NINA “Lachlan!” I shrieked, trying to dislodge his hold on me.But he ignored me, easily shrugged off my attempts to fight his hold.And, I fought.I twisted, tried to plant my feet into the floor, but it was of no use. Lachlan was stronger.As we turned into the corridor, I caught the sight of the guests down below. They were there now in the grand hall, watching, as they sipped on their champagne. Dozens of eyes stared up at me as I was dragged toward my new husband’s bedroom.Jeremiah’s voice rang out behind us, coldly amused. “My new bride is a little shy for our coming wedding night. Bridal jitters, I suppose.”Laughter erupted through the hall, the sound of it curling around me like poison, humiliating me. And even though with each step I could still feel the sting of the whip, but it wasn’t the pain that tore through me. It was the shame. The humiliation.Lachlan hauled me through the halls, his grip unyielding. My breaths came in ragged gasps as we turned a corner, my eyes fl
NINASuddenly the bedroom felt too small, and I felt smaller and warm in Lachlan’s embrace. But I told myself I didn’t have a choice. Not if I wanted to survive. Not if I wanted a chance to escape. Not if I wanted to see my son in this lifetime. My son, my sweet little heart, needed me. I couldn’t die here.Lachlan’s voice was a whisper against my ear, his breath warm, his touch impossibly gentle as he cradled my face. My body trembled— not from fear, not entirely, but from the war raging inside me.I had wanted Lachlan since the moment I met him. And now when the moment was here, it felt oddly sureal in these circumstances. Lachlan’s lips brushed mine, tentative at first, waiting for resistance. There was none. I let him kiss me, let the warmth of his mouth drown out the cold reality. His knuckles brushed down my cheek and he whispered, “God. I have waited too long for this.”His rough voice sparked a desire deep inside me. And as I met his green eyes, I saw the same man I had met i
LACHLAN “Lachlan, listen to him. Fuck me. We can savor each other later. Let’s fulfil his pervert fantasies of watching us together.”She was on her knees, bared and trembling, her body already marked with the ghost of Jeremiah’s cruelty. But she wasn’t broken. No, she was fire—fierce, untamed, burning hotter with every second that passed.And I fucking adored her for this.I kept my eyes on Jeremiah, his hold on her throat didn’t waver as he stared back at me. His grey eyes dropped to my hands as I unbuckled myself and unbuttoned my pants before pushing them down. I controlled my taunting smirk when he saw me pulling out my hard cock. I gave my length a rough pull, enjoying the way when his eyes flickered. I will get my Jeremy back. No matter what it takes. And my little kitten? She will be the tether that keeps us tied together— whether she wants to or not.“Open up for me, kotyonok,” I whispered, pressing a kiss down at the base of her spine.Goosebumps dotted her skin and she sh
JEREMIAH The door slammed shut behind her, the echo vibrating through my bones like the ghost of a scream.She was gone. Like I'd wanted.Naked. Humiliated.Shaking. And, still wet with Lachlan’s seed, with no satisfaction of her own, because I had denied it. Because she didn’t deserve it. She didn’t deserve an ounce of pleasure after what she did to me.I hated her.I hated her so fucking much.But apparently my cock didn’t get the memo. I was fucking hard.The sight of her taking every inch of Lachlan’s hard cock in that tight pussy, that I once had wrecked and made bleed for me, was everything I’d always wanted to see. But wanting and then having it at present were two different things where this Italian bitch was concerned. It should have disgusted me. It should have reminded me why I hated her. But all I remembered was my plans before she fûcking betrayed me and left me for dead.And now watching them together felt like I was once again in that cell and she was taking away
NINAI sat up with a jerk, my heart still pounding from the nightmare. I blinked against the dim morning light filtering through the heavy drapes, my body aching in ways I hadn’t fully processed yet. The sheets tangled around me felt foreign, a reminder that nothing about this place was mine—not the bed, not the air I breathed, not even the freedom I’d started to enjoy. After last night and Jeremiah’s declaration of how he had been the one to take my virginity, it seemed my mind had decided to take his words at face value and replaced the shadowy figure in my dreams with him. Now the monster chasing me through the dark forest has grey eyes and bright blonde hair that glint in the moonlight as he traps me beneath his hard body and fucks me mercilessly even when I cry and fight him. I wanted to say that I hated these nightmares, but every time I have these dreams I wake up with an ache between my legs. And today that ache was accompanied by an actual soreness that I could feel. Beca
NINA“Sit, wife.” Jeremiah ordered, motioning to the chair beside him. He behaved as if nothing had happened last night. As if he hadn’t humiliated me. As if he hadn’t made me have sex with another man on what was supposed to be our wedding night. As if he hadn’t denied me my pleasure. As if he hadn’t tossed me out of his bedroom like garbage once the deed was done. I wanted to take that knife from his hand and plunge it deep in his throat. I hated him so fucking much.His eyes narrowed on me as if he could read my mind.I took in a deep breath and obeyed. As I sat down my eyes inadvertently went to the man sitting on his other side, in front of me. Lachlan’s green eyes searched mine as if he was looking for something. I met his gaze and everything that transpired last night between us came rushing back to me in vivid details. He had fucked me. He was the first man to claim me in twelve fucking years. And it had hurt but it had also felt so good. I had wanted him. I had wanted him
