LOGINAnother week had passed. The heavy plaster cast on my left leg was gone, replaced by a tight black medical brace that fit under my clothes and allowed me to walk with only a dull ache in my ankle. But I did not leave the room to test it. I did not leave the room at all.
Killian had moved me into his bedroom permanently. There had been no discussion. There had been no negotiation. Marco simply opened the door one afternoon seven days ago, guided me inside, and I had not seen the hallwThe thought repeated itself in an endless loop inside my head. The look on his face in that dusty room had been absolute murder. I had crossed a line I did not even know existed, and the cold, terrifying reality was that nobody in this house would stop him from doing whatever he wanted to me.I pressed my face into my knees, trying to force oxygen into my burning lungs.A sharp, stinging pain finally registered in my right foot.I lifted my head and looked down. Bright red blood was welling up from the heel of my foot, dripping steadily onto the pristine white rug beneath me. The jagged piece of glass was still wedged deep in the flesh.Before I could even reach for it, a loud, metallic click echoed across the room.The lock turned from the outside.The door handle pushed downward.The heavy door swung open, revealing the empty hallway behind it.I froze completely. I tucked my chin down, hiding my face against
The eastern corridor of the second floor was a dead end.Killian had told me I could move freely through the house, so long as I stayed away from the exterior doors. For two days I had kept to the main spaces. The library. The morning room. But the mansion was massive, and the silence inside my own head had driven me to walk farther today, pushing into hallways I had never seen before.The carpet in this wing was worn thin down the center. The air felt colder. A single wall sconce burned low at the far end, casting long shadows against the dark wallpaper. At the very end of the curved passage, tucked awkwardly into the corner, a heavy wooden door stood slightly ajar.I stopped.A thin strip of pale daylight leaked through the gap.I pushed the door open with my fingertips. The hinges gave a low, metallic groan.The room was small and choked with dust. Heavy curtains were drawn across a single window. Stacks of sealed cardboard bo
He leaned in. His chest brushed against my thin nightgown."You play beautifully," he whispered.His low, gravelly voice vibrated against the shell of my ear, sending a hard shiver straight down my spine.Then he gripped my jaw, tilted my head up, and crushed his mouth down on mine.It was a punishing, breathless kiss. His lips parted mine instantly. His tongue swept into my mouth, deep and claiming, stealing all the oxygen from my lungs. His large hand slid to the back of my neck, holding my head perfectly still while he consumed me. I gripped the edge of the piano, my knuckles turning white. The kiss was so heavy, so completely overwhelming, my vision went dark at the edges.He broke the kiss, leaving me gasping for air.Before I could recover, his hot, wet mouth dragged down to the side of my neck.His breathing was incredibly heavy now, harsh and ragged against my bare skin. He sucked a hard mark into the juncture of my shoulder, biting down gently on the muscle before soothing th
The mansion was completely silent at two in the morning.I was entirely alone in the bedroom. Killian had not come upstairs tonight. I did not know where he was, and I did not ask. For the first time in days, the massive bed was empty except for me, but I still could not sleep. I had spent the last hour staring at the dark ceiling, listening to the faint sound of rain hitting the glass. Finally, I pushed the heavy blankets off, slipped out of bed, and left the room.I wandered the long corridors of the second floor. The guards at the stairs ignored me. They had orders to let me roam the house as long as I did not go near the exterior doors.I ended up in the west drawing room.I discovered this room three days ago. It was a space nobody seemed to use, filled with furniture draped in shadows and tall windows overlooking the back gardens. Right in the center of it sat a massive black grand piano.It had not been here when I was forced to work as a maid. It was new. The polished wood cau
The drive back to the estate passed in heavy silence.We walked upstairs. The guards at the end of the corridor looked away as we passed. We entered the bedroom, and the heavy door clicked shut, sealing us inside.I did not even have time to take a step toward the center of the room.Killian grabbed my arm and spun me around. My back hit the hard wood of the door. His hands came down on either side of my head, caging me in completely.His eyes were entirely dark. The calm control from the dining room was gone. It was replaced by a raw, simmering violence that made my blood run cold."I am angry," he said. The words vibrated in the small space between us.I pressed myself flat against the wood, my chest rising and falling fast."Every man at that table looked at you tonight," he murmured. He leaned his face so close I could feel the heat of his skin. "They looked at what was mine. They can only look, Luna. But it makes me want to carve their eyes out."Then his mouth crashed down on mi
The elevator pinged. The doors opened to a dimly lit corridor lined with dark mahogany and heavy velvet curtains. The air smelled of expensive cigar smoke, roasted meat, and hard liquor. Two men in dark suits stood outside double oak doors at the end of the hall. They straightened immediately when they saw Killian.One of them pulled the heavy doors open.The private dining room was massive. A long dark wooden table took up the center. Six men were already seated. They were older, scarred, wearing tailored suits that could not hide the thick brutal set of their shoulders. They were talking loudly in a mix of Russian and Italian, glasses of amber liquid in their hands.The moment Killian walked through the door, the conversation died.The silence was instantaneous. Glasses were set down. Men shifted in their chairs. It was not just respect. I saw the tight set of their jaws, the quick flick of their eyes. It was pure unfiltered fear.Killian walked to the head of the table. Marco pulle
Third Person POV:The study was dark.One lamp cast long shadows. Curtains drawn. Door closed.Killian sat behind the desk, motionless.The laptop screen glowed in front of him, casting blue light across his face. On it, something played. The angle made it impossible to see what.His hands rested f
Luna POVThe kitchen was loud with the clatter of pots and the sharp voices of staff preparing breakfast. I stood at the long wooden counter, waiting while the head cook arranged plates on a silver tray.Eggs. Toast. Sliced fruit. Coffee in a porcelain pot.My hands were already shaking before I ev
Luna's POVThe knock came just after sunset. One of the kitchen maids stood at my door, her face carefully blank."You're needed in the kitchen."I followed her down the corridor, my bare feet silent against the cold marble. The air felt heavier than usual, pressing down on my shoulders with each s
His lips hovered above mine.So close.Too close.I couldn't breathe. Couldn't move.Could only stare up at him with tear-filled eyes while my mind screamed.Then he closed the distance.His mouth pressed against mine.Hard. Demanding. Consuming.My eyes went wide, shock flooding through me.No.No







