CHAPTER TEN
Two Days Until Christmas
Barrett
I’ve almost forgotten where I am as I blink the sleep out of my eyes. I squint at the window, a ray of sunlight reflecting off the snow like the sun itself. Finally—something other than gloomy cloud cover.
My arms resting above my head, I draw my knees up, twisting to look out the window.
Although upside down, I can make out the stark black edge of the shed against the snowy hillside.
My eyes wander over the snow, littered with tracks, and glosses over the pines closer to the house.
A little bird, maybe a chickadee, lands on a branch, throwing glittery snow into the air.
A chickadee? How do I know that?
Maybe because I spend hours staring out my back window at home, spacing out while decompressing after I come home from work.
Ugh, work. I’ve never dreaded going to work until now, not until this power trip drama with Derek.
Trying to push it from my mind, I focus on the bird—the chickadee hopping back and forth on the branch.
But that’s not all that’s there.
Suddenly, I notice a shadow behind the branch that isn’t a tree.
I gasp, my heart jump-starting so hard that it pops in my ears.
It’s a dark figure with long limbs and dark, mottled skin, its upper half obscured by the conifer branches.
I blink, trying to focus, but the adrenaline is overwhelming and it’s too far away to see any detail. But it’s just standing there.
Watching.
In full-on panic mode, I try to sit up, only to fall back down.
I can’t get up. I try to lower my arms, but I hit resistance.
I jerk my head up and my mouth falls open as soon as I see my wrists.
They’re bound with black straps, too tight to escape, but not tight enough to cause discomfort.
The other ends are hopelessly secured to the headboard. Oh, and I’m still completely naked.
“Sergei!” I holler, tugging at the straps.
But there’s only silence. Why isn’t he answering? Where is he?
I begin to think the worst. What if something happened? What if someone else is here? But there is someone—something else—here. And it’s right outside. What if there’s more than one? My mind immediately races to dark places. Whether man or beast, this is not good.
“Sergei!” I cry with more urgency.
I struggle against the restraints until there’s a click and the door slowly swings open. I freeze, the silence deafening.
This is it. Whoever or whatever that is came back. They killed Sergei and now they’re going to kill me too. Or worse…
I’m preparing to have a heart attack when Sergei’s daunting figure appears from behind the door.
A mug in one hand, he strolls across the carpet, dressed in a pair of boxer briefs, his hair left hanging loose over his shoulders.
He comes to a halt at the foot of the bed and then cocks his head, looking down at me with something vaguely similar to admiration.
“What—what’s going on?” I ask frantically. “What are you doing?”
“Taking care of you.”
“What?” My eyes bug out as I give a sharp tug at the straps binding me to the headboard.
“You were feeling badly about the idea of leaving when the roads clear, so I’ve made it so you can’t.” He takes a sip from the mug. “Alleviated you of the responsibility.”
For a split-second, I forget about whatever the hell is lingering outside in the trees.
I swallow hard and level my voice. “You’re going to keep me tied to your bed so I can never leave? That’s hardly sustainable. I’ll need food,” I glance to the opposite side of the room, “and a bathroom!”
“Your breakfast is on the table,” he takes another sip, “if you want it.”
Seriously? Yes, I want another couture breakfast straight out of a ski lodge in the Alps instead of remaining tied to this bed.
“Where am I supposed to go?” I jerk my head toward the window. “It doesn’t look like an ounce of snow has melted!”
“No, many of the roads are still blocked.”
“So even if the airport is up and running, I can’t get there?”
Surprisingly, this fact doesn’t make me as anxious as it did a couple of days ago.
“No.”
“Then it doesn’t matter whether I’m tied to your bed if I can’t even go anywhere. Besides, I’ll need to let my family know that I’m still here.”
“No, you don’t.”
I pause with a long blink. “What do you mean, no I don’t?” I spit incredulously, giving my wrists another tug.
Now that crosses the fucking line. Who is he to say whether I need to contact my family? This is out of control. It’s a crime—a felony! Not to mention, it’s almost Christmas, for Christ’s sake! I would be reveling in this witty pun if I weren’t so shocked right now.
Sergei sets his mug down on the dresser. “I already spoke to your mother. She knows you’re safe.”