NINA "It seems I will have to take my wife in my own hands.”Dread coiled up in my stomach, my fight and flight instincts told me to make a run for it and I lurched to my feet, but he was faster.Before I could escape, his fingers clamped around my wrist, and he yanked me forward. My breath left me in a sharp gasp as he twisted me, forcing me over the breakfast table. Plates and silverware rattled beneath my weight, the scent of coffee and toast mixing with the scent of his cologne. Fire and danger engulfed me in a brutal hold. I thrashed and tried to fight his hold, but his grip was unyielding as he twisted my arm around my back and pushed me down harder that my breastbone hurt. “Stop,” I hissed, panic clawing at my throat from being subjected to this. “You fucking bastard—”The loud smack echoed in the hall before the pain registered and I went still. My mind short-circuited unable to process what just happened. He just hit me. The fucking monster hit my arse, making my whole bod
LachlanI moved to follow her but Jeremiah stepped in my path, stopping me. “Move.”He didn’t. His eyes glared at me and he said, “We have a meeting.”“Go ahead. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”He narrowed his eyes and took a step closer. I was aware of the eyes on us. Xavier, Kayne, Olezka and his fûcking aunt was staring at us. But he didn’t seem to mind as he gritted out, “Don’t defy me again and again, little shadow, there’s only so much I can let go.”I took in a calming breath and moved past him in the direction of his fucking office. I needed just a moment of his weakness to strike back at him and bring him to his fucking knees. I was bidding my time, letting him think he was in control. Because if he knew I was plotting he will consider me his enemy too. His trust in me was already fragile and I didn’t want it to shatter like it had for everyone else in his life. God. He didn’t even fucking trust his own twin. It was a fucking miracle that he put even the slightest of it in
NINA I woke up gradually, my eyes slowly blinking open and focusing on my surroundings. I was in bed, but the last thing I remembered was me yelling at Lachlan when he had come with a tray of breakfast. My eyes jerked across the room but there was no sign of the mess I had made. And one glance at the windows told me that the sun was setting and I had slept all day or lost the whole day like it had happened to me the other times in the past. But over the years it had happened less and less unlike how I used to zone out hours and hours after the accident. My mother had to keep a constant eye on me so I wouldn’t endanger myself and my baby. My baby. God. I miss him so much. He must be waiting for my call. But I knew I couldn’t make a call from my phone, unless the monster was tracing my calls and texts. I didn't want to let him know about my baby, what if he kidnapped him too and brought him to this hell. I had to find a way to contact him. And soon.I slid out of bed, only to fre
JEREMIAH “Was she in an accident?” I stared at the doctor as his question hung between us. The problem with his question was the same as the one that had occurred to me while I was going through the file that Chen brought. I didn’t know the answer. I didn’t know what kind of life my wife was living before we brought her here. When I remained silent, Lachlan responded, “We don’t know.” And I hated that we don’t know. Maybe it was time I started digging up in her life and what she was up to all these years while I was fighting for mine. The doctor nodded. “It is possible she was in one and then when she woke up, her mind decided to bury those memories that were too dangerous for her sanity. Most of the amnesiac patients have this in common. It's most commonly known as a Dissociative state. The mind protects however it can to ensure survival. It mostly is common in the victims of abuse or someone who've survived a fatal accident. Sometimes, it’s also the reason of selectiv
LACHLAN I was waylaid by a phone call from Kayne telling me that Vasili Baranov was itching and throwing hands for a meeting at the High table, to settle the disrespect he had suffered. The old fucking bastard surely wanted a trip to my black room and I'd happily oblige if given the chance. I had hated him since the moment he had suggested the marriage between his granddaughter and my Jeremiah. Something that had amused Jeremiah at that time, but now even he was annoyed by the old bustard's continuous pestering since the party. And so he had been ignoring all his calls and demands to meet him in person.But now Vasili was throwing a fit with Kayne and Xavier to make Jeremiah listen to him. I informed Kayne that I'll let him know when Jeremiah will be available for the High table, if ever.And then by the time I made my way upstairs to her room, Jeremiah was already there. Instead of entering, I paused on the threshold as I saw Jeremiah crouching beside her prone figure on the floor.
