16. -15-
Nina
Staring at Dorian’s calm face, I didn’t know if he was asleep or unconscious. No one ever complained about my blow-job skills, but this was an unexpected reaction. In my experience, his orgasm should have been much more intense after the edging, but knocked out? That was a first.
A satisfied grin stretched across my face, and I risked removing my mask. I cleaned up the mess he made and erased every piece of evidence of our little adventure. Everything was in perfect order.
Leaning closer, I felt Dorian’s warm breath against my cheek. Relief loosened the knot in my chest. His breathing was steady. He’d be fine.
I placed a gentle kiss on his forehead and exited the bed, thinking about how to arrange his restraints so he wasn’t in such an unnatural position. Lucas would probably be away until the morning, and I felt sorry if my sweetheart suffered.
Playing with the keys from the locks holding him down, I mustered up some courage and approached the headboard.
The chain was wrapped around the metal column, and the cuff was attached to his wrist. Guilt twisted my stomach when I noticed the dark bruise spreading beneath the cuff.
Redness flared across his skin, a reminder of everything I’d done to keep him here.
From the bag in the corner, I took out bandages and sat beside Dorian on the bed, hoping he wouldn’t wake up while I treated the injuries.
Exhaling deeply, I covered my sweaty, itchy face with a mask and unlocked his right hand.
His left arm stayed attached to the bed so even if he woke up, he wouldn’t be able to escape.
But I wanted to avoid that situation at all costs.
The gun burned on my hip; still, using it on Dorian was the last thing on my mind.
As quickly as I could, I spread lotion on a dark bruise and bandaged it, then placed a tight cuff over it.
My heart beat somewhere in my throat when the clicking sound echoed in the quiet room.
Still, there wasn’t much I could do. If I freed him now, he’d rip my head off.
One blowjob wasn’t enough to make him forget I kidnapped him, but it was a start.
Once he married me, he wouldn’t be able to escape my love.
The thought made me smile as I swiftly bandaged his other hand. He didn’t even move. I covered him with a blanket, adjusted the cushion under his head, and let him sleep.
For the next three hours, I rehearsed every version of the negotiation in my head, trying to find the best way to present my offer to Dorian.
I had little to offer except his freedom, but he didn’t know I would never deliberately hurt him, and that was my biggest advantage.
I also knew the Carlile family was involved in the scheme to get his brother out of prison.
And then there were the drugs. They would force Dorian to cooperate and marry me, but only if everything else failed.
As ridiculous as it was after chaining him to a bed, a part of me still hoped he’d agree willingly.
Checking the supplies Lucas had brought, now sitting in the old fridge, I wondered what I could put together.
My options were limited, but even if they hadn’t been, cooking wasn’t my thing.
My stomach rumbled, though the knot of nerves kept me from eating.
Dorian, however, would need something to fill his belly.
With a resigned sigh, I inspected the ancient stove and oven before settling for the easiest option, heating one of the frozen ready-made meals.
While something that should have been lasagna stayed in the oven, I hid my bow and arrows in the car, then returned to the kitchen and paced back and forth. Lucas texted me that the papers were taking more time than he expected, time we didn’t have.
The loud ding of the oven made me flinch, and I exhaled an exasperated breath.
The smell made my stomach growl, and when I removed the aluminum foil, the thick layer of cheese made my mouth water.
I dug my fork in and carefully tasted the sauce.
It was surprisingly good, but before I could try more, another text from Lucas came.
Lucas: We have to speed it up, Nina. Zyon put a reward on our heads.
Nina: Does he know it’s us?
My mouth filled with more saliva, and my stomach clenched painfully.
Lucas: Not yet, but it’s a matter of a few hours. We have to do it now or abandon the idea.
Nina: We won’t be abandoning anything. Get back ASAP.
He sent me a thumbs-up emoji, and I threw my phone on the wooden desk as if it were its fault that Dorian’s brothers were closer than we thought.
My hands shook, and panic squeezed my chest, but the rational part of me knew that if I wanted to get things done, I couldn’t freak out.
This was what my grandpa had prepared me for over the years.
Under immense pressure and hunted by the predators, I couldn’t fold. I would rise to meet it.
Gathering my strength and fixing the mask on my face, I took a plate with lasagna and a glass of water upstairs.
Dorian slept soundly; his face was calm and so gorgeous I almost didn’t believe it was real.
His hair fell across his forehead and into his closed eyes; one corner of his lips lifted, and his long eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks with every exhale.
Waking him was a deadly sin, but the circumstances demanded it.
The sooner I got him to agree with my proposal, the better.
