NICOLAI POV.Brea stepped into the torture chamber cautiously, her eyes widening when she saw the prisoners chained to the wall. She whirled to face me, her gaze colliding with mine, and I grinned because I saw no judgment in them. Instead, something akin to interest flared in their depth and the fire she ignited in my blood burned to a fever pitch. Fucking perfect. I was going to keep her, even though she kept trying to run away from me, but I didn't mind. I loved to chase, so she could run all she want, but at the end of the day, I'll catch her and put her in her place_ by my side where she belonged. Brea didn't even know it, but she served as a god-damned temptation at every turn.My eyes were always straying in her direction and I wanted to take her again, and again, and again until we both couldn't move. But I held back. The blush on her face, while I'd trapped her in the bathroom had been cute, and the quiver in her voice as she told me to stop, was so devastatingly sexy, it s
LUCAS POV "I don't think this is a good idea" Ryder's timid whiny voice reached my ears and I fought the urge to tie him and bash his knees up just like the last time. He was so weak, it was pathetic."I do not want you to think. I want you to listen and obey" I gritted out and Ryder shook his head."I already put Brea in danger once... I do not want to do it again".His words made me want to punch him and I clenched my fist so hard, the knuckles turned white. "Would you rather I killed you instead?" I asked and the man trembled. Wasn't he eating right? I knew I wasn't starving him so why the hell was he so thin? He looked at me, the uncertainty in his gaze glaringly obvious. "You are not going to be putting Brea in any danger at all. I just want you to convince her to go away with you", I explained as patiently as I could. "And if we get caught" he countered, twisting and intertwining his fingers over and over again."You will not get caught. I will take care of everything. All yo
BREA POV.The edgy feeling was gone and in its place was a feeling that I cherished. Liberation- the peaceful feeling that made me feel all floaty as if I was riding a high. Killing the people who had done bad stuff to Nicolai felt in a way as if I was killing some of my demons, and the way Nicolai had stared at me, even though I'd been covered in blood, it set my blood afire and I never wanted it to end.He'd told me to work with him, and I'd done just that, almost too easily. It was like I knew where he was going to puncture once he raised his dagger, and I followed suit, working in perfect symmetry."This is not your first kill" Nicolai broke the silence as he stalked toward me.I watched every step he took, my hand tightening by my side, my gaze straying a little to the dagger laid covered in blood at my feet. I could pick it up before he got to me. I was quick, and nothing was holding me captive. I could stab him once I got my grip on the dagger, but I paused, not wanting to do
BREA POVHe led me to his room. Then pushed me into the red high chair at the corner of it, with an order not to move.My eyes followed his movement, his earlier words ringing in my head. I watched him enter the bathroom, then he turned on the tap, drowning me out.I took a deep breath and made myself relax into the chair before closing my eyes and breathing in and out deeply.Nicolai was serious about keeping me with him, so that meant that in the meantime, he wasn't going to kill me- yet I still feared his unpredictability.But he had been right in his assumptions when he said I was already considering staying with him- smug bastard. But did I really want to stay or not? Then again, Was there really anything waiting for me back home? Thinking about it- deeply - made the idea of running back to my parents not so appealing. And judging by how sloppy I'd been at disposing of the body of Markus, I wouldn't be surprised if they found his remain already. They probably would. He was Mom an
BREA POV I waited all night, my eyes fixed on the door and as the hours rolled by, I concluded that maybe Nicolai was not the only one obsessed, because why was I waiting for him to come to me?"This is so frustrating!" I yelled at the wall, then flopped unto the bed, and a familiar scent wafted up my nose. It was Nicolai's. I inhaled greedily before I forced myself to stop."You have completely gone off the deep end Brea," I told myself then dragged my hand through my hair, before tugging on them viciously. It reminded me of Nicolai's hand in my hair, the power that had radiated from him."You need to stop. You need to fucking get a grip, Brea." I groaned. Even if I stayed, I couldn't live locked up and be treated like some sort of furniture. And now that he was considering eating me... Ugh. Even the thought of that didn't scare me. This was what I feared was going to happen. I couldn't have it. I wanted some normalcy. I wanted to be able to walk around with no goddamn shock collar
BREA POV I was so going to lose. I could almost feel it, but I had to prove him wrong. Needed to just hold on for five minutes. I could do that. It shouldn't be that difficult to resist him right? Right? Nicolai's expression tightened as he dipped a brow. Tilting his head to the side, he hooked his fingers into the top of my shirt and then tore them down in one go, just like the last time.The rough action burned my skin, leaving me exposed. Every movement from Nicolai stirred the air around, making me feel hot in the chilly room. I tried to calm down, tried to regulate my breathing. If I was all worked up when he hadn't even started touching me, what was going to happen when he did? Nicolai’s wide and cool palm landed on the center of my chest right against my heart, and he stilled, listening to its beating.His left hand framed my head. His thumb brushed over the pulsing veins on my forehead and temple, then drifted lengthways down my cheekbone and crawled over the soft swells o
