"Where were you, little bird?"
Clouds rumbled in the skies, dark and heavy. A loud gust of wind whooshed through the open window, and I staggered back. I didn't know if it was the force of the wind or the weight of his gaze that knocked the breath out of me.
I tried to move. Run, my mind screamed, but my legs refused to obey. Every muscle locked in place, as if bound by invisible chains. His eyes-those pale blue, soulless eyes-pinned me to the spot. He wasn't just dangerous; he was death wrapped in human skin.
My heart hammered in my chest. The walls seemed to close in, the air thick with his presence. His hair was tousled, his clothes wrinkled and damp from the storm outside. He didn't wear a coat or jacket, despite the biting cold. He didn't even seem to care.
I swallowed hard, trying to find words, but my mouth was dry. Say something. "I-I was… I was just… outside."
His expression darkened, and my stomach twisted into knots.
"With whose permission?"
I opened my mouth to speak again, but nothing came out. The words were stuck in my throat, like someone had lodged a piece of wood into my mouth.
"Why are you here?" I stammered, barely able to keep my voice from trembling.
He tilted his head.
"Where should I be if not here?" His voice was ice, laced with mockery. He took a step closer, and I felt the air grow heavier. "Tell me, ptichka, do you take me for a fool? Do you think I wouldn't know about your little games?"
"What-what are you saying-ah!" I gasped, pain exploding at the back of my head. One moment he was standing in front of me, and the next, my hair was twisted tightly in his fist, yanking me backward. My scalp burned, tears prickling the corners of my eyes.
His breath was hot against my cheek. The pale blue of his eyes simmered with rage, unrelenting, merciless. I was drowning in them.
My skin tingled with cold, but it wasn't the wind this time. The unforgiving metal of his gun pressed hard beneath my chin, sending a jolt of fear down my spine.
"Should I kill you right now?" His voice was dreading my soft unlike the storm brewing in his cold eyes. "No one would know. Not your family, not your friends, and not even that fucking boy." He leaned closer, the weight of the gun never lifting. "I could bury you, and no one would look for you."
Panic clawed at my throat. My breaths came quick and shallow, but I couldn't pull in enough air. I wanted to scream, but fear had stolen my voice.
"Please…" I barely managed to whisper.
"Please what?" His grip tightened. I flinched, my hands trembling, useless at my sides.
"Don't," I begged, my voice breaking. "Please…"
But his eyes told me he wasn't the kind of man who listened to pleas. Something was strange about him. He never looked this deadly, and I suddenly missed his sarcastic words and mocking tone. I'd bear his humiliation, his punishments, but not this anger.
It was like he was someone else entirely, consumed by a darkness I hadn't seen before. His jaw clenched, and his hands tightened into fists as if he were battling something within himself. But it wasn't working.
The predator I feared was gone, replaced by the devil I should plea to.
"Three days and you whored yourself to that bastard, huh?" "Meeting him behind my back, going on dates, tell me, little bird, are you fucking him too?"
He didn't know. I didn't know if I should be pleased or not. I knew this was a misunderstanding. But somehow this was better than him knowing I met Lucius and was spying for him.
"It… it isn't what you think. We just… this is a misunderstanding."
"And your lips happen to land on his unknowingly?" My eyes widened. How did he… he couldn't have seen us through the window right?
His hold on my hair tightened painfully, yanking my head back to meet his cold, turbulent gaze. "I warned you, didn't I?" he growled, his voice low and venomous, each word like a dark promise. "I am not a generous man, and I most definitely am not the merciful person you must have mistaken me for. When I say I will ruin him, I will do it with my heart. And you-" His lips curled into a sneer as he tugged me closer, so close his breath was hot against my trembling lips. "You will be the reason for his untimely death."
"Judas, please!" I gasped, my fingers clawing desperately at his hand, trying to loosen his hold, but it was futile. "Listen to me! It was my mistake. Don't kill anyone! Please!"
He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. "He touched you,"
"Stop-" I started, but he cut me off, his grip tightening further, sending sharp pain down my scalp.
"He fucking kissed you."
"Judas-"
"And he must have been eye-fucking you the entire time." He gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with an unhinged fury. "Tell me, what do I do? I am so fucking mad, all I want to do is strip you down and fuck the life out of you while that fucker watches," he hissed, leaning in so close that his lips brushed the shell of my ear. I whimpered as he yanked me back by the neck, his fingers digging into my skin, making it clear that there was no escape. "And then," he continued with a savage sneer, "I'll chop his dick into tiny pieces and feed it to rabid dogs."
I struggled in his grip, gasping for air as my hands pressed against his chest in a weak attempt to push him away. "You don't know what you're doing to me, you damn woman!" he sneered, violently jerking me until his chest was the only thing I could feel, my face buried against him, suffocated by his rage.
His voice dropped to a whisper, filled with a dark possessiveness that terrified me. "I should kill you. Him. Every damn fucker who looks your way." His fingers pressed deeper into the nape of my neck, making me wince. "It drives me fucking insane, and I hate the way it drills into my chest!"
I struggled to breathe, panic surging through me. "I-"
"Do you know what happens to people who betray me, little bird?" he asked softly, his lips brushing dangerously close to mine. His breath was hot, intoxicating, despite the sharp edge of his words. "They burn."
"And why do you care?" I gasped, desperation slipping into my voice as I fought for some semblance of control. "Why do you care if he touched me or not? Didn't you call me a whore, huh?"
His eyes darkened dangerously, his grip loosening just enough for me to catch my breath before his hand shot up to grab my chin, forcing me to look at him. "Watch your mouth," he warned, his tone cold and deadly.
I swallowed, fury and fear warring inside me. "Why don't you watch yours?" I shot back, tears burning my eyes. "You force me, you humiliate me, you punish me for things I didn't do! You ruined my life, you lying son of a whore!"
For a split second, his face went blank-his eyes hardening into something unrecognizable. Then, without warning, his hand slid to my throat, squeezing just enough to make me gasp.
"Talk to me like that again," His voice dropped to a lethal whisper, dangerously low. "And I'll tear you apart."
I clawed at his arm, my vision blurring as his grip tightened. "You're… insane-"
His gaze flickered and for a brief flash of something almost unrecognisable crossed his eyes before it was swallowed by the cold rage again. "You belong to me," he growled, dragging me against him. His lips ghosted over my jaw, his breath searing against my skin. "Don't ever forget that."
Tears stung my eyes as I whispered, "I hate you."
"You'll hate me more when I'll be done with you," he murmured against my skin.