Page 86 of Venomous Desires

“That’s it,” he growled against my lips. “Fall apart for me.”

I swallowed the sound. He drew back just enough to study me. As if I were another puzzle he’d already solved. My hands still shook. His smile only deepened.

I struggled against him. But his body pressed against mine, his knee keeping me pinned in place. His breath was hot against my skin, a constant reminder of his control.

“Do you feel that?” he whispered, his lips brushing against my ear. “Do you feel how powerless you are?”

Tears burned my eyes. “You can scare me all you want. That doesn’t mean you’ll ever own me.”

“I don’t need you to give me your soul, little bird,” he whispered, a sharp, broken laugh grazing her skin. “I’m perfectly content to play in the ashes of whatever you have left.”

He kissed me again. Harder this time. Like he meant to steal every breath I had left. Then he pulled away. Without a word, his fingers slipped to the knot of his tie. My breath caught as he untied it. Confusion flickered through me before dread swallowed it whole.

My lips parted, but fear had already stolen every word.

Before I could react, he had both of my wrists clasped together.

“What are you doing?” I thrashed, trying to free myself, but his grip was strong. I struggled against the restraint, my body writhing in desperation, but he only tightened the knot.

“Let me go!” I shouted and twisted my wrists, trying to slip out of the tie, but his hold was unyielding.

His face hovered close to mine, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my skin crawl. “Fight all you want,” he murmured, his voice a low, menacing whisper. “Like I said, itonly makes this more enjoyable.”

I kicked and pushed, using every ounce of strength to resist, but he remained unmoved. His body pressed harder against mine, his knee digging into my thigh, keeping me immobilized. My breaths came in short, panicked gasps, my heart pounding in my chest.

He leaned in, his lips brushing against my ear once more. “Feel that?” he whispered, his voice a sinister caress. “That’s called losing.”

Rage boiled inside me, fuelling my futile struggle. Fear wrapped around my heart, squeezing tighter with each second. Tears threatened to spill, but I blinked them back, refusing to show my vulnerability.

I hated how small he made me feel.Fight. Run. My body listened to neither. His presence swallowed every thought before it could become a plan. I refused to let this be the end of me. I blinked the tears away before they could fall.

“You won’t win,” I whispered, my voice trembling despite my best efforts.

I wanted to spit in his face again.

One look into those unhinged eyes, and even my anger hesitated.

His smile widened, his eyes gleaming with dark triumph. “Oh, Ptichka,” he murmured, his voice dripping with twisted affection. “I already have.”

The moment he moved, I ran. Hope lasted exactly two steps. Pain exploded across my scalp. I cried out as I was jerked backward, the world tilting with me.

He caught me as if I’d never had a chance. The ground disappeared beneath my feet. One moment, and I was slung over his shoulder. Blood rushed to my head.

I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting the dizziness. Running had been a mistake. Stopping had never been an option.

My fists beat weakly against his back, my legs kicking in vain. The world spun around me, and my sense of balance completely shattered. I felt a wave of nausea rise, my breaths coming in short, panicked bursts. The strength I had mustered to fight began to ebb away, replaced by a sickening sense of vulnerability.

Each step he took towards the elevator jostled me, making my head throb and my vision swim. I tried to focus, to find some way to resist, but my body betrayed me, overwhelmed by everything. Tears of frustration and helplessness streamed down my face, my earlier defiance crumbling in the face of his unrelenting control.

And I hated this man with every cell in my body.

Chapter 30

The Prey

With the way my lucky stars had crashed and burned in less than a day, I should’ve known an amused predator wouldn’t let me get away.

I fisted both sides of the chair, needing something to hold on to. Judas sauntered inside with thatinfuriatinggrin; Kyle walked beside him like his general.