“Dorian,” I whispered, shaking his shoulder. “Wake up, sleepy head.”
A groan slipped from his lips, and he smiled dreamily. The butterflies in my stomach instantly went into a frenzy. I wanted nothing else, just to snuggle with him and fall asleep on his broad chest. But instead, I tried again.
“Dorian.” I gently slapped his cheek, my palm tingling the second I touched him. “Open your eyes.”
He didn’t react. His head turned to the side, leaning into my hand, but nothing more. He was dead asleep.
“I don’t have time for this,” I mumbled, removing my hand from under his head. I grabbed the glass of water from the nightstand and splashed it on his face. His eyes snapped open, his arms instinctively tugged at the restraints, and he looked completely disoriented.
“What the…” he gasped, staring at me as if I had fallen from the sky. “What’s happening?”
“Good morning,” I chirped, smiling at his confused expression. “It’s night, actually, but you just woke up, so, you know.” I wiped the water from his face, almost laughing at his bafflement. He looked adorable, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. “I brought you food, and we need to talk.”
“What about water?” he asked, licking his lips from the drops as he zoomed in on the plate. His nose scrunched, and he slightly pulled away. “I feel like throwing up.” He cast me a pleading glance that almost melted my heart. “Take it away, please.”
He didn’t need to ask twice. I took the food into another room, then returned with the bottle of still water. I held it to his lips as he slowly sipped, his eyes glued to the mask on my face.
“Better?” I wiped his mouth with a napkin.
“Painkillers and sleep would be much appreciated, but yeah, I’m fine.” He yanked his head away from my reach, his hazel eyes glowing with something I couldn’t identify in the dim light cast from the dusty lamp. “Why am I here, ma vilaine?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” I teased, crossing my legs. “We’re getting married.”
“When?” he inquired, piercing my skull with his fierce glance. His reaction was completely different from what I anticipated.
“In about an hour or two,” I answered, wary of the frightening calm he radiated.
“Won’t happen.” He offered me a strained smile, tilting his head back on a pillow. “Malin will be here in about forty minutes, then will blow your head off and take me home. If your accomplice is clever enough, he should leave the state right now. It’s game over, love.”
I blinked at him, my mind quickly processing the terrifying prediction he offered. But it didn’t make any sense. He didn’t even know what time it was. The accuracy of his threat was either complete nonsense or a premonition.
“It’s only the beginning, Dorian,” I countered, placing my hand on his thigh, but the chuckle he let out made the tiny hairs on my neck stand up.
“Have you forgotten who you kidnapped, ma vilaine?” he asked, as if he were speaking to a little girl who didn’t understand the assignment.
“I have the strongest backup. Malin is like a fucking shark smelling blood. Whatever you planned and however great the execution, you have minutes, not hours, to disappear.”
My throat tightened, but I didn’t let his words affect me. I would either get to the end of this or die trying.
“You will marry me today, Dorian,” I said, smiling at him like I didn’t hear him.
“And why on earth would I do that when I know help is coming?” He tilted his head mockingly, making me think he was wasting time.
“Help might find you dead, baby,” I replied nonchalantly, pulling the gun from the holder on my hip. He finally looked away from my face to the weapon in my hand, but it only made his handsome face smile.
“You care too much to use it,” he whispered in a voice that sent delicious shivers down my spine. It momentarily disturbed my concentration, but then the reality hit. I had no other choice but to hurt him to prove a point.
“Do I?” I moved the gun up his torso to his neck, pressing it against his pulse point.
“Yes, you do, ma vilaine,” he stated with unshakable confidence, grinning when I pressed the gun further. “You won’t kill me.”
“Ooooh,” I whined, the idea striking me at the last moment. “Of course I won’t kill you. But.” I jerked the weapon to his chained left hand, pushing it against his bandaged wrist. “If I shoot here, you will never perform surgery again.”
For the first time since he woke up in this bed, I noticed a pinch of fear behind his look. His jaw clenched, his glare turning murderous.
“Do you still believe I hold no power?” My lips stretched into a slightly maniacal grin. He had no idea how desperate I was.
“Power is dangerous,” he lectured in a controlled tone, his eyes narrowing at the edges.
I always considered him different than his psycho brothers, but in this very moment, he looked utterly like them, cold, ruthless, and detached from any emotions.
“And sometimes, it’s smarter to walk away from a losing battle. ”
“What if I have nothing to lose?” I whispered, dragging the gun along his forearm. “While you’re the one who can lose everything.” I pressed the barrel against his wrist. “So, what’s it gonna be?”