I had never been more turned on in my life.
Lina’s pupils were blown wide as she stared up at me, holding steady. I sucked in a breath and pushed in farther, slow and deliberate, daring her to stand her ground. That was when she broke eye contact. The blade slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor.
Hurt me, Lina.
I needed to be careful. The last thing I wanted was to scare her. Even I knew I could be too much. But what I saw in her eyes wasn’t fear. It was a glint closer to excitement. Or the nerves that came with the unknown. I wanted to know every thought running through her head.
I loosened my grip on her. She didn’t move away. Taking that as permission, I pulled her in, slow enough that she could resist if she wanted. She didn’t. One hand slid to her face as I removed the mask, then the wig, tossing it aside.
Her real hair fanned out like fire. I ran my fingers through it, feeling her body ease as I gathered a fistful and guided her head back so she was looking at me again.
Lina’s mouth parted; her brows raised. I didn’t know what I was going to say next, but she spoke first. “One more dance.”
Even though we were far from the ballroom, the music still drifted through the hall. A slower song now. I let go of her hair and moved my hands into place. She leaned against me. My fucking heart was beating so fast.
I didn’t want this night to end.
An eternity could have passed, and I wouldn’t have noticed. All I could do was take in every part of her—the way she smelled, the way she held on to me, the soft rise and fall of her chest. I was obsessed. What the hell was I supposed to do with myself?
The song ended, and we pulled apart, neither of us looking eager to do so. My dick throbbed. I needed her to ruin me. The words fell out before I could stop them. “I fuck better than I dance.”
And she smiled. Fuck, she really smiled.
She crossed the room, grabbed her wig, and fixed the mask back in place. Then she opened the door and looked at me over her shoulder, tilting her head just a little.
That was a fucking invite.
A wicked grin spread across my face. She turned away, and I couldn’t get my mask on fast enough. My pants were so damn tight it hurt to walk, but I was fucking running.
Chapter 13
ADELINA
The rain coated my skin in a thin, cold sheet, and Cezar looked thirsty enough to drink it right off me. I couldn’t wait to get out of there. I glanced at him again and moved toward the car. Like a shadow, he followed. I reached for the door, but his hand shot past mine and opened it first.
A menacing gentleman.
Silence settled between us, thick and pulsing with everything neither of us dared to say. Madness had its claws in me. Why couldn’t I have what I wanted in this shitty life? Right now, I wanted Cezar Torrim.
The drive took too long, leading us to an abandoned castle. It was far more spectacular than the last one—the one that burned to the ground because of a certain someone. When the engine went quiet, I stayed in my seat, steadying myself, ready to give my every desire to this man.
Cezar got out first and circled to my side. When I stepped out, he took my hand like we were about to share a final dance in the rain. His breathing gave him away. He was struggling to hold himself back.
I led us through the grand doors of the castle. The structure was magnificent even as it decayed into something beautifully ruined. We had to find a new place for all the activities weindulged in after what happened that night. This location was perfect. Hidden. Isolated.
He never asked why this place, why here.
A heavy silence clung to him, replacing his usual commentary as we walked down a long, dark hallway. These were the rooms where we carried out our interrogations, and I had plans for Cezar.
He surveyed the area I led us into. Equipment lay scattered everywhere, each piece meant for a different kind of suffering. Among it sat a more comfortable chair—the one I usually took when I wanted to watch Dorin or the others work. A throne left to rot with the rest of the building.
But the chair in the center was different.
Reserved for the unfortunate souls we forced answers out of. No one left it alive. A witness to countless endings, it waited for the next victim, expecting him.
Vasile had designed it himself, one of his more charming inventions. With the push of a button, the chains cinched around our subjects. There was a release button too, though that one never saw use.
I walked up to Cezar and unbuttoned his suit jacket, then pushed it open along with the shirt underneath. The fabric fell back, revealing a body carved from dangerous intent. I wanted bare skin. Skin I could mark with teeth and nails. He tensed, but he closed his eyes and swallowed hard, his chest heaving in slow breaths that spoke of surrender.
