Page 17

Anger painted his face, his brows furrowed, nose wrinkling as his lip curled. “You warned me?” Lunging forward, he grabbed the remaining fabric of the shirt on my shoulder.“You warned me?”

“Don't touch me!” I yelled, trying to step back. I refused to let fear take me, I refused to let him think he scared me.

If I was going to die, I would do it trying to escape, I would be the one who set my demise. Not him, not Remo, not anyone else.

Me.

And if he did it now, at least I went out trying to get free.

His mouth went razor thin, nostrils flaring. “You—you don't fucking speak.” Throwing my body onto the mattress, Dante hovered over me. “You are going to listen to me.” Grabbing my wrists, he yanked them painfully above my head.

“What are you doing?” Trying to wiggle free, I bent and twisted my arms to break his grasp. It was fruitless, I wasn't escaping his hold.

He didn't speak. His eyes were enraged, the color draining to black. Yanking hard on my wrists, I felt the cold first, followed by the sealed clank of metal.

He had cuffed me to the bed.

Standing over me, Dante's chest heaved breaths of hot air. His jaw cocked out to the side, lids expanded. “This is where you get to spend your night now.”

“You can't leave me like this!”

Drawing a hand over his jaw, he shook his head. “I can.”

“Fuck you!” Screaming, I tugged my arms, trying to yank them free of the bed.

“I don't want to hurt you, Ivy, I don't. But if you keep defying me, keep pulling this bullshit . . .” Dragging his fingers through his hair, his lips parted. “I won't have a choice. Don't make me choose.”

Staring at him, I couldn't stop my eyes from shifting over his body. His muscles were perked, fighting against his shirt, his massive hands were open, resting by his sides. And again, a wave of heat washed over me.

My pussy pulsed, clenching and releasing with desire that was so wrong, and so hard to ignore. The air around me turned to searing pins, pricking my lungs as I tried to force the oxygen down.

I couldn't breathe.

His hand gripped the base of his neck, eyes static. “I killed one of my own to keep you safe. Don't make me regret it.”