Chapter 5
Bria
I was breaking the fuck apart.
Everything hurt. My bones felt like they were being scraped from the inside.
Sweat soaked through the sheets, making them cling to my skin like a second, suffocating layer.
My stomach twisted violently, and I barely made it to the edge of the bed before I vomited again—nothing but bile and water now.
The maid, an old woman named Rosa, had tried to help me, but I’d shoved her away twice already.
“Please…” I whimpered, curling into a ball on the cold floor. “Please, I can’t do this. I need something. Just a little. Just enough to make it stop.”
Rosa stood nervously by the door, wringing her hands. “Senor Kael will be back soon.”
I laughed, but it came out as a sob. “Don’t let him near me. He’s a monster. He’s going to let me die in here.”
The door opened at that very moment.
Kael stepped inside, and the air in the room changed instantly. He wore a black shirt and slacks.
Rosa gave him a small nod and quickly slipped out, closing the door behind her.
The second she was gone, I dragged myself up, using the bedpost for support. My legs shook so badly I nearly collapsed.
“Kael,” I croaked, voice raw from screaming earlier. “Please. I’m begging you. Just one hit. I’ll do anything. I’ll be good. I swear I’ll be good after that, no more.”
He crossed the room slowly and crouched in front of me. His hand reached out to brush damp hair from my forehead, but I jerked away.
“Don’t touch me!” I snapped, jerking backward, then immediately regretted it as another wave of nausea hit. I gagged, dry-heaving over the floor. Tears streamed down my face. “I hate you. I fucking hate you for doing this to me.”
“I know,” he said softly. He stayed crouched, watching me with dark, steady eyes. “But you’re going to get through this.”
I lunged at him then. My nails raked down his arm as I tried to shove him away. “Let me go! Or I’ll tell everyone what you did when I get out of here! Darius will kill you for this!”
Kael caught my wrists easily, pinning them against my chest without hurting me.
“Bria,” he said, voice low. “Stop.”
I kept fighting, thrashing against him even as my body screamed in protest. “You’re sick! You’re a fucking psycho! Kidnapping me, locking me up like some pet—”
He shoved me onto the bed. His voice rose, just slightly.
“Enough.”
The single word cut through the haze I was in. I froze. My heart slammed against my ribs so hard it hurt.
Kael’s eyes softened almost immediately. He was soft when it came to me; that gave me courage. I jumped up, dropped to my knees, and crawled toward him on my hands and knees. When I reached him, I grabbed the front of his shirt with trembling fingers and looked up at him with wide, desperate eyes.
“Don’t you like me?” I whispered, trying to make my voice soft and sweet. “I can make you feel good… I can make it really good for you. Just give me something. Please, Kael. I’ll suck you off right now. I’ll ride you however you want. Just… just help me.”
His entire body went still.
I pushed up onto my knees, pressing my body against his legs, and reached for his belt with shaking hands. “I’m serious. I’ll be so good for you. Better than anyone else. Just don’t let me feel like this anymore.”
For a moment—just a moment—I saw something dark and hungry flash in his eyes. His jaw clenched hard, and his hand twitched like he wanted to touch me. He hesitated, breath growing heavier as I fumbled with his belt.
Then I leaned up and kissed him.
It was messy and desperate, my lips crashing against his, my tongue pushing into his mouth as I tried to convince him with my body. For half a second, he kissed me back like a man starving. His hand came up to grip the back of my neck.
But then he pulled away, breathing hard.
“Bria,” he said, voice rough and strained. “Stop.”
I didn’t listen.
With trembling hands, I reached down and yanked the thin cami I was wearing up and over my head, tossing it aside.
I was completely bare underneath. The cool air hit my skin, making my nipples harden instantly.
I stayed on my knees in front of him, back slightly arched, chest pushed forward, looking up at him with tear-streaked eyes.
“See?” I whispered, voice breaking. “I’m right here. You can have me. All of me.”
I watched his eyes devour me.
His gaze dragged slowly down my body—over my breasts, my stomach, the curve of my hips—but in his eyes, he looked like he was fighting every instinct he had. His hands flexed at his sides. His breathing grew heavier. I thought I had him.
But then he closed his eyes for a moment, jaw locked so tight a muscle jumped in his cheek.
When he opened them again, the control he always had returned.
He crouched down in front of me, cupped my face with both hands, and forced me to look at him.
“Bria,” he said. “Look at me.”
I didn't want to.
His fingers curled beneath my chin anyway, forcing me.
“You think I don't want you?” He chuckled. “I've wanted you since before you knew my name.”
My breath caught.
“I want you, but I don't want this.” He gestured toward me as I shook in desperation. “I don't want pain to be the reason you touch me.”
His eyes searched mine.
“Bunny, I want you clear enough to know exactly who you're choosing.”
Then he leaned forward and pressed a slow kiss to my forehead.
“And reckless enough to choose me anyway.”
I sobbed harder, fists weakly hitting his chest. “Why won’t you just let me die? If you’re not going to stop the pain.”
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him, rocking me slowly like I was something precious and breakable.
“Because you don’t actually want to die. You’re just hurting. I’ve got you though, Bunny. We are going to make it through this.”
I wanted to ask him why he cared so much, but I couldn’t bring myself to. Part of me knew I needed this.
I cried into his shirt. He held me through all of it—never loosening his grip, never raising his voice again, making me feel both safe and completely trapped.
When the worst of the wave passed and I was limp and shaking in his arms, he lifted me back onto the bed and tucked the blanket around me.
He brushed damp hair from my forehead, eyes dark with resolve.
“I’m calling Zia,” he said quietly. “She knows what to do.”
I knew Zia; she didn’t like me, and I couldn’t blame her, but I didn’t have the strength to argue. I just closed my eyes, tears still leaking out as another tremor rolled through my body.
Kael stayed right there, watching over me like a guardian and a jailer all at once. Even through the pain, I kept wondering why he was doing this and what it would cost me.