My jaw twitches. I want to go to Surrender by myself. But I don’t want Kai to go see her father.
It makes sense why she wants to. To find out why he never told her about the deal between the families. And see if she can get him to give her any hints of the tasks he chose.
I understand why. I would want the same myself if I were in her situation.
But I know my answer.
I won’t trade or back down.
I don’t know why I don’t want her going to see her father exactly. I don’t trust they will play by the rules, but honestly, I’d prefer it if she knew the first task. It might keep her safe if she was able to practice her skills for a couple of days first and have some sort of plan.
But I don’t like sending her to a man who could barely provide her with food. A man who didn’t keep her safe. A man I don’t trust.
And more importantly, Kai is mine. She lost our truth or lies game. She relinquished herself to me, even if she hasn’t let me have her body yet. But I won’t share any of the time I have with her. Even with her father. Even if it saves her.
I’m sure I can do my own task efficiently while ensuring she is also safe. That she isn’t walking into a trap where another man would hurt her.
“No deal.”
“What?” she exclaims.
I start walking to the door, and she scurries after me as we file outside.
“Why not? You don’t want me to come. I just want to talk to him. You can send one of your bodyguards to ensure I come back. I just want to know why my father never told me the truth for years.”
“No.”
Anger flares on her face and despise pulses through her veins. “You don’t get to control me anymore. You’re not Black. You don’t have power over me. I can do what I want.”
I snap toward her, reaching my hand out to grab her, unable to resist her skin against mine. I grab her wrist loosely in my hand. The gesture is kind and caring, not like she’s my enemy. But the movement is anything but kind. Because she’s not prepared for my touch.
I’ve touched her before, but she’s still sensitive to it if she hasn’t prepared herself. If I’m being affectionate and lust is flowing through her making her clit throb for me, then she can ignore the panic inside.
Right now she hates me. So she can’t escape me.
The touch sends her spiraling to a place she thought she had left. The darkness covers her.
It’s cruel.
One of the cruelest things I’ve ever done to her.
But I can’t let her have power.
I can’t let her think she has control.
Because if she does, she might think she is free. She might run.
And she has no idea the danger she is in now that she’s signed the contract. Word will soon spread that she’s the girl who was supposed to be dead come back to life. And all of our enemies will descend thinking of her as a weakness instead of a strength.
I will do my best to keep her hidden. To keep the truth hidden from our enemies. No one needs to know I’m no longer in control and I have to compete against Kai to keep what’s mine. But I can’t promise our enemies won’t find out the truth.
And after what I made her endure before, I won’t let her get hurt again. I will protect her the only way I know how.
By fear.
By pain.
By control.