Chapter 38

Fire warmed her gray eyes. "Or what? You'll kill me?" She pushed herself up from the floor, and I could practically see her entire body vibrating with her anger. It was fucking beautiful. A rage that rivaled my own. "Go ahead," she spit the words at me. "Death would be preferable to staying here with you and being your puppet."

God, she was stunning. And infuriating. My own men didn't mouth off to me the way this woman did. I crossed the room and stood directly in front of her before she had time to run. Grabbing her jaw, I forced her to look at me. "Keep mouthing off to me, Veda. I dare you."

Taking a step back, she jerked her chin from my grasp, then slapped me across the face. Hard.

A deadly calm came over me. Slowly, I turned my head back around until our gazes clashed. Whatever she saw there wiped the rebellious look from her face. A heartbeat passed. Then another...

Lurching to the left, she tried to run. But I was expecting it and caught her around the waist, lifting her off the floor and pulling her back against my chest. Her ass felt good against my cock, and it swiftly hardened in response. My free hand wrapped around her throat, cutting off most of her air supply. Veda clawed at my forearm, leaving bloody scratches in my skin, but I barely felt it. Putting my mouth right next to her ear, I said, "You want to die? Is that what you really want, Veda?"

She struggled to speak, and I tightened my hold.

"Because I can help you with that, amore."

In the mirror, I could see her eyes, too large for her face as they widened in terror, and her lips were beginning to turn blue. Her struggles became desperate.

"Do not fucking hit me again," I growled. "Or I won't be so nice next time." I opened my arms, and she fell to her hands and knees on the floor, coughing and gagging and clawing at her throat.

When she finally managed a rasping breath, I crouched down behind her, sitting on the balls of my feet, and pulled her up against me again. She tried to call out, as though someone would help her, her eyes red and filled with tears as she watched our reflection in the mirror. "Shhh," I told her, gently moving her hair from her face. She smelled like her shampoo and whatever lotion she used, and she was still shaking. But not from anger this time.

Something caught in my chest, and I held her close. I didn't like her being afraid of me. However, I also couldn't have her acting out against me the way she just had.

"Let me go," she whispered, her voice hoarse.

"I can't," I whispered back. I need you.

Something wet hit my arms, and I realized she was crying. "I can't," I told her again, louder this time, not knowing who I was trying to convince. Veda...or myself.

Little did I know how true that statement would become, but not at all for the reasons I'd thought.