LOGINThe way Killian can go from terrifying brutality to being unbelievably gentle with her in the next second is honestly disturbing. But tell me… do you think a man like him is even capable of loving someone normally?
I walked into the kitchen and wandered toward the pantry. Tucked in the back corner, shadowed by the wooden shelves, I spotted a heavy, arched oak door I had not noticed before. I turned the iron handle and pulled it open.A rush of cool, earthy air hit my face. A set of stone stairs led downward.I slowly descended the steps. The space opened up into a massive, temperature-controlled wine cellar. Hundreds of dusty glass bottles lined the floor-to-ceiling wooden racks. I walked down the narrow aisle, running my fingertips over the old paper labels. I read the elegant, curling scripts—names of exclusive French and Italian vineyards I could barely pronounce.I reached out and grabbed a dark green bottle covered in thick dust. I picked up a heavy metal corkscrew resting on a nearby tasting barrel. I tucked the bottle under my arm and hurried back upstairs, bypassing the locked study completely.I went straight into the master bedroom.I stripped off my freezing, damp clothes and stepped
His body was pressed so tightly against mine I could feel the cold metal zipper of his leather jacket digging directly into my coat. I was incredibly small, my head barely reaching the center of his broad chest. The heat radiating off his massive frame completely swallowed the freezing mountain air. I stared up into his eyes, feeling the rough texture of his leather glove against my lips. My stomach twisted into a hot, heavy knot.I remembered the starving way he had kissed me in the rain. I wanted him to close the final inch between us and devour me right here against the bark.His gaze dropped to my lips beneath his glove. His thumb slowly stroked my jawline. The air between us grew incredibly thick, suffocating and hot.Then, a loud, mechanical vibration broke the silence.The encrypted satellite phone in his jacket pocket buzzed violently.The heavy spell shattered. The loud noise spooked the buck in the clearing. The animal bolted, crashing through the brush and vanishing into th
The mountain air was turning bitter.I sat at the wooden island counter in the kitchen, pushing a small piece of scrambled egg around my porcelain plate with a silver fork. The thick, gray morning fog pressed heavily against the cabin windows, entirely blocking out the sun.Killian walked into the kitchen. He wore dark tactical pants, heavy black combat boots, and a thick black leather jacket over a dark sweater. The leather stretched tightly across his massive shoulders. He looked incredibly dangerous, blending the sharp, violent edge of the Russian Pakhan with the rugged isolation of the forest.He set a large, scoped hunting rifle down on the wooden dining table. The heavy metal clunked loudly against the wood."Eat," Killian instructed quietly, pouring himself a mug of black coffee. "Put on your thickest boots and your heavy coat. We are going on a hunt."I looked up from my plate. My fork paused halfway to my mouth.A hunt. My green hazel eyes widened. I had never been in a fores
He stepped back, putting a solid foot of distance between us. His chest heaved heavily, his jaw completely locked as he fought a brutal internal war for control.I stared at him, entirely confused. My lips were swollen, my skin flushed red despite the cold. Why did he stop.Killian stepped forward again. He leaned down and pressed a firm, chaste kiss to my wet forehead."Change," Killian instructed. His voice was incredibly rough, strained to the absolute breaking point. "Or you will catch a cold."He turned his back to me and walked completely out of the bedroom.I stood there for a second, my mind completely scrambled. Pure frustration burned hot and sharp in the back of my throat. My body was practically screaming in protest at the sudden loss of his heat.I turned and walked into the master bathroom, shutting the door.I stood in front of the large mirror. My dark hair was a wet, tangled mess. My lips were completely bruised and swollen.I gripped the edges of the marble sink. A d
A sharp gasp ripped from my throat. I stumbled, my wet bare feet slipping on the slick wood. Two massive hands instantly clamped down on my hips, completely arresting my fall.I froze. I spun around, wiping the heavy rain from my eyel.Killian was standing directly behind me. He was completely exposed to the storm. The heavy rain pounded against his broad shoulders, soaking his black t-shirt entirely through to the skin. The wet fabric clung to every single ridge of his dense, muscular chest. His dark hair was plastered to his forehead.He looked down at me. His pale gray eyes were entirely black. They burned with a dark, consuming hunger that practically vaporized the freezing rain between us.I stared up at him through my wet l, my chest heaving rapidly.Killian slowly reached his hand up. His rough thumb brushed against my freezing cheek, wiping a streak of rainwater away from my jawline.My body reacted entirely on its own. I leaned my face directly into his massive palm.Killian
Heavy sheets of water hammered violently against the thick glass doors of the master bedroom.The storm had rolled over the mountain completely unannounced. The sky was a bruised purple, casting a dim, gray shadow across the massive space.I sat on the edge of the king-sized mattress. Killian stood near the bedroom door. He had his encrypted burner phone pressed to his ear, his jaw tight as he listened to Marco. He was trying to step back, isolating us completely in this cabin, but the massive Russian syndicate did not stop moving just because he left the city.He pulled the phone away from his ear."I have to take this call downstairs," Killian said softly.He walked over to the bed. He leaned down and pressed a warm, lingering kiss directly to the center of my forehead."I will be back."He straightened up and walked out of the bedroom, pulling the heavy oak door shut behind him.The sudden quiet of the room wrapped around me. I stood up from the mattress and walked slowly toward th
I was already on my knees. What more did he want?I pressed my palms together, the one still pinned under his boot scraping against concrete. I bowed my head low until my forehead nearly touched the floor.He laughed again and finally lifted his foot.I grabbed the bread before he could change his m
The new cage had no bars. It didn't need them.I lay on my side on a thin mattress that smelled like mildew and old sweat, staring at the gray wall six inches from my face. The servant's quarters were a windowless box buried somewhere in the bowels of the Alatorre estate, and the walls pressed in so
She raised her cane.I dropped to my knees instantly, the hard marble connecting with my kneecaps so hard that pain shot up my thighs.I didn't want the cane again. I couldn't take the cane again.I reached for the brush with my left hand, my fingers clumsy and shaking. I dipped it into the freezing
Luna's POV:I woke up cold.Not the cold of winter air or mountain snow. This was different. Deeper. The kind of cold that came from stone that had never seen sunlight, from damp that had settled into walls over decades, from darkness so complete it had weight.My head throbbed with a dull, vicious







