Chapter 30
The Prey
With the way my lucky stars had crashed and burned in less than a day, I should’ve known an amused predator wouldn’t let me get away.
I fisted both sides of the chair, needing something to hold on to. Judas sauntered inside with that infuriating grin; Kyle walked beside him like his general.
He’d deceived me. Toyed with me from the very beginning. Worst of all, he’d tricked me into pitying him. I didn’t know why he’d pretended to be blind, and I didn’t care anymore.
There was no denying it. He was a criminal.
No matter how much I screamed or cried, he didn’t have a single feeling nerve in his body.
I tried to look away. At the room he’d dragged me into. At Kyle’s emotionless face. At the knife in his hand, still streaked with my blood.
But my gaze kept finding Judas.
I hated it. Hated whatever force kept pulling me back to him. Maybe it was fear. Maybe it was something worse.
My heart hammered against my ribs as my eyes drifted over the open collar of his shirt, the ink covering his chest, and my wrists bound together with the tie that should’ve been around his neck.
Then the officer’s words resurfaced.
There were drugs in your system.
My eyes faltered to Kyle, wide and disbelieving. “You... you drugged me, didn’t you? That bottle of water...”
He sighed and looked at Judas. “I’m done with this.”
I didn’t understand the words, and then he left. My head lowered as more tears spilt and I didn’t know why I felt pathetic.
Judas’s hand clamped around the back of my neck, his touch cold enough to make my skin crawl. I squeezed my eyes shut, but it did nothing to block out the warmth of his breath.
A low chuckle slipped from him.
“You spent all that energy running... only to end up exactly where I wanted you.”
I jerked against his hold. “Let me go.”
His smile widened.
“Not an option.” His fingers tightened, forcing me to meet his gaze.
“You are a psycho.”
He sighed. “This could’ve been simple. You answer my questions. I let the rest of your little adventure remain... relatively painless.” His voice stayed maddeningly calm. “Instead, you made me chase you.”
His eyes flicked over my bound wrists before returning to mine.
“Do you have any idea what it costs me when people refuse to listen?”
My pulse hammered as I fought to pull away. “Stop.”
“No.” he shrugged. “You don’t get to make demands in my presence.”
His thumb brushed beneath my jaw, lifting my chin just enough that I couldn’t look away.
“Here’s what will happen,” Eyes ablaze. “You’re not leaving. You’re not disobeying me. You’ll do as I say and I won’t make it hurt.”
He slowly started playing with the knots of his tie wrapped around my wrists and loosened them up, and I winced, feeling the lingering sting.
I struggled against his hold, but it was futile. The need to cry and beg hit me again, and I shook my head. “Please-“
He lifted my chin with two fingers and slammed his lips to my parted ones as I gasped against him, my head swirling. Every time he kissed me, he bled me, carved it with his cruelness.
I moved my head from his grasp and took in a greedy gulf of air. “What did I ever do to you?”
“Do I need a reason to fuck you?”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then you’ll learn that you don’t get to choose,” he murmured, his gaze dropping to my lips, which were still swollen and red from his kiss.
“You don’t get to negotiate with me. You don’t get to ask for reasons.
You’ll learn to obey, to submit,” he growled.
“Or this can go wrong in so many other ways.”
As if he everything wasn’t wrong already.
I could feel myself slipping into unconsciousness, my vision darkening at the edges.
Then, just as quickly, his grip loosened, and I collapsed to the floor, coughing and gasping for air. He crouched beside me, his eyes shifting from viciousness to a twisted form of mischievousness. “Don’t faint on me,” he chided, patting my cheek lightly. “I need you conscious.”
My hands found my neck as I rubbed it harshly, trying to ease away the stinging pain. How could he be so emotionless and not realize the agony he was inflicting on me? His ways surprised me, leaving me wondering how a man could be such a borderline psychopath.