JEREMIAH Chen left the office without another word, what he had said now echoing in the silence of my office while Lachlan and I stared at each other, processing the information.The men who had attacked her were Russians.Lachlan took a seat and asked, "Did anyone know about her before we brought her here?"My jaw clenched, and I forced my hand to stay still on the desk, not ball into a fist like it wanted to, as I shook my head. Instead of pushing the curiosity aside I pulled the file open in front of me.The pictures of the men were there. All dead. Because my little shadow had been unable to curb on his violence. I might be known for my cold heart and merciless attitude, but Lachlan was the one who had a temper of a volcano. When it erupted it doesn’t stop until it destroys everything in his path. I focused back on the file with all the details of this men. Names. Their backgrounds everything was there.“Black Hive.” I pulled out a sheaf of paper and a black and white picture wi
ROSE My body was frozen from the fear of my own desire. His gravely words, his fury was making me want him more. It was almost ridiculous that I could feel the flutters in my lower belly. I knew he was going to spànk me like the other day, but unlike that day now I knew what was going to happen and as much as I feared it, the buzz of anticipation in my body couldn’t be ignored. You've really gone mad, Rose! Ryan pushed me on the desk, still maintaining the grip on my tied wrists. As far as I knew he pulled something from his pocket, something silk and cool to the touch with which he tied my hands together. I startled as he swept the hair off the back of my neck which he had unravelled and then surprising me he placed a gentle kiss between my shoulder blades. He followed my spine all the way down to my ass where he traced the waistband of my panties with his fingertips. I sucked in a breath as without any warning he dragged my pantîes down to my knees. I could feel his hot b
LACHLAN I flung the office door open as I entered, my pulse still thrumming with the aftermath of witnessing her break down and looking at me with disgusted eyes, shoving me away like I was filth. Like she couldn’t look at me for one more moment, like she couldn’t bear my touch. She hated me. And god, it hurt.Jeremiah looked up from his desk, a half empty glass of bourbon in his hand even though it wasn’t even noon yet. His grey eyes travelled down me and I saw the possessive gleam he didn’t hide. Any other time I’d have enjoyed his gaze on me. But now. I slammed the door shut behind me and marched to the desk behind which he sat.Her arched a blond brow. “I thought you’d have a better disposition after last night.” I glared at him. He said, “You did sleep like a baby, but I see something have upset you again. What is it?”“Nina.”In a blink, his expression changed. His jaw tightened and his eyes turned cold. “What about her?”“You should’ve seen her,” My voice was low. Tight. “She
NINA It was ten in the morning when Lachlan entered my room, bearing a breakfast tray in his hands. The scent of buttery toast and coffee curled around me. If he thought it would fix things, like food could erase the way I was dragged, punished, humiliated under strangers’ eyes, while the one person who promised to stay and be there for me... vanished, then he was hugely mistaken.Because his presence now, the warm food, it didn’t bring me comfort. It was a slap, a mockery. And all it did was remind me what a fucking liar he was. A deceitful fucking man. A manipulative bastard.Worse than the monster himself.He walked in like he had a right to. Like nothing had happened, like he hadn’t fractured something that was already delicate between us. Like I hadn’t been left alone and stripped bare in front of the wolves, and he hadn’t walked out afterwards instead of holding me. Instead of giving me a safe blanket he had left me in the care of the monster.He put the tray on the table near
NINA My eyes fluttered open and I looked at the bed beside me, at the empty space, and felt a heavy weight in my chest. Like the presence I had felt wasn’t here in the reality but deep somewhere buried in my heart. It was a dream. I told myself it could only be a dream, but its echo was wrapped around me like a comfortable blanket. Like a blanket I had adored in childhood and lost somewhere along the way, but now I could see it peeking through the clutter of forgotten things, shining and beckoning me, as it looked down at me from the top shelf that I couldn’t reach.He was there in my dreams. Once again my husband was in my dreams and he wasn’t the monster he was today. I had willingly crawled into his lap, I had felt safe with him. He was the man who’d brought me my favourite food and gave me a relief from my horrible life.I sat up slowly and let out a breath when I felt my whole body tensing up in discomfort. And then my present, my reality, rushed back to the forefront of my min
Flashback continues...NINA “You need to eat more, lisichka. How will I hunt you next time if you fainted in the middle of the chase.”I sucked in a breath, he made it sound like there was more to our little game of chase. I licked my lips and despite myself I obeyed him. Somehow it felt good to obey him, to make him see that I could do whatever he wanted from me.As I ate, I watched him. And watching him, made my body relax. It always did when I am around him, except that initial nervous energy that takes hold of me. But being close to him, my muscles would relax, no longer coiled up to fight or run from danger. Even though I knew he was dangerous, he felt less so with every other threatening presence around me.And it was all because of the last few days. Because something had changed without me knowing it. The quiet between us wasn’t threatening anymore. It had morphed into something else. Slowly, subtly, it had become a respite from the nightmare that was my life. I used to be s