Taking Back Control

POV: ClaraThe sound of that heavy steel door slamming shut was like the lid of a coffin closing over us. It echoed through the basement, a deep, metallic boom that seemed to vibrate in my very teeth. For a second, everything went completely still. Even Victor looked surprised, his eyes darting toward the staircase behind him, but the shock didn't last long. A slow, twisted grin spread across his face, and he turned the shotgun back toward Nikolai and me."Well now," Victor said, his voice smooth and terrifyingly calm. "It seems we have all the time in the world. No interruptions. No distractions. Just a family meeting in the dark.""Who locked that door, Victor?" Nikolai asked. He was still standing in front of me, his body tense, ready to spring, but I could see the sweat beads on the back of his neck."Does it matter?" Victor asked. He gestured with the barrel of the gun, a casual wave that made my stomach flip. "Sit down. Both of you. On the floor. Now.""Victor, she’s sick," Nik

Freedom At Last?

POV: NikolaiThe ringing in my ears from the shotgun blast was like a physical wall between me and the rest of the world. Everything felt slow and heavy, the way it does right before a car crash. The smoke from the barrel was curling into the air, smelling like sulfur and burnt plastic. Victor stood there, looking completely unbothered, as if he hadn't just tried to turn his own son into a memory. "You missed, Victor," I said. My voice sounded hollow, like it was coming from the bottom of a well."I didn't miss, Nikolai," he said, the corner of his mouth twitching into a cold, clinical smile. "I warned you. There’s a difference. If I wanted you dead, we wouldn't be having this conversation. You’d be part of the basement floor."Clara was huddled a few feet away, her eyes wide and her hand shaking as she gripped that silver letter opener. I needed him to look at me. I needed his focus entirely on his 'legacy' so she could breathe. I shifted my weight, feeling the cold concrete throu

Guilt

POV: ClaraThe silence in the basement was heavy, thick with the smell of spilled wine and the sharp, metallic tang of blood. Victor was still on the floor, clutching his ruined knee, but even in pain, he looked like he was the one holding all the cards. He leaned his back against a stone pillar, his face pale but his eyes burning with a twisted kind of excitement. He wasn't done with us. Not even close."You think you’ve won because you broke my leg?" Victor rasped, a wet cough rattling in his chest. "You’re so small, Nikolai. Both of you. You think life is about who hits the hardest. It’s not. It’s about who is willing to do what the other won't."I stood there, my hand still locked in Nikolai’s, watching the man I had once been forced to call my husband. He looked like a fallen king, but the malice radiating off him was stronger than ever. The door at the top of the stairs was still being hammered, the vibrations traveling through the floor, but Victor didn't even glance toward

Almost Out

POV: NikolaiThe hum of the basement was the only thing I could hear, a low, buzzing sound that felt like it was drilling into my brain. Victor was still leaning against that pillar, bleeding out from his knee but looking like he’d just won the lottery because he’d successfully pushed Clara over the edge. I could feel her shaking against me, her heart racing like a trapped bird. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to finish what she’d tried to do with that empty gun, but I was frozen, waiting for the world to make sense again.Then, the world went black.It wasn't a flicker or a fade. It was an instant, total erasure of light. The overhead fluorescents died with a sharp pop, and the emergency lights didn't even bother to kick in. I knew that signature. That was Henry. He’d finally managed to override the mansion’s main grid again, probably by frying the circuit breakers from the outside. "Clara, stay down!" I hissed, shoving her toward the floor.In the pitch black, my senses went into

All Chapters of Sinfully His: Craving The Devil's Son: Chapter 71 - Chapter 74

Taking Back Control

Freedom At Last?

Guilt

Almost Out