CHAPTER 13 #2
Ivan didn't push. He simply followed, a silent, imposing shadow, ensuring I retraced my steps. He led me not back to my studio, but directly to Liam’s private suite. My stomach clenched. He was back. And he knew.
The door to the suite was already open, casting a rectangle of warm light onto the cold marble floor of the corridor. I stepped inside, my eyes immediately locking onto him.
Liam stood by the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, a glass of whiskey in one hand, his back to me, gazing out at the glittering cityscape.
He wore a dark silk robe, its expensive fabric a stark contrast to the raw, untamed power that emanated from him.
He hadn't turned at my entrance, didn't need to. He knew I was there. He always knew.
Ivan stopped behind me, a respectful distance, then spoke, his voice low. "She tried to exit through the service tunnel, boss. Section C. The lock was compromised."
Liam took a slow sip of his whiskey. The silence stretched, thick and suffocating, heavier than any physical blow. My heart pounded against my ribs, a frantic hummingbird trapped in a cage. I watched the rigid set of his shoulders, waiting for the explosion, the cold fury I knew would come.
He finally turned, his steel-gray eyes, dark and fathomless, fixing on mine.
There was no anger, no visible rage. Only a chilling, predatory stillness that made my blood run cold.
His gaze swept over my disheveled clothing, my dust-stained face, my trembling hands.
A faint, humorless smile touched his lips.
"So," he drawled, his voice dangerously soft, barely above a whisper, "my little historian decided to conduct another field experiment, did she?
Testing the structural integrity of my property?
Or perhaps," he took a step closer, his eyes burning into mine, "testing the strength of your chains, moya roza? "
I stood frozen, unable to speak, unable to move. My breath hitched in my throat.
"Ivan," Liam said, his gaze never leaving mine, "you are dismissed. Secure the perimeter. No one disturbs us."
Ivan nodded once, silently, and the door clicked shut, sealing us inside. Alone.
Liam advanced slowly, each step a deliberate threat. The faint scent of whiskey, expensive cologne, and something inherently dangerous drifted towards me. I squeezed my eyes shut for a brief second, bracing myself.
"You are a defiant little thing, aren't you, Rose?
" he rasped, his hand reaching out, not to strike, but to cup my jaw, his thumb tracing the curve of my cheekbone.
The contact was electric, sending a shiver of terror and an unwelcome jolt of heat through me.
"I warned you. I claimed you. I showed you what happens when you test my limits. "
His eyes dropped to my lips, then to my throat, lingering on the spot where he had bitten me last time. "And still, you try to run. Like a wild animal. Do you truly believe you can escape me? Do you truly believe there's a corner of this city, this world, where my reach does not extend?"
"I just want to be free," I whispered, the words barely audible, a desperate plea.
A dark, predatory laugh rumbled in his chest, a chilling sound devoid of mirth. "Free? You are as free as the air you breathe, Rose. As long as I allow it. And your freedom ends where my patience runs out."
He pulled me closer, his fingers digging into the tender skin of my jaw, forcing my head up.
His eyes burned into mine, filled with a possessive fire that both terrified and fascinated me.
"You dug up Volkov. You understood the viper in the garden.
You understand betrayal. And yet, you betray me.
You try to abandon your rightful place."
"I am not a thing," I cried out, a fresh surge of defiance breaking through my fear. "I am not yours to own!"
His grip tightened, almost bruising. "Oh, but you are. Every inch of you. Every rebellious thought. Every traitorous desire." He dragged his thumb across my lower lip, then pushed a finger into my mouth, forcing my lips apart. "And I will remind you. Again and again, if necessary."
He released my jaw, his hand dropping to the sash of his silk robe, untying it with a deliberate, slow movement.
The dark fabric parted, revealing his powerful, muscular body.
His chest was broad, covered in dark, fine hair, rippling with defined muscle.
His stomach was flat, hard, leading down to the dark V of his hips, where his erection, thick and throbbing, stood rigid against the silk of his boxers.
My breath hitched. My eyes were drawn to him, a horrified fascination battling with a searing, unwanted heat that bloomed low in my belly. He was a monster, but a beautiful, terrifying one.
"You want to run?" he growled, his voice a low, dangerous purr.
"Then run from this." He shed his robe, letting it pool to the floor, then his boxers, revealing himself fully.
His cock was magnificent, thick and long, throbbing with a dark, primal need.
"Run from the man who owns your body, Rose.
Run from the man who makes you ache, even as you hate him. "
He took another step, closing the distance, trapping me against the wall. His hand shot out, not to touch me, but to slam flat against the wall beside my head, effectively caging me. The impact vibrated through the plaster, through my skull.
"You will not leave this place," he commanded, his eyes burning into mine, "unless it is by my command. And tonight," he lowered his head, his lips brushing my ear, "tonight, you will learn the true meaning of obedience. You will learn what it means to be mine. In every single, excruciating way."