Five

RIA

I jerked my arm back. I pulled my wrist out of Kael’s hand the moment the lock clicked shut. My skin was red where his fingers had held me.

"Do not touch me like that again," I said. My voice was low and tight. I took two steps backward, keeping my eyes on him. "You dragged me out of the yard in front of everyone."

Kael did not answer right away. He stood near the edge of the steaming stone pool. His gray eyes were dark with anger.

"You let him stand too close to you," Kael said. His voice was quiet, but it was sharp.

"He stepped into the ring," I said. I did not look down. "I was doing what you told me to do. I was fighting your Beta. If your stepbrother walks onto your training grounds, that is your problem, not mine."

"He was inches from your face," Kael said. He took a step toward me. His boots sounded heavy against the wet stone. "He was talking into your ear. You did not pull back. You stood there and you listened to him."

"I listened to a man offer me a way out," I said. I held my ground. "What did you expect me to do? Spit at him so you could feel powerful? You bought me at an auction block. You brought me to this fortress. You threw me into a tower and called me your property. You are not my protector, Kael. You are just a warden holding a key."

Kael stopped right in front of me. Heat radiated off his skin.

"Darius does not care about your freedom," Kael said. His jaw flexed. "Darius wants whatever belongs to me. He looks at you and sees a weapon he can use to hurt me. If you trust his promises, he will kill you the second you are no longer useful to him."

"And what will you do?" I asked. I stepped closer to him, refusing to back away. "At least Darius does not pretend to be something he is not. He treats me like an enemy. You treat me like livestock you bought for five hundred gold pieces."

Kael reached up and grabbed the hem of his black tunic. He pulled the heavy leather top over his head and tossed it onto the stone floor.

His chest was bare, wide, and marked with old scars. Dark ink covered his shoulders and arms.

"You think this is a game about your pride," Kael said.

He reached out and grabbed me around the waist before I could move.

Kael stepped backward into the deep pool, dragging me down into the water with him.

The hot water splashed over us, soaking me instantly. The heavy fabric of my clothes clung to my skin. I came up gasping for air, wiping wet hair from my eyes, but Kael shoved me back against the smooth stone ledge underwater.

My back hit the stone wall of the pool. Kael grabbed both of my wrists in one hand and pinned them above my head against the rock.

"Let go of me," I gasped, pulling against his grip.

Kael did not let go. He shoved his knee between my legs, forcing his broad thighs between mine until my hips were locked against the stone wall beneath the water. Through my wet clothes, I felt the hard, heavy length of his arousal pressed straight into my center.

I froze. A sudden shock of heat ran through my body.

"Look at me," Kael said. His mouth was inches from mine. Water dripped from his hair onto my face. "Look at me, Ria."

I looked up into his gray eyes. My breath was shallow and fast. I wanted to fight him. I wanted to claw at his skin until he let me go. But deep inside me, my wolf stirred.

The animal inside me did not fight Kael’s strength. My wolf liked his heavy weight pressing down on me. My wolf recognized him as the dominant male in the room and wanted to yield to him.

I hated it. I hated that my body was traitorous.

"You talk about being free," Kael said, his voice low against my neck. "You think if I unlock that gate right now, you can walk out into the territory and survive? The packs out there would hunt you down for your blood before nightfall. I am the only reason you are breathing right now."

"I would rather die out there than live in this bathhouse as your slave," I said. I pulled against the hold on my wrists.

Kael bent his head and bit down on my pulse point on my neck. His teeth sank into my skin, sharp and hard.

I gasped. My head fell back against the wet stone ledge. The sharp pain lasted for a second, but then a wave of hot pleasure shot straight down to my hips. My body reacted on its own. I tilted my hips forward, pressing myself harder against his thigh under the warm water.

Kael felt my movement. He let go of the bite and dragged his hot tongue over the mark he made. He lifted his head to look at me.

"Say that again," Kael whispered. His eyes searched my face. "Tell me you hate being here. Tell me you do not want this."

"It is the wolf," I said, struggling to keep my voice firm. "It is not what I want. It is the animal inside me responding to your rank."

"You are the wolf, Ria," Kael said. He pressed his hips harder against mine underwater, forcing me to feel every inch of his arousal. "You cannot split yourself into two pieces. Your mind can pretend you hate me, but your body knows who you belong to."

"I do not belong to you," I whispered.

He was still holding my wrists above my head. My wet clothes were sticking to my skin, leaving nothing hidden from him under the water. I felt his heart beating fast against his chest, matching the rapid beat of my own pulse.

I knew he was arrogant. I knew he was ruthless and controlled everything around him. But every time he touched me like this, my control slipped away. I was fighting my own body just as much as I was fighting him.

Kael slowly opened his hand and released my wrists. He did not move back. He brought his hand down and wrapped his fingers around my waist, digging into my hip through my wet dress.

"I bought you at the auction," Kael said. His lips almost touched mine. "Because if I did not buy you, someone else would have used your blood until you died. You want to call me a warden? Call me a warden. Hate me all you want, Ria. But do not ever look at Darius again and think he will protect you."

I brought my hands down from the stone ledge. I rested my palms against his chest. I felt his heavy breathing, the scars on his skin, and the warmth radiating from his body. I did not push him away.

"You are a monster, Kael," I whispered.

Kael looked down at my lips.

"I am," Kael said. He slid his hand up my side under the water. "But you are mine now."