I freeze. “You spoke to my mom?”
“Yes.” Then he smiles. He actually smiles. “She was very friendly. She also warned me about how you get when you haven’t eaten in a while.”
My eyes narrow and I grit my teeth, letting out a frustrated breath. That just figures. Leave it to my own mother to give my captor pointers on my disposition. I bet he conveniently neglected to tell her it’s not just the snow keeping me here.
“Sergei,” I huff, peering at him suspiciously, “did you do this just so I wouldn’t try to leave the house?”
He bites his lip and averts his eyes. “No,” he admits.
“Then why?” I implore.
He takes a step toward the end of the bed. Then another. The mattress sinks down under his knee as he slowly crawls over my legs, casting his broad shadow over my body. My heart beats faster the longer he looks down at me, the warmth from his body teasing my skin.
“Because now you’re mine,” he finally says.
I’m so enraptured by his intense gaze that I almost forget why I initially called his name.
“Wait,” I choke out, suddenly remembering. “There was something outside. There was something standing outside in the trees!”
Slowly, Sergei looks to the window and then back to me. “There are a lot of things in the woods. They’re probably curious about you.”
That’s it? Monsters in the woods wondering what I’m doing here?
What utter bullshit. And from the way Sergei is smirking down at me, apparently, he thinks so, too.
Damn Colson for telling me that stupid werewolf story!
Why is my best friend married—almost married—to such a troll?
He wasn’t even talking about Colorado. Whatever, I’m over it because now I’m so distracted by Sergei and his absolute unit of a chest and a set of abs that looks like they belong to some marble statue in Rome that I don’t even respond.
A flutter ripples through my stomach as he dips down and slides his tongue over mine. The sensation of his hair trailing over my collarbone feels like an electrical current bringing me back to life. Gently, he pushes my chin up, running his lips over my throat.
“My Printsessa…” Kiss. “My treasure…” Kiss. “My entire world.”
My stomach flips on itself. How did I even get here?
Did I think I would end up bound to the blonde leviathan’s bed roughly a week after I accused him of trying to steal my suitcase? No.
Do I want to be everything he said just now? Yes. A resounding yes.
And that’s terrifying.
I should be alarmed that I woke up bound to this man’s bed and now he’s making extreme declarations and claims to my personal sovereignty.
But my body says otherwise. My arms stuck on either side of my head, I curl against him and I lift my leg, wrapping it around his waist in an effort to pull him closer.
The juxtaposition of his bristly exterior hopelessly entangled with his gentle touch makes my muscles ache with need.
He still feels mysterious and dangerous, but at the same time, he feels very, very safe.
I just want to be close to him.
My hips pump against him in a silent plea as his hand traverses my torso and palms my breast.
“I wanted to let you sleep,” he murmurs against my lips. “Are you ready to wake up?”
“Yes,” I say on my breath, “please…”
“Good girl.” His voice is like distant thunder that sends my heart racing.
First-born daughter with neurosis who’s perpetually seeking praise and validation. Sounds about right.
Maybe I am slowly losing my mind. Maybe I’m being swallowed up by the solitude of the mountain. But I don’t very much mind it. Sergei might as well be the monolith I pray to, because intervention from a higher power is the only thing that’ll make me leave this house.
He reaches down between us and a moment later, I let out a crackly moan as he slides his cock in deep, stretching me in the best way, like a key fitting into a lock.
He was so worried about the size difference, but the razor’s edge between pain and pleasure is everything I could’ve dreamed of.
My muscles tense in a full-body shiver working over my limbs.
My fingers curl into claws in the air as I try in vain to lower my arms and reach for him.
It’s like an itch that only he can scratch.
Sergei runs his hand up my neck, holding my face firmly as he thrusts into me. “Goddamn, Printsessa,” he grinds out. “I’m going to fill you up every day.”
I bite my lip as he hits my cervix over and over. “Come inside me…I’ll be your good girl if you come inside me.”
Well, damn. Do I have a breeding kink now, too? If I do, then it's totally his fault. It’s so exhilarating; free to be filled without the consequences. But just with him, and no one else. The mere thought of it makes my core flutter, the tension building by the second.