Chapter 51
Calm and fucking quiet. That’s the part of me no one ever expects.
They think anger means screaming, throwing shit, putting your fist through the nearest wall like that somehow proves a point. But that’s not freaking anger. That’s impatience. That’s weakness blowing its load too early.
I, on the other hand, smile. I take my time, drag it out, fuck with the edges just to see how far I can push before something breaks. I could end it fast. Snap a neck, spill some guts, call it a day. But where’s the fun in that?
I like knowing I could end it fast and choosing not to. I like the look people get when they realize I’m not in a rush to stop hurting them.
He has that stupid delusion he’s the villain in this story. He thinks he’s the big bad, the shadow in the doorway, the fucker everyone’s supposed to piss themselves over.
He doesn’t know a fucking thing about me. If he did, he wouldn’t have opened his door. He wouldn’t have let me inside.
Cain showed me a hidden room in the mansion where Father had stockpiled weapons for every taste. He’d kept it without a second thought and pushed it further, filling the space with even more tools meant to ruin someone’s day. Quite the kinky little funfair, I won’t lie.
Now, all that’s left is the final touch before I go and fuck that bastard up.
I head straight for the office where I left Grayson to stitch her up and find her outside instead, talking to Judas.
“Adam?” she breathes.
I don’t say a word. I just nod for her to follow and turn away, heading straight for her room.
“Is everything okay?” she asks, closing the door behind her.
I stride up to her, grip her face, and crash my mouth onto hers. She doesn’t pull away. She meets me with the same force, her arms locking around me like she was waiting for it. I grab her thighs, and she jumps on instinct, her legs tightening around my waist.
Fuck.
I’m hooked on her, and it’s starting to feel dangerous.
I push her back onto the bed, careful in a way that doesn’t match the storm in my head. She melts under my hands, trusting me with all of it, and that kind of blind surrender only makes it worse. I’m losing grip.
My lips drop to her shoulder as I pull it toward me, needing to see what I did to her.
“Grayson did a great job,” she says with a smile.
“It will leave a bigger mark,” I say, tracing my fingers gently on the scar.
“I don’t care,” she says, shaking her head.
I reach for her, take the loose strand of hair that’s fallen across her face, and push it back. My fingers graze her skin. Her eyes close slowly, leaning into my touch.
“There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for you,” I say, with a low voice. “I’d burn cities for you. I’d burn this entire fucking planet down if you asked.”
She doesn’t look away. She knows exactly what I am.
There’s a war in my chest, something clawing to get out.
“I’d drag my soul to the pit, chain it to the devil’s throne, and smile as it burned, if it meant keeping you.”
I press my forehead to hers, breathing her in.
“I don’t want salvation. I don’t want peace. I want you. Only you.”
She holds my face and kisses me, slowly and deeply. I push her onto the bed without breaking the moment, my hands already on her wrists, guiding them over her head.
My fingers slide through hers, holding her there.
She’s mine.
Mine.
Mine.
I don’t weigh it; I don’t think it through.
If it’s me or her, I choose her before the thought can finish. I’d tear myself apart, walk straight into hell, and let it swallow me whole.
My other hand slips into my back pocket, and I pull out the handcuffs I took from the armory.
I click the cuffs around her wrists and lock them to the headboard. She flinches, just a little with confusion.
“What the …?”
Her eyes narrow, trying to figure out what the hell I’m doing.
I step back, watching her test the hold. She looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Seriously?” she says.
I grin a little. Not because it’s funny, but because I knew she’d react exactly like this.
“Dead serious,” I say.
She pulls against the cuffs again. “What the hell is this?”
I exhale through my nose, roll my shoulders once. “Insurance.”
“This isn’t funny.”
“I’m not laughing.”
She tugs harder, frustration starting to rise in her voice. “If this is about earlier, we’re not doing this. I’m not your hostage, I’m not your—”
“You’d stop me.”
“Stop you from what?”
“Killing your daddy.”
“You’re not going without me.”
“Yeah, I am.”
She twists her wrists, the metal scraping the wood. “You think I’m just gonna lie here while you go out and get yourself killed?”
“You underestimate me, little orchid. I’m not dying tonight.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know I’m not dragging you into it.”
“No, Adam!” She squeals, trying to break free. “I told you. If you fall, I fall.”
“Yeah, and that’s the problem,” I say, stepping back. “You’d follow me straight into the fire like it’s a fucking vacation.”
She pulls harder. “Let me go.”
She’s furious. I love her like this. Fire in her eyes, fierce as hell. Beautiful, wild, all mine.
“I’ll be back in a few hours,” I say. “Unless I’m not. Either way, you’ll be safe. That’s the point.”
She shakes her head. “You’re insane.”
I grin. “Eh. I’ve been called worse.” I tap the cuffs. “These stay.”
I toss her a casual salute and walk out.
“Adam, no!”