What it means to be owned

Elina POV

The door swung open with a soft click, and everything inside me froze. My breath caught before I even realized it.

And there he was. Aziel Valerie King.

The black suit he wore fit him like a sin tailored to perfection, but it wasn’t the suit that made my knees weaken…it was him.

The way he moved, slow and deliberate, like he was always in control. Like nothing in the world could ever touch him without his permission.

“Have you been waiting for me, little pet?” Aziel drawled, his tone low and smooth, like velvet wrapped around a blade.

My breath hitched, the word pet sending a shiver skimming down my spine, curling tight in the pit of my stomach.

I opened my mouth to respond, but no sound came out. He took a measured step forward and leaned down toward me.

“Why are you so quiet all of a sudden,” he murmured, his mouth inches from mine. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Or maybe… the devil himself.”

His gaze held mine like a vice, unblinking, unreadable and far too intense.

“Which one do you think I am, Elina?”

Hearing my name on his tongue sounded sinful and dangerous, as if it no longer belonged to me.

“I think…” I whispered, swallowing the lump in my throat, “even the devil would kneel to you. So whatever you are, you’re far worse.”

The smirk that tugged at the corner of his mouth was slow, sharp and lethal.

​I knew I had just fed the wolf, but I refused to lower my eyes. Not yet. Not while I still had pieces of myself left to protect.

​And deep down, I knew he liked it that way.

“Good girl. It's the smartest thing you’ve said since I brought you here.” He smirked and leaned in, kissing my lips. Hot and firm, just long enough to steal my breath.

By the time he pulled away, my heart was racing. He looked pleased, darkly so.

“I’ve begun making arrangements for New York.”

I stared at him, completely stunned, “What?”

“You heard me. I have sent men to make arrangements. But it'll take time.” He continued, his voice a deep hum against the shell of my ear. “I have to erase everything…your name, your records, your existence. I won’t let them trace a single breath of you.”

“Really?” I breathed out, the reality setting in.

“Yes…and we need to wait. The war needs to cool down. Right now, every move is watched. If we leave while the smoke’s still rising, they’ll follow the trail straight to you.”

I looked up at him, my voice barely above a whisper. “How long?”

He tilted his head slightly, “A month. Maybe more.”

His gaze held mine like an inescapable lock. “You’ll stay here until I say otherwise. Protected. Hidden. With me.”

“Till the next month, no one sees you. No one touches you. No one even whispers your name. You breathe only when I allow it.”

My hands clenched into fists at my sides as the air between us was thick with something electric, something unspoken and dangerous.

“For one month,” he murmured, “you exist only for me. No outside world. No distractions. Just you. Right here. Where I can keep you... train you... own you.”

​My skin felt too tight, my thoughts wildly loud. Why is he looking at me like that? He was looking at me as though I were already entirely his, even before his touch had fully claimed me.

His thumb grazed the edge of my lower lip and I went still, frozen in place, my breath shallow.

“You’ll learn what pleases me. What doesn’t. What keeps you safe. And what makes me dangerous.”

A deliberate pause followed before a dark smirk returned to his face.

“And if you behave,” he added, his voice dipping to a sinful whisper, “you might even enjoy being mine.”

I swallowed hard, his words curling around my spine like thick smoke. My lips parted before I could stop the words from spilling out.

“I already told you. I’ll do anything you ask. If being yours keeps me breathing… then I’ll burn for you, Aziel. As long as it’s from you.”

​I caught the subtle flicker in his eyes, something sharp, predatory, and hungry.

“I’d rather bleed in your hands than be safe in anyone else’s.” My voice dropped to a whisper, almost sinful. “Break me if you want to, Daddy.”

His patience snapped like a thread pulled too tight. He slammed his lips on mine with a rattling force, pushing me flat against the mattress, his weight pressing me down.

His kiss was wild and unrestrained. I moaned against his mouth as I felt his hips grind against mine.

His hand fisted the sheets beside my head, the other threading into my hair to yank my head back just enough to break the kiss.

His eyes burned into mine, raw and feral.

“You really don’t know what you’ve just done,” he rasped, his voice thick with hunger and something darker, more like control, possession.

“I was trying to be patient with you. But you beg so pretty when you don’t even realize it.”

My breath hitched violently. My body betrayed every defense I had, arching, trembling, and craving more of him.

“You want to play with the devil?” he whispered, his nose brushing mine. “Then you’ll learn the rules in my bed…with my hands.”

“This month…” he murmured low, hips pressing harder against mine, “you’ll learn exactly what it means to be owned.”