not bothering to put on a shirt or shoes. This feels as unbearably intimate as fucking him, but I can’t stop. I pick a direction at random and charge down the hall.
To his credit, he doesn’t touch me. But there’s no escaping his presence as my shadow. I can sense his anger growing. That’s fine; mine is too.
“Ruby, stop.”
“Fuck you.” I hear voices nearby and take a sharp turn to head in that direction. Even now, I don’t really think Casimir is going to hurt me , but that doesn’t mean he’s going to let me leave without him. I need to find the Concierge or...
I turn another corner and catch sight of the auctioneer. Reaper. That was his name. He’s standing in a large arched doorway, talking to a pair of people. They move into the room behind him, and he sees me coming. His grin is sexy and a little dangerous. “Nice collar.”
Help .
I open my mouth to say it, but instead what comes out is “What’s going on here?”
“This?” Reaper shrugs, the gesture toward the room elegant. “It’s a little tradition among old friends.” His gaze slips past me to where Casimir has stopped behind me, so close, I can feel the heat coming off his body. “Wolf.”
“Reaper.” There’s a rumble to his voice that feels particularly dangerous. “Ruby is hungry. We’re headed to the kitchens.”
“I’m not hungry anymore.” I peer past Reaper into the room behind him. There are couches and chairs arranged artfully around the space, and along the perimeter are a number of suspension racks, spanking benches, and other large kink equipment.
The room is full, the gathered people ranging from an older couple in elegant eveningwear sharing wine on a love seat to a handful of people my age who are wearing little more than their skin.
What’s great is that I don’t know a single one of them.
I take a step forward, but Reaper tosses out an arm, stopping me without touching me. “Sorry, love, but the Mad Wolf is a nightmare to play with, and our voyeur ranks are filled.”
“I don’t want to watch. I want to participate.”
Reaper studies me for a beat and then turns his attention on Casimir. “Well?”
Casimir makes another sound that’s suspiciously close to a growl. “A moment.” He takes my arm and practically drags me a few feet down the hall.
“Let me go,” I say under my breath.
He spins me to face him. He may be manhandling me a bit, but I don’t miss the fact that he’s being very careful not to actually hurt me. The fool inside me wants to look into that. The rest of me wants to punish him for all the horrible feelings tangling inside me. I don’t know what to think, what to feel.
“You want this.”
“Sure do.” I don’t know if it’s true, but he looks distinctly irritated. It’s there in his clenched jaw and the way he holds himself a little too still.
He studies my face. “If I agree to this, you are going to sit down and hear me out at the end of it.” His grip on my shoulders shifts, and his fingers start stroking up and along the rubies of my collar. “And you’re going to keep this on the entire time.”
“Can’t really take it off without the key you have.”
“I’m serious, Ruby. We’re talking after this. No theatrics. No bullshit. No lying.”
Not likely. I smile up at him and lie through my teeth. “Fine. We can talk after this.”
Casimir curses under his breath. “You’re lying again. Whatever. Let’s go.”
I step away quickly before he can guide me to where Reaper watches us with undisguised interest. As I walk back to Reaper, I catch sight of a woman kneeling at his feet. I hadn’t noticed her, because he’s so damn entrancing. She’s a pretty white woman with long dark hair and angry blue eyes. My eyes go wide. She’s the one before me in the auction, the one who sold herself for a single dollar. Was Reaper the winning bidder? It doesn’t matter. He’s my priority right now, and so he gets my best charming smile. “We’re in.”
“Very well.”
I start to move past him, but he blocks my way again. “Not so fast, love. If you want in, you have to prove yourself.” There’s a teasing note to his voice. I might be shit at reading Casimir, but I understand power plays. Casimir undermined Reaper at the auction, and now he’s all but whipping out his dick to piss on Casimir’s foot.
I can work with this.
“That’s not?—”
I ignore whatever Casimir is about to say and drop to my knees before Reaper. He’s shirtless again, so it’s easy enough to hook my fingers into the front band of his pants. I give him wide eyes. “Like this?”
He arches his brows, his grin downright sinful. “Don’t let me stop you, love.”
“Stop calling her that,” Casimir snarls. “Ruby, get off your knees.”
“He said I need to prove myself. So I will.” I wait for Reaper’s slight nod to unbutton his pants and drag down his zipper. His cock is already hard and just as impressive as Casimir’s.
The woman kneeling at my side tenses, but she’s not my problem. I glance at Casimir, who’s glaring at me. He says something scathing in Russian and then switches to English. “You want to suck his cock? Do it.”
“I don’t need your permission. We broke up, remember?” But what little hesitation I had is gone. I lean forward and take Reaper’s cock into my mouth. He’s attractive in the way of a fallen angel who’s taken to the vices of the world, all sharp lines and sharper angles. And he does have a nice cock.
Best of all, Casimir is watching.
That, even more than the act of sucking Reaper’s cock, gets me wet. I slide my hands down Reaper’s thighs and back up to his hips as I swallow him down. I muscle past my gag reflex and give him my A game. Put on a show for the glaring man at our side.
When I glance up at Reaper, his smirk says he knows exactly what I’m doing, but he’s allowing it for his own reasons. Our eyes meet in a moment of perfect understanding. He laces his fingers together behind his head, not doing anything to guide me. Just allowing me to prove myself.
Okay, yeah, that’s hot as fuck.
I pick up my pace, giving him everything I have. It’s messy work, but that just makes me enjoy it all the more. This man is going to come, and I’m going to make it happen.