BREA POV The sound of a phone buzzing insistently reached my hearing and I blinked my eyes open and slowly came back to reality. I was lying on my side with Nicolai wrapped around me from behind. And the memory of the previous night came to my mind unbidden. I ached everywhere and the bite he’d left on my neck throbbed in time with my heartbeat, yet all I felt was contentment. Which was odd. I wasn't even mad I lost. Just like before, all I felt was relief. Now he could have me and I could pretend to bitch. But he would know. He always knew. I could feel his heartbeat syncing with mine and vibrating through my back. It was soothing. And I felt safe. The thought had me tensing. Nicolai made me feel safe. I didn't want to believe it but everything seems to point in that direction. I already trusted him, and even though I knew he could cut me up with a knife or choke me to death in the heat of the moment, I'd surrendered to his desires without feeling endangered. Not even once. A
BREA POVRyder yanked me through the gardens, his grip on my wrist merciless. A little gate at the back that I was sure was locked when Nicolai had let me survey the house was wide open and it led into the woods. All the guards were probably trying to stop whoever the attackers were because there was no one guarding them. The night was still a fucking maze to me. I'd been sleeping contentedly and now I was living a freaking nightmare. Shot rang out, explosions rocking the very ground we ran on. The gravel beneath my feet dug in making me wince, and I ached all over from the stress my body had been through, but Ryder kept pulling me to match his pace, completely oblivious to my discomfort. There had been so much blood when Ryder had dragged me out of my room. The men stationed in the hallway had all been shot, and severely too, so how was Ryder even alive and dragging me through the woods? I tried to pry his hold off but he was relentless and the farther we ran, the more my heart le
BREA POV The hall got so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. A little hole appeared in front of Angrav's neck and I watched as red blossomed from it, and then a spray of blood hit me in the face before the man dropped to the floor. Zeus and Ryder stared shock-shelled, their jaw almost touching the floor. Then Ryder screamed, rushing towards me and brandishing a knife. Another shot swished through the air and I watched him crumble to the floor, screaming in agony as blood dripped down his thigh. "Fuck! Fuck!" He cried, then pulled out a tab and started pressing on it repeatedly. "Don't bother doing that Ryder, there is no one coming to save you. The Angrav clan is no more since your leader is dead. This house is under new management now" I smirked, taking in the horrified look on Ryder's face. I cocked my head at Zeus and watched in delight as he trembled. It wasn't from fear but rage, but there was nothing he could do about the situation. I bet he wasn't that dumb to figure out t
BREA POV.I gasped as Angrav's nails dug into my chin, and then glared into his ugly-looking face."Hmm, such a fierce look. I can see why Nicolai wants you so much" he said, turning my face from side to side before letting go.My chin itched from the pressure, but my hand was bound at the back of the chair I was sitting on, so I couldn't scratch it off. Ryder stood pressed to the wall, watching me with no expression on his face. He still looked the same, except he was missing some fingers and his hair had grown longer. I met his gaze and he frowned, murderous intent swirling in his eyes. So he wasn't sorry for what he did? I came to a decision. I was going to cut his fucking arm off when all this was over. He'd injected me with those same hands and delivered me to Lucas anyway, so it was only fair for me to return the favor.A big screen stood in front of me, and that was the only thing that occupied the space we were in. Were they planning on showing me something? I didn't know h
NICOLAI POVBrea was right, there was something fishy about the whole thing with the Angrav, hence why I was secretly making a plan B.I wasn't going to let them hurt her, but I also needed to wipe them out for good, or take over the territory because if I left them unchecked, they were only going to keep trying to obliterate me. I didn't even understand what Angrav's deal or obsession with the death of Xavier Genovese was. Had they been lovers, if they were, it would explain a lot. I would never stop seeking vengeance if anyone touched the hair on Brea's head, or put a bruise on her skin. But If I didn't put Angrav in his place, others like him will grow balls and they would try to challenge my authority, and in this fucking business, reputation was everything.I was already being disrespected anyway, and all because I chose to play nice for once. Zeus being an example... I should have just killed him earlier, but stalking my prey and instilling fear in them worked just fine to kee
