Chapter 4

"Leo! I need you to scream like I'm hitting you real hard."

Viktor whispered in my ear while the strap whistled through the air.

Crack!

The leather strap landed on the back of the bolted chair instead of my back. I screamed like I was in pain, raw and real, because I was already in pain; this made it very easy. The camera in the corner blinked in acknowledgement. Someone was there watching. Maybe my father or even the Headmaster.

Viktor leaned in, body blocking the camera lens just enough. His thumb brushed my lip exactly like in the car. "It's better if you play your part well. If they sense I'm too soft on you, they'll send someone worse."

Something in the way he said it made me think this wasn't just about the Forge. The way his jaw stayed tight. The way his eyes kept staring at that door. Like he was scared of someone else entirely. Someone who had already been in this room tonight and left his shadow behind.

Viktor raised the strap again for the camera, and now it was my turn to make it feel real.

Crack! This landed real on my back, I screamed louder now; hot tears rolled down my cheeks.

The red light blinked once and went dark.

Recording stopped.

Viktor dropped the strap immediately, fell on his knees, forehead pressed to mine. His big hands cupped my face, rough thumbs wiping the tears away. For one stolen second, the room disappeared. His lips crashed over mine, deep and desperate. The kiss tasted like salt, leather and shame all at once. He opened my buttons; his mouth found my nipples at once.

I felt his hands slip across my chest, down my thigh, and then continue exploring. I moaned deeply and hated how good it felt. My split knuckles bled against his vest while his tongue pushed round my chest, claiming every broken sound I made. The welts on my back burnt. I was bleeding hard in the same breath. It felt overwhelming.

Wrong? Yes, I know. I was supposed to hate him, yet my body longed for more; craving him is the only warmth and solace in this hell.

Viktor pulled back about half an inch; his breath was hot against my mouth. "I hate hurting you," he said. "But we have to make this real for you to make it out alive. I need you alive."

His fingers traced the fresh wound he had just inflicted on me. His touch was gentle and possessed. My body felt the intimate spark again, arching into his arms all over.

I hated myself but my body wasn't listening. I wanted to stop, but it felt so good that I felt safe in those moments.

Viktor's hand slid lower, gripping my thigh like he owned every inch of me. The kiss, his touch, all of that had left me shaking. I hated how much I needed it. I hated how aroused I was. I felt the need for the man who was paid to break me.

Viktor looked straight into my eyes and whispered, "The list your father sent. My name is on it too, just next to yours. He promised me a bonus if I can break you completely."

He pulled me against his chest so close that I could hear his heart racing, lips at my ear. "I already earned that bonus the night I sent him your search history. I need no more; you are all I want right now," his eyes shining into mine. I could read everything.

He planted his mouth on mine again, slowly this time, like he was planning to enjoy every bit and taste of my fear. The pressure was real.

We both knew Julian could walk back in any second. Every second felt stolen. Every touch felt dangerous. I felt cheated but sweet. I hated myself for loving the whole process.

The door burst open in a flash.

"Special instruction is over. The Pit contest starts at dawn. Bring the Prince. I want to see how he handles a real man," he said, the word dripping with something darker than sarcasm, eyes narrowing at the way Viktor still held me.

Viktor's arms tightened around me for half a second more. Julian's smile was pure poison. I could feel every ounce of jealousy. Viktor didn't answer. But at that moment, his grip on me said everything.

Julian stepped closer to Viktor and ran one finger down his arm. "You so soft on the boy, Viktor? Or were you just warming him up for me?" he said.

Viktor released me then. Slowly. Like each inch of distance cost him something. He straightened to his full height, shoulders squared, and I watched the softness drain from his face until the mask was back. The handler.

But his eyes found mine one last time before he turned away.

I am with you, he said… Stay alive.

Julian grabbed my arm and steered me toward the door. His grip was nothing like Viktor's, no warmth, no weight behind it, just control for the sake of it. "Dawn comes early here, Prince," he said, pushing me into the cold corridor. "Get some sleep. You'll need it."

The door shut behind me with a heavy click.

I stood alone in the dim hallway, back still burning from the strap, lips still burning from something else entirely. The welts were real. The kiss was real. Viktor's confession was real, my name is on the list too, and somehow that was the most terrifying thing of all.

He was supposed to break me.

Instead, he was the only thing holding me together.

I pressed my back against the cold stone wall and stared up at the ceiling, jaw tight, chest heaving. Somewhere beyond these walls, my father was watching the footage. Guess he's satisfied now.

Somewhere behind that closed door, Viktor and Julian were circling each other like wolves.

And in a few hours, I'd be thrown into the Pit.

I closed my eyes.

Don't bend. Don't break. My father's words kept coming back, uninvited.

Viktor's hands. Julian's poisonous smile.

All of it tangled together in my chest until I couldn't tell the threat from the lifeline anymore.

I pushed off the wall and walked.

Whatever the Pit was, whatever they wanted it to do to me, they were going to find out I was still a Moretti.

Even if that name was the thing destroying me.