Chapter 35
Aurelia
Present
“I’ll share first. Nothing serious, I promise,” Adrian says casually, like he didn’t just get beaten to a pulp a few hours ago.
It’s been about five hours since I got put in the same collar and ankle locks as Adrian. He’s been surprisingly chatty for someone who just got punched so hard it nearly knocked him out, but I can’t say that it upsets me.
After Adrian regained consciousness and spent ninety minutes apologizing for how he had to help me, he reassured me that all he was trying to do was get me taken down from the posts.
I chose to believe him. I don’t think I even realized the toll that being strapped to those posts had on my mental state.
Now that I’m down and my blood is properly circulating through my body, I can finally think straight, and I can see Adrian as a temporary ally. At least until I get a better option.
“Come on, Ace, how much more do I have to do to prove to you that you can trust me. I promise I will cherish and love anything you choose to share.”
“Okay,” I hesitate, thinking of information. “My favourite colour is purple”
A grin fills his face. “Really, because I happen to like purple too.”
“And I have a German Shepherd.”
“What?!” he says in a mock excited voice. “I love German Shepherds.”
I can’t help but let out a giggle. “I like movies, specifically the traditional romantic kind.”
“I’m always telling people how much I love a good romance.”
I shake my head at his predictable response. “Okay, I get it, you love everything I say.”
He smiles. “Genuinely though, I do enjoy knowing more about you.”
I smile, letting my walls drop just a sliver. “Okay, well, tell me about you then. Do you have any family waiting for you to get out?”
“I have a brother… he kind of sucks, and he’s the reason I’m in here, so I’m planning my revenge.”
I snort, unsure if he’s joking. “Let’s hear it then.”
“Well… I’m gonna start with his dick,” Adrian says, as if it’s the most normal thing in the world. “I think I’ll pay a hooker to bite it off.”
“Of course,” I reply, raising a brow.
“Then I’ll go for his money. I’m still thinking of a way to steal his bank information.”
“Should be easy enough,” I tease.
“Then I’ll probably kill him,” he adds, “for making me spend so long in here when I could’ve been living my life.”
“And what would you be doing if you weren’t?” I ask, curiosity lacing my words.
“Oh, I dunno… probably at the clubs, getting my dick sucked.”
I tense, the cuffs digging into my ankles as I wrap my body around itself.
“What, you don’t like that?” He smirks. “You can have a turn once we get you out of those.”
I glare, disgusted. “Aw, just when I was starting to think you weren’t disgusting.”
“I’m joking. I’m joking.” He laughs, a low, dangerous sound that makes my chest tighten. “And I’m all you have in here. So I think you should tell me something a little more personal.”
I don’t know if it’s the shock from finally having my feet on the ground or just feeling some sort of connection to Adrian, but I need to make the most of the time I have, fully aware, in case they drug me again.
My chest tightens, my lungs pulling in more air than necessary, and I can’t ignore how fast my heart is racing thinking about Elijah and Enzo.
I take a deep breath, steadying myself against the dull ache in my heart, thinking about the life I will never get to have again.
I mean, I hated parts of it, sure, but I love the people I live with, and even though the thought of Elijah fills me with anger and disgust, I still love him.
I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to stop.
“I have a brother,” I say finally. “He’s the only family I have. We’re close.”
Adrian doesn’t move. He just watches me, unblinking. Almost weighing every word I say, measuring it against the person he thinks I am—or maybe the person he knows I am. My gaze slides up from the floor, and he’s staring right into me, like he’s trying to read my soul. The intensity is unbearable.
“I miss him,” I add, softer this time, barely above a whisper. “And… it sucks that I’ll probably never see him again. Or… he might watch me die.”
He tilts his head slightly, as if considering something.
“I think you’re putting too much weight on how valuable your life is,” he says, almost teasingly, but there’s a hard edge to it. “You don’t have to die, Ace. Have you considered bargaining with Nikolai? I think he likes you more than you give him credit for.”
My chest tightens again, but this time for a different reason. “Oh, my kidnapper likes me!” I clap my hands together, voice stinging and dripping with sarcasm.
He laughs. “I’m trying to help you, gorgeous. You’d stop being so angry with everyone if your end goal is to make it out alive.”
I don’t reply for a moment, weighing his words.
Could I actually make it out of here if I tried a different strategy?
Something separate from the plan I’ve had burned into me for the past six years?
The risk is insane, but what choice do I have?
Maybe Enzo and Elijah were wrong, maybe Nikolai doesn’t want to kill and torture me.
Maybe he just sees me as a De Luca, not as some betrayal in their alliance.
“Okay,” I say finally, “You’re right. I’ve been angry and hostile with everyone, and… it’s probably a misunderstanding.”
Probably not, but it’s worth testing the words out loud.
“See? Progress,” he says, a small, approving smile tugging at his lips.
His eyes glint with something almost pleasurable in my compliance. “That’s a better attitude.”
I tilt my head, letting my eyes meet his.
“I just—” I feel the heat of embarrassment spike in my stomach as his eyes catch the hard peaks of my nipples through the thin fabric.
“I just feel… vulnerable. I mean, look at me.” I gesture to the raw, reddened skin of my arms and chest, the marks and bruises catching the harsh light.
He doesn’t look away. Instead, his gaze travels over me slowly, deliberately mapping every line, every scar, every inch of tension in my body. My chest tightens, and I realize I’m holding my breath.
Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he murmurs, “Yeah, you should definitely be able to convince him to let you live.”