All Chapters of Only in Vegas: Claimed by the Devils Son: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The silence of the room was louder than any music that had played at the ball. Mia stood alone, her breath heavy, the red dress clinging to her like a second skin as if it, too, refused to let go of the night. She didn’t even bother unzipping it properly—just pulled it down from her shoulders and let it pool around her feet like stale blood. The cold air kissed her bare skin, raising goosebumps that had nothing to do with the temperature. She stared at herself in the mirror. Her makeup was still mostly intact. Her lipstick barely smudged. But the fire in her eyes—the fierce, dark seductress who had entered that ballroom ready to conquer—was gone. Stripped bare. All that remained was Mia. Just gentle and quiet Mia. She stepped into her softest pyjamas and curled up in bed, burying her face into the silk pillowcase. The storm inside her refused to quiet. Axel’s kiss—cold, stiff, hollow. His lips had been too distant, his eyes too empty. It didn’t take a genius to know som

The sound of water pattering against tile pulled Mia from sleep. She blinked against the early light and the heavy ache in her chest—last night still burned in the back of her mind like the ember of a fire not yet snuffed out. Axel had come to her broken, bloodied, distant—but open. Or as open as a man like him could be. And then he’d stayed. Silent. But still. The kind of quiet that felt like a promise if she didn’t look too closely. She pushed the sheets back, her body cold without his. And walked towards the sound. The door to the bathroom opposite the bedroom door was cracked open, steam curling through like fingers beckoning her in. With every step, her pulse quickened, heat swirling low in her stomach. She didn’t know what this was between them. But she knew what her body wanted—and right now, she wasn’t above using desire to get a piece of him, whatever piece he was willing to give. She didn’t know when her entire personality changed but she could no longer deny she

*TW* This chapter contains descriptive scenes of a disturbing nature. If you are sensitive to non-consensual sex please skip this chapter, there will be a brief explanation in the next chapter if you wish to avoid the details. Read with caution. *** Mia woke slowly, the world spinning as if she were underwater. The room was dimly lit by old fashioned sconces that glowed like fireflies against the stone walls. Her wrists were bound—not painfully, but firm enough to remind her she wasn’t free. The red bikini clung to her skin, still damp from the pool. She blinked the haze from her eyes and swallowed down the fear that crept up her throat. Then she saw him. Slade. Leaning back in a chair across from her, legs wide, a drink in his hand, and his gaze fixed squarely on her. That dark glint in his eyes wasn’t anger this time—it was hunger. “Well, well,” he said, voice smooth as silk. “Didn’t think I’d get the pleasure of your company dressed like that.” Mia didn’t fli

The days bled into one another like watercolours—smudged and muted. Light came and went through the sheer curtains of the apartment, but Mia barely noticed. She hadn’t left the suite. The silence was no longer comforting—it was scary. She moved through each day on autopilot. Wake up. Shower. Stare at her reflection long enough to forget what she was looking for. Axel had respected her space, which she was both grateful for and frustrated by. He hadn’t pushed. He hadn’t pried. But she could feel him watching from a distance, always checking in through the house staff, always ensuring food was delivered, that she had what she needed. Everything except him. And maybe that was the problem. Her body was healing. The bruises were fading. But the ache inside her hadn’t dulled. Not since that night. Not since she woke up tangled in silk sheets with the ghost of Slade’s hands still on her skin, bile rising in her throat every time she blinked. She hadn’t told Axel everything he did

The apartment door creaked open like it hadn’t been touched in days. Like it knew the weight it now carried. Mia looked up from where she sat on the floor, back resting against the cold marble near the wall of windows. She hadn’t moved in hours. Maybe not since morning. Time had melted into something useless—something cruel. A joke of a concept when all her body knew was hurt. Then she saw him. Axel stood in the doorway, shadowed and hesitant. His usual confidence—no, his dominance—had drained from him entirely. What remained was a man wearing guilt like a second skin. She could feel it before he even stepped inside. Her breath stuttered in her chest. She said nothing. He said nothing. He just walked forward, slow and heavy-footed, like each step was penance. His jacket came off and landed on the back of a chair, his hands running through his hair before he leaned against the counter. Silence stretched between them like a blade. “You went,” she said softly, u