His smirk deepened as he raised a finger, and with a casual flick, tugged at my sweater, exposing my chest. I recoiled instinctively with a surge of fear and humiliation that smashed my senses.
My breath hitched, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. “Name your price then. Whatever you want, I’ll lay it on your feet. ”
“I am not a woman to be bought and sold,” I stated firmly, my hands trembling as I clutched my sweater tightly.
“I know that,” he replied, his voice tinged with a hint of frustration. “I have purchased only your eyes.”
“Then why are you doing this to me?” I questioned, her voice tinged with desperation.
With a sudden coldness, he leaned in close, his breath hot against my skin. “I wish I could understand it myself. Your cries please me, Ptichka, and your pleas, they fucking turn me on. Whenever you are near, I feel a burning desire that I cannot quench.”
His words sent shivers down my spine, and I closed my eyes, feeling utterly hopeless.
He straightened up, spreading his arms wide as if presenting an offer. “I’ll forgive you for disobedience. We both know I can pin you down and take you.”
“You are threatening to rape me?”
“Never used that word,” The playful glint never left his eyes. “You’ve been reading too many novels.”
He reached out, his large hand cupping the back of my neck, his thumb stroking the sensitive skin just behind my ear in a gesture that was deceptively tender.
“I am not threatening you,” he corrected. “I am reminding you. There is a difference between a man who forces a woman who hates him, and a man who claims a woman who is too terrified to admit she belongs to him.”
Hr lowered himself, crouching before her so that we were eye to eye.
“Let’s make a pact, little bird,” he whispered.
“Submit to me. Give yourself to me completely, let go of all that pride and resistance, and I will treat you like the goddess you are. I will spend every night worshipping every inch of you, making sure you never know a moment of want again. You’ll be the most cherished thing in my world. ”
He paused, his gaze dropping to my trembling lips before snapping back to my eyes, his expression darkening with a possessive, hungry intensity.
“But if you keep fighting me...” He leaned in closer. “Then I’ll have to be much more... persistent. And we both know that once I decide to claim you, there isn’t a force on earth that can stop me. I’ll make sure you suffer.”
He reached for me. His thumb gliding over my bottom lip.
“Don’t make this a struggle, sweetheart,” he pulled down my lip. “Stop fighting the inevitable. You can feel it, can’t you? The way your heart races when I’m near? The way your skin aches for my touch? Don’t lie to yourself. Give in to your desires.”
I could laugh.
Shaking my head, I tried to clear the fog of confusion. “Do you hear yourself?” I whispered. “You sound delusional.”
“Practical.”
“A fucking creep.”
He sighed. “You’re just scared,” he said softly. “It’s okay to be scared. But I will never hurt you, Ptichka.”
I looked into his eyes, resembling the icy blue of a winter sky. Hurt? He threatened to ruin me, sliced my throat, dragged me, and he said he’d not hurt me?
I’d seen hypocrites, but not one like him.
But I kept my mouth shut. There was no reasoning with him.
“You’re not thinking clearly,” he murmured. “I’ll make sure your family stays safe and financially stable. Isn’t that what you want?”
“You act like I’m the enemy here,” he continued. “But I’m the one offering you a way out. Don’t you see? I’m trying to help you.”
He was twisting everything, making it seem like I was the unreasonable one.
“You’re holding onto so much tension, Ptichka,” he murmured, his gaze tracing the frantic line of my jaw. “You’re really just fighting against your own pleasure. You’re trying to hold back a tide that’s already reached your heart.”
He reached out, his large hand cupping my cheek, his thumb tracing the curve of my lip, which made my breath hitch. I hated how his gentle touch made my chest flutter, and he noticed.
“Stop trying to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders,” he whispered, his lips brushing against my temple. “Imagine what it would feel like to just... let go. To stop pretending you don’t crave the way a man’s hands feel on your skin. To stop fighting the pull of me.”
He pulled back just enough to lock his eyes onto mine.
