His Pov: She is asleep before I finish the words. My little mischief. My undoing. Her head rests against my shoulder, the silk of her hair brushing my jaw with every uneven breath. She clings even in sleep, her hand still curled inside mine, as if she thinks I would vanish the moment she lets go. But I donât vanish. I canât. Iâve built empires out of blood and steel, carved out loyalty with terror and fire. Iâve never once flinched from the weight of power or the filth of the crown I wear. Yet here she is, breaking me with nothing but a sigh against my throat. I close my eyes and inhale her scent deeplyâroses, soft and intoxicatingâas if I can anchor myself in it, as if I can force my mind to believe this is real. Sheâs real. Weâre real. I was scared. Noâscared is too weak a word. I was terrified. Terrified that she would choose her freedom over me. That she would slip through my fingers the way sheâs always wanted to, the way sheâs dreamed of since the day I chained her fate
Her Pov:The sun sinks lower over the Seine, casting molten gold across the water, painting the ripples with liquid fire. The city hums around usâsoft laughter from distant lovers drifting through the air, the rhythmic lapping of waves against the stone embankment, the whisper of the wind as it tangles through my dress.Paris feels like a dream, weightless and unreal, but Leonardo beside me is more vivid than anything else.He moves with his usual silent grace, his presence coiled and restrained, like a predator choosing patience over pursuit. The evening glow sharpens the angles of his face and deepens the shadows beneath his cheekbones, making him look like something sculpted from darkness itself. He is breathtaking, but never softânever safe.A sudden gust of wind sweeps in, lifting the hem of my dress, sending a shiver dancing up my spine. Before I can react, warmth engulfs me. Leonardo moves with a quiet swiftness that steals the breath from my lungs, pressing against my back, h
Her Pov:I swallow hard, looking away from him for a second, trying to gather my thoughts. âIs that it?â I finally ask, my voice barely a whisper. The question lingers, hanging between us, almost absurd in its simplicity.âNo,â he says softly, his voice barely louder than the riverâs murmur. âThereâs more to be freed than just the fish.âI glance up at him, but his expression remains unreadable, as always. But something in the way he looks at me makes my breath hitch, like heâs seeing through every wall Iâve built.He steps closer, and I feel the heat of his presence before I even see him fully. The air between us thickens as though the world is holding its breath. I want to speak, to ask him everything, but my throat tightens, the words sticking in my chest. I stand there, frozen in place, as his gaze holds me captive, just as much as he claims to have done to the fish."Theyâre just like me..." he whispers, the words soft but piercing, making my chest tighten. His eyes are intense,
Her Pov:Paris stretches endlessly beyond the car window, a blur of elegant streets and towering architecture, but none of it holds my attention. All I see is himâLeonardo, sitting beside me in the backseat, his presence heavy, commanding. He hasnât spoken much since we left, and I canât tell if the silence between us is suffocating or intoxicating. Maybe both. His fingers tap lightly against his knee, his eyes staring straight ahead, but I know heâs aware of every movement I make. Every breath.The ride stretches on for hours, the city fading into quieter roads, then almost nothingness. I shift uncomfortably, feeling the slight ache still lingering in my body, a reminder of last nightâof him.Heat curls under my skin at the memory, but I push it away. He hasnât looked at me the same way since this morning, and I hate how that unsettles me. Like Iâm standing on uneven ground, waiting for him to either pull me in or push me away.His two men sit in the front, quiet as ever, focused on
Her Pov:When I wake up, heâs nowhere to be seen. The bed is cold beside me, as if he had left hours ago, yet the air still carries the ghost of his presence.Last night, he was all over me. When I drifted into sleep, it was with his scent wrapped around me, his breath mingling with mine, his body pressing down on me in a way that made me feel utterly possessed. Now, with the morning light streaming through the curtains, I feel the stark emptiness of his absence. My fingers brush over the sheets, still slightly wrinkled from where his hands had gripped me, from where his body had pinned me down as he took me, as he claimed me.A sharp ache pulses between my legs, a reminder of just how relentless he was. His thrusts had been merciless, as if he wasnât just trying to claim my body but my very soul. As if the mere act of having me wasnât enoughâhe needed to carve his presence into my skin, into my bones, into the deepest recesses of my mind. And whatâs worse? I had wanted it. I needed i
***15 Years ago****His POV:When my eyes cracked open, it felt like waking from death itself.The ceiling above me swayed, blurry and unfamiliar, though Iâve stared at it a thousand times. For a moment, I couldnât even remember where I wasâonly the weight of my limbs, the stickiness of blood dried across my skin, and the stinging throb radiating from every corner of my body. My breath came out jagged, uneven, as if my lungs had forgotten how to pull in air.I donât know how long Iâve been here. Hours? Days? I canât tell. Sleep doesnât feel like sleep anymore. It feels like falling into some black hole and clawing my way back up every time, just to fall again.My bodyâmy entire beingâfelt like it wasnât mine anymore.My skin prickled and burned, covered in sweat, filth, and blood. When I shifted, a sharp, tearing sensation ripped through my back and arms. I sucked in a breath through gritted teeth, forcing my eyes to move, to look down.Shards of glass.Tiny, jagged pieces embedded in