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I didn’t know what to say, though, as his laser eyes continued up and down my body like I might be something he could easily throw in the trash. It wasn’t the first time I had been made to feel that way; I should be used to it by now.
“What are you doing?” he snarled at me, sounding more animal than human. What the fuck did it look like I was doing? I waited, hoping it was a rhetorical question, but as he crossed his arms over his body, I knew he expected a response. So, I gave him the worst one possible, hoping he choked on my words.
“Staying fit and pretty for when you decide it’s time to spread my legs,” I said back, not caring about what might happen next. If he wanted his position heading the clans, he couldn’t exactly kill me. Besides, if Bianca never came back to me, I was as good as dead anyway.
Ion clenched his jaw tightly like many men did when they were angry. It was something I had seen my own father do. However, he did not respond to me at all. I thought maybe he was holding his tongue because he had nothing to refute what I was saying. Maybe I had finally won one. So, I turned the treadmill back on, beginning to run again as if he was not there. It was easier to do than I expected. That was until I found myself flying off the treadmill, my back landing against the wall.
Ion had lifted me off the treadmill in a split second like I weighed nothing and pinned me to the wall. I could still hear the sound of the treadmill belt spinning fast behind him. My eyes locked with his, and he began to speak to me in a quiet tone, one I was not about to mistake for his calmness. I could tell he was beyond furious at that point. “You will learn to listen to me,” he began.
“And what if I don’t?” I countered back, anger flooding through me. I’d never felt such rage burn inside me before.
He lowered his lips next to my ear, whispering “Ana. Do. Not. Test. Me.”
Great, we were both furious. Things were about to get interesting.
“I told you that you would f
ollow all doctor’s orders. That means you will not touch that treadmill or any other piece of equipment in this room until you are fully healed. This room is absolutely off limits to you.”
“So I guess you were telling the fucking truth then,” I snapped in anguish and frustration. “You said my time here wouldn’t be too different from what I had with Jonas. So, what is going to happen next? What is my punishment? Are you going to cut me with a knife, or is burning more your thing?” I stared him dead in the eyes, waiting for a response. I waited and waited until I realized that something about what I said shocked him into some kind of silence. Nothing about his stature softened, but he said nothing. At least, not until he grabbed my hip and placed his mouth right up to my ear. I was so stunned that I was unsure how to react to what was happening.
“I will NEVER hurt you,” he whispered clearly, “you are far too precious to me.” My knees went weak at his statement and his closeness. Despite all of the horrors I had seen, I could not deny the man was strong, young, and hot. And now, he was professing some kind of intent to care for me. I couldn’t let it be so simple as that. I couldn’t just give in, just in case he was going to be a copycat of Jonas. I didn’t think he would but I…..I have no idea who the man is standing in front of me.
“You cannot promise me that everything will be okay; that nothing will ever happen to me here that will hurt in some way,” I whispered, testing the waters.
“The hell I can’t,” he said, a little louder this time but still close to my ear. “I will promise you the fucking world.”
“Ion…,” I mumbled, looking up into his deep emerald green eyes.
“Ana.” He responded. I knew he would argue with me. I’ve known him since I was a child, but I have no clue of the man he’s become. One thing I’m sure of is that he’s as stubborn as an ox.
“Trust me” Those two words would mean nothing to most, but to me, they were terrifying.
***
Ion
I had spent 26 years so far on this planet and never in my life had I been this turned on by a woman. They came easy, sometimes too easy, in my line of business. Not that I had my sights set on anyone other than Mariana in the long run, but that didn’t mean I expected to be so attracted to her. My reaction to her body was intoxicating, and the way she challenged me was so different from other women I had known. Women had always just fallen at my feet, ready to serve.
There’s something so different about Ana; she doesn’t even come close to comparing to the rest. She’s an entirely different caliber.
I felt like I’ve been thrown on my ass by this woman. She shouldn’t be so intoxicating after the way she had been broken down by that snake, Jonas. And yet, here Mariana was, firing back at me and defending herself, regardless of the consequences. I should have been pissed, and I still was, but there was something else there too.
I remembered how her fiery spirit had wrapped me around her finger when we were children and realized she had not lost it, even in her captivity.
I could feel her nipples hardening against my chest through the soft fabric of her sweatshirt. She was aroused too, even if she wasn’t going to admit it. So, I did what any man would do. I leaned down, taking the back of her neck in my hand, and I put my lips to hers. I smiled at the way I caught her off guard, how she jumped at first and eventually gave in – like I knew she would. I let my tongue explore her mouth, pretending as if I might not be allowed to do it again. But maybe I wasn’t pretending. With the way, she stood up to me; it might have very well been the truth.
She kissed me back softly, exploring me just as I was her. I’ve told myself she’s just a means to an end, she’s my shot at being the leader of the mob, what I’ve been promised. I’ll be honest with myself and admit she’s more than that. She always has been more, even if I put on a front like she doesn’t mean it. I’m a dick; I treat her like shit – I know that. But dammit, what she’s been through makes me furious. She’s shaking at my mere hands on her, my hands, I would never hurt her, ever.
I move my lips away from hers, so I’m touching her cheek. “You’re trembling.”
“I…I know” She whispers out softly, I wrap my arms around her, my lips staying against her cheek. She has nothing to fear with me, the exact opposite actually. Everyone should fear her, the power she holds over me is no joking matter, and she somehow doesn’t know she has it.
“Draga,” I tell her, calling her my darling in our native tongue. I may not have been born and raised in Romania like Ana, but I still knew our language. “You have nothing to fear with me. I will always be here to protect you, to keep you safe, to provide for you, and all the same for Bianca as well. I need you to for once, trust me. Even if you can’t believe in anything else, trust me that I’ll never harm either of you. You’re both my responsibility; I protect what’s mine, draga.”
She nods her head against me as I rub my arm in slow circles against her back. She’s been through enough. I need to stop fucking around and be here for her. She doesn’t need me being a royal dick all the time. I know that, but I just can’t help it.
“What did he do to you?” I didn’t mean to ask it so bluntly; it must seem insensitive.