“Give in, and I will spend the rest of our lives proving to you that being mine is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever done.”
He leaned in, his forehead resting against mine, “Just let the waves take you. Let me be the one to catch you.”
I gave in years ago when my father died.
I gave in when our family went bankrupt.
I gave in even when I could do nothing but watch my mother cry herself to sleep.
I’d have given in so many times that it felt like I was already broken beyond repair.
“Fuck. You.”
The warmth vanished, and he pulled away, eyes cold. His faced slipped.
“You’re so stubborn,” His face blurred through my tears, and I realized I was about to cry again. His words pierced a part of me I thought was invincible. I always believed I was strong, but in this moment, I felt utterly pathetic and heartbreakingly vulnerable.
I felt small, defeated, and incredibly alone.
It was as if all my efforts, all my silent battles, were suddenly exposed, raw and aching.
I thought I had to be strong. I had to be strong for everyone. But right now, I felt so weak, so... lost.
I shut my eyes. Stop. Stop. Stop.
“Think about how much better their lives will be,” he whispered taking my ear lobe between his teeth. “Isn’t that worth a little sacrifice on your part?”
Emotions wavered, a sharp sting where my heart was supposed to be. I could feel myself crumbling, piece by piece.
Hands moved underneath my sweater, and large and rough palms smouldered my skin. “Every time you take my cock in your tight little cunt,” he whispered, his voice low and sultry, fingers pulled the strap of my bra. “I can give you whatever amount you want.”
My breath hitched as his hand found the underside of my bust, pulling me closer. His touch was electric, igniting a fire deep within me. I hated myself for the way my body responded to him, the way my pulse quickened and my skin tingled with anticipation.
He leaned in, his lips grazing the shell of my ear.
“Just consider,” he breathed, “of all the things I could do for you... for them.” His other hand slid up my thigh with a demanding touch.
I could feel the heat of his body pressing against mine, his desire evident in every movement.
And I knew he’d stop at nothing to ruin me.
I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the confusion and the pain that was consuming me. His lips found my neck, planting searing kisses along the sensitive skin. I whimpered softly, unable to suppress the sound as his mouth moved lower, his hands exploring every inch of me. I felt exposed. Naked.
He pulled back just enough to look into my eyes, his gaze dark and hungry. “You want this,” he said, his voice a seductive growl. “You need this.”
I knew he was right.
But was my dignity truly worth the smile on my mother’s face?
Of course, it was.
But would I be able to live with this?
Definitely not.
I had spent my life doing everything for everyone else.
I didn’t know if I could do this. There was no escape.
I always had to be the responsible one, the one who sacrificed. Never wanting anything for myself.
His grip tightened on my skin. But what he was asking of me, I couldn’t give it to him. My virginity.
A tear slipped down my cheek, and he brushed it away gently with his thumb. The tenderness in his touch was a cruel mockery of the darkness in his eyes. “I need some time,” I whispered, feeling him move his palm to cup my breast over my bra.
His eyes narrowed, and a chilling smile curved his lips. “Time? You think time will change anything? You need to understand something, sweetheart. This isn’t about what you want. It’s about what I want. And I want you. Now.”
Panic flared in my chest, but I forced myself to stay calm. Maybe, just maybe, if I played along, I could find a way out. But for now, all I could do was try to survive.
“Okay,” I whispered, trying to keep my voice steady. “Okay, just... just give me a week, please.”
His hands stilled, and I flinched as he pulled away and stared at me. I swallowed hard. Trembling under his reluctant gaze. Greys swirled, storms brewed, blues spread.
When I thought he’d refuse, he surprised me as a chilling smirk curved his lips.
And he pulled away completely, standing to his full height, looking down at me like the devil he was.
“Four days. That’s all you’ll get. Fifth night, I want you here, we’ll have dinner, I’ll bring you flowers,” Tilting his head, his hungry gaze stopped on my lips.
“And you, little bird, will be the wine.”