“There you go, love,” he murmurs. “Almost there.”
It’s honestly kind of sweet that he’s giving me a chance to do anything but swallow him down when he orgasms. I’m angry enough at Casimir to make a mess of myself with Reaper’s come, but I want to enjoy the play party without starting out sticky.
He exhales sharply, and that’s the only further warning I get. I suck harder, swallowing as he comes down my throat. I give him one last long suck before I ease off his cock and arch my brows at him. “Well?”
He laughs and smoothly tucks his cock back into his pants. “You know you’ve done well, you little brat.” He offers his hand, and I allow him to lift me to my feet. He brushes a light kiss to my knuckles. “Don’t get too settled in. The main event starts soon.”
“Perfect.”
He looks at Casimir without dropping my hand. “And you. If you harm a single one of my guests, I’m going to take it rather personally.”
Casimir grunts. It’s not words, but it seems to be enough for Reaper. He drops my hand and waves me past him. “You’re going to enjoy yourself immensely tonight, love.”
I have every intention of doing so. And if it makes Casimir choke in the process... all the better.
“Are you happy now?”
I don’t look at Casimir as I slide past two people making out. “Not even a little.”
“Ruby.”
Even as I tell myself not to, I glance over my shoulder at him. He’s banked his obvious fury at Reaper’s antics, but there’s a deep heat in his pale eyes that makes me quiver. I lick my lips. “What?”
He grabs my hips and spins me around, one hand shifting to the small of my back and pulling me against his chest. It’s a smooth move, so smooth that I don’t have a chance to push back. Or that’s what I tell myself as I find myself pressed against his heat. I plant my hands on his chest, fully intending to shove him away, but the command gets lost somewhere between my brain and fingers.
Casimir digs his other hand into my hair and presses me harder against him. He brings me so close that the rubies of my collar bite into my skin the same way they must be biting into his. “Let’s get one thing straight.”
“Can’t wait.”
He makes that sexy snarling sound against my lips. “No matter who you fuck and suck tonight, it’s at my will.”
“Whatever you have to tell yourself.” My voice is too breathy, but he’s unraveling right in front of me, and it feeds my recklessness, gasoline to my fire.
He nips my bottom lip, hard enough to make me gasp. “My will, baby. So have fun tonight, because when you’re done playing, we’re going back to that room and I’m reclaiming every bit of you that you’re all too happy to give away to others.”
This isn’t him threatening to murder anyone I touch. This is different. This is... even hotter.
I press on his chest, and he allows me to walk him backward to an open chair behind him. Casimir sinks smoothly, and I follow, straddling him. His cock is hard against my bare pussy, and I can’t help rolling my hips a little as I lean down to speak directly in his ear. “I’m going to fuck so many people tonight. You’re going to have a lot of reclaiming to do, baby . Though you can’t give away what was never yours.”
“You were mine from the moment I saw you, Ruby.” He grabs my ass and grinds me against him. I’m so wet from sucking Reaper’s cock in front of him. So fucking wet and aching and... He rubs me up and down the length of his cock, the seam of his pants hitting right there .
Now’s the time to do something, to put him in his place, but the haze of need muddies my thoughts. “No,” I whisper.
“Yes.” He keeps me moving at that pace, his eyes hard and hot. “No one makes you come as hard as I do. No one fucks you like I do.” Casimir leans in, his breath ghosting against the shell of my ear as he keeps winding me tighter and tighter. “And no one knows what a vicious little monster you are the way I do. I’ve spent two years knowing you. You’re selfish and petty, smart and savvy. Downright fucking wicked , baby. If you ever get out of your own way, you’re going to be one hell of a leader for that fucking territory.”
“Casimir.” I don’t know if I’m telling him to stop or to keep going. I can’t think . “Please.”
“Take what you need, baby.”
I frantically reach between us to get his pants undone, even as I tell myself not to give him the satisfaction. I just get my fist wrapped around his length when Reaper’s voice cuts through the room.
“Time to play, friends. The game tonight is a hunt, but we’re doing things my way.” A chorus of laughs slams me back into myself.
What am I doing ? I had every intention of making Casimir pay for everything he’s done, but the first chance I get, I’m about to be bouncing on his cock again. I shove off him and yank my robe shut. I’m not even sure when it came undone.
For his part, he smirks and does his pants back up. The only indication that he’s as affected as me is his hard cock pressing against the fabric of his pants... against the wet spot of my desire.
Meanwhile, Reaper is still speaking, projecting to every corner of the room without him raising his voice. “Participation is not required, of course, but those who want to play will choose to be predator... or prey. Prey flees. Predators pursue. And if a predator catches their prey, they can have their filthy way with them. For this game, we’ll follow the tried-and-true safe words. ‘Red’ means stop. ‘Yellow’ is a pause. Understood?”
Again, people murmur in assent. He has us all captivated. The man truly does know how to work a crowd.
He grins. “And what’s a game without a prize? Whichever predator brings me the best offering will win a favor of their choosing.”
“What do you mean by ‘best,’ Reaper?” someone calls from the back of the room.
His grin widens. “That’s for me to know and you to find out.” He spreads his arms. “Prey will get a five-minute head start. If you want to play foxes to our hounds, come to me now.”
Participation may not be required, but if I stay here, I’m going to end up fucking Casimir again and likely not receive any answers.
Besides, when am I going to get another chance to play a game like this? Fleeing strangers who will hold me down and fuck me if they catch me? Playing kinky games without having to worry about seeing a family member participating?
I’m not missing this for anything.