My stomach winds, tightening into a fine knot, the tighter Sirius holds onto my hand. His fingers lace with mine, and I wince when he cracks one of my knuckles in his grip.“Sirius,” I whine. “You’re hurting me.”Sirius’s grip loosens slightly but his grip remains firm. Alston moves in closer to me,
“She needs to be taken care of,” Sirius bites back.I shake my head, rubbing into Alston’s bicep, lacing my fingers with his. “I don't need any of that," I say firmly, despite my voice trembling slightly. "I need someone who will walk beside me through life."Alston pulls me closer into him, his voi
The billboard changes to another angle, and Claudia is sitting on the edge of a mountain, in a bikini as if that is practical. One of her hands is pointed to the camera with a big, pulsating diamond ring on her finger as she bashfully looks away from the camera.The slogan The King and I in perfect
I spin around a large smile plastered on my face. “Alston,” I shake the bag of sandwiches, chips and sodas in his direction. “I made you lunch…well I brought you a late dinner, early dinner.”"Elise? What are you doing down here?" he asks, his hands snapping around my waist as he places a tentative
“Connections, what?” I turn to watch him continue to pack up his office.I frown, my mouth agape, about to ask more, but Alston raises a hand to stop me. “Trust me, Elise. It’s all taken care of. I tried to get us a flight out of here but they’re all booked for the next month, so I think we should…w
Four Black cars surround Alston and I, as we drive, trying to escape the city. The vans up at the end of the road block up in and theFear grips me as the black cars close in. Alston reaches over and squeezes my hand. “Stay calm,” he murmurs. “We’ll get through this.”Men in dark suits exit the veh
Alston steps forward, his stance protective. “Who are you? What do you want with her?”The man’s eyes shift to Alston, a hint of amusement, and annoyance in his expression. “I am Rudolf Belmont, head of the Belmont family, but you can call me Rudy.” He extends his hand to me, I place it in his hesit
“No.” I whisper.“Or Alston will die.” Rudy’s voice drops deadly, and I bristle.Sirius laces his hands with mine, pulling me to my feet. “We’re leaving.”I follow Sirius before hesitating, glancing back at Rudy’s direction. “Please, Rudy, spare Alston. ”Jealousy flashes in Sirius’s eyes as he cli
I run before my mind can catch up, my legs carrying me through the dimly lit corridors. My breath is ragged, and my heart pounds in my chest like a drum. The echo of Sirius’s chilling threat rings in my ears, spurring me to move faster:I will cut your tongue out and make you swallow it back along w
I leave Alston’s cell, with him screaming and the rattle of his chains leaving me with a heavy heart, each step feeling like I'm walking through quicksand. The air feels colder, sharper, as if it knows the weight of what I've just done. I pause at the edge of the staircase, taking a deep breath to s
He thumb stops mid caress and I can feel his gaze running over me in confusion and judgement, “Obessed? Um…no.”I feel like I am freezing, like he just said the best and worst that I have ever heard. I take a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. “Alston, I’ve been thinking a lot about us, and
I stand at the stairs that lead to Alston’s prison cell, because Sirius said if I tell Alston the truth then he can be let free. I don’t know why but when he said that it felt like I could be set free, or caged because at this point I don’t know the difference.Sirius said he was obsessed with me. I
“Because it’s not that simple!” I cry, the tears streaming down my face. “I’m trying to do the right thing, but it’s tearing me apart. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I don’t know how to fix this.”Sirius’s hands ball into fists at his sides, his anger barely contained. “You’re wrong; it’s simple,”
Sirius draws small circles along my spine, my head laying on his chest as his other hand lazily crawls up my inner thigh sinfully close to my center before drawing back down. His breath flutters over my face in soothing waves, and I move in closer, my curves matching the firm outline of his body per
Sirius responds immediately, his lips meeting mine with a hunger that ignites a fire within me. Without warning, Sirius closes the distance between us, his hands gripping my waist firmly as he lifts me onto the polished surface of the dining table.The cold marble against my back sends a shiver thro
Sirius looks at me with a blazing fire in his eyes, tension ever growing in the click of his jaw, but I do not waver in my gaze. I stand tall with my arms folded and my eyes narrowed in on his clicking jaw. “Elise, sit down.”“No,” I snap, my hip poking out to the side, but I suck my inner cheek bet
Eight years earlierSirius stood at the edge of the old park, the twilight sky casting long shadows across the cracked pavement.He kicked a pebble, watching it skip across the ground before glancing at his watch. Claudia had asked him to meet her here, and he couldn't shake the feeling of unease tha