BREA POVThe gym was packed, and as I took out my frustration on the punching bag I couldn't help but glance at Zeus at the opposite corner.He'd been a fucking spy, and he'd tried to seduce me... Was that all part of their plan? What would he have accomplished by getting me to fall in love with him?No wonder he'd been so cocky when I told him that Nicolai was going to kill him if he didn't leave me alone.I could still remember his words from that day. "You underestimate me Brea, but don't worry, I am going to make sure that that doesn't happen. I won't allow Nicolai to hurt you anymore" he had uttered, fire burning in the depth of his gaze. I should have seen then that he wasn't ordinary, especially since everyone revered Nicolai. Then there was Ryder who was now on my kill list. The manipulative son of a bitch was going to die at my hand, I swore it.He'd betrayed me to Lucas and now he was trying to sell me off to the Angrav's.There was only so much I could take before I snapp
NICOLAI POV"So this is all a big conspiracy" I mused, scoffing, my hand clenching the phone I held to my ear.I glanced back at Brea who still had her eyes closed with her mouth slightly parted, soft air escaping her lips as her chest rose and fell. She was so cute, it tugged painfully at my heart.The blanket half covered her and I could see the marks I'd left on her skin, gleaming as the lights from the lamp cast its glow over her. She was perfect, just like I'd known she would be.She'd told me she loved me, and it had caught me by surprise, because how could she love me after everything I did to her, but someone she did, even though she knew I was a monster?Brea had put her trust In me and even though I was a maniac, my brain always firing off and trying to deviate from the normal norms, I was going to keep her trust, I was going to protect her, and I was going to give her anything she wanted.I haven't seen her smile in a while and on a normal day, it wouldn't have mattered, ju
ZEUS POVHer rejection shouldn't have hurt, especially since it was something that I had anticipated, but it did, and I did not like the dark feeling it evoked In my chest. I wanted to fucking smash something, but the gadget in the house I stood in was freaking expensive and I didn't want to be indebted more than I already was to my piece of shit older brother. Brea was a victim in all this mess and Nicolai Fernandez was the fucking bastard who didn't deserve her. He was a psychopath anyway and Brea should know better. He was only going to hurt her in the end.I dragged my hand through my hair, sighing in exasperation. For all of my life, I never thought that I would get involved in my brother's plot for revenge, but after the death of Xavier, and the attack of Nicolai against his syndicate, he'd been voracious for it and had come to me seeking for my help. I'd refused at first since I wanted to do nothing with the syndicate, but Angrav knew some things about me that could land me in
BREA POV His words raised goosebumps on my skin and I am so disoriented by the sudden, power shift that I don't even fight back as he took my wrists and cuffed them to the bed.I swallowed hard as he yanked the bathrobe off my shoulders, almost ripping the material in half with the force he used. And then he did rip it, the tear ringing like a Canon in my ears. I gasped, shutting my eyes for a second as I burned up from the adrenaline coursing through my naked skin. I tried to wriggle away from him, but he put a stop to my movement as he straddled my thighs, holding me in place, his capable hands cupping my ass. His touch fucking scalded my skin and a harsh breath punched out of my lungs."What the hell do you think you are doing" I managed to get out, licking my lips nervously."Reminding you who you belong to" he growled, then yanked my hips back to get himself in a better position, holding me still with his dominant hands.“Relax, Brea,” he whispered, leaning forward to press a
BREA POVSomeone was watching me and I could tell who it was even though I was still asleep. I jumped from the bed, my eyes flying open and blinking rapidly in the darkened room. I hit the light switch, trying to regulate my panic-induced breathing.I was alone, but there was a gut feeling that told me I wasn't. I dragged my hand through my hair, exhaling tiredly. Last night had been draining, maybe that was why I was feeling paranoid. I'd forced myself to go out with the rest of the crew... Andre had been really excited about the win, and the proud way he'd announced me to the rest of the crew had made me feel all warm and floaty inside. It was good to win, and as we all had fun, I'd been able to forget about Nicolai and Zeus for a while. Zeus literally disappeared after our encounter in the changing room, and Melissa recalled him saying he was going home to crash.Well, that was all over now. He was going to stay away and I was going to make sure of it. Nicolai on the other hand
BREA POVMy body was wound up tight like a rubber band and I couldn't bring myself to move as I gaped at the spot that Nicolai had occupied just some seconds ago. The ghost of his finger against my throat still lingered and my lips throbbed, the feel of the harsh way he'd kissed me ingrained into my memory for good.I counted my heartbeat as it ricochet beneath my ribs. I couldn't breathe or gather my thoughts, especially not when my body fucking burned like I'd been lit afire.My head felt fuzzy as I dragged my fingers against my swollen lips, then down my throat, my eyes slipping close as I tried to relieve his touch.A door slammed outside and I jerked, my eyes flying open as my heart rate increased, almost to the point that it fucking hurt.What the hell are you doing Brea? I asked myself, dragging my hand through my hair and wincing from the dark bruises that littered my torso from the fight earlier.Nicolai was back, and contrary to what I thought, he hadn't forgotten about me