Page 117 of Venomous Desires

And my body moved before my mind could catch up, driven by the instinct to avoid whatever wrath might follow. I dropped to my knees, ignoring the way my muscles screamed in protest, and reached for the broken glass with my fingers trembling.

I heard shuffling behind me, and before I could pick up a single piece, his foot came down on my hand. The glass dug into my skin, slicing through flesh, and I gasped, whimpering with sudden pain. The blood pooled quickly though it was a small cut, but the pain was sharp.

My head snapped to him, and I glared at him. Now he was going to drop this low to control me? Now he’d bleed me like this?

Monster. He was a damn bastard!

“Lie to me again,” The psycho muttered dangerously softly, “and I’ll have to use my blade.”

I looked up at him, terror gripping my chest, and his foot pressed down on my hand, pinning me to the ground. His eyes were dark, losing the paleness. There was no escaping this, no escaping him. I was caught in his web, trapped by his will, and no amount of begging would save me now.

Chapter 44

The Prey

It was a nightmare, one that I wished to wake up from. Despite having no escape, I clung to the hope that his eyes would soften, that he would grin and tell me he was just kidding, that this was all some twisted game meant to scare me. But I knew better. He never played games like that.

He was cruel by nature, unpredictable.

Why was he suddenly asking about Ivan? He was just a friend.

I knew silence would only make him crueler. Pain meant nothing to him—and certainly not the guilt that should’ve followed. Then again, why was I expecting humanity from a psychopath? Aggression and violence were all he seemed to understand.

“He’s just afriend.”

Judas never asked to understand. He asked to prove himself right.

His eyes darkened, his jaw tightening as though he were imagining all the ways he could make me regret my answer.

“You expect me to believe that,Ptichka?”

“Yes.”

He leaned back, studying me.

“This ends one of two ways.” His voice never rose. “You decide which.”

The irony wasn’t lost on me.

Judas always had a choice. Cruelty was simply the one he preferred.

I knew better than to argue. Defiance would only give him another excuse.

“I swear,” I tried again, this time more desperate.

I shivered as his hands slid down my naked body roughly, as if he could erase any trace of another man’s touch, as if he could mark me as his in a way that would leave no doubt. And maybe he could. Maybe that was what scared me the most—that in the end, he would win, that he would break me, and I would be nothing more than what he wanted me to be.

His.

“Please, Judas,” I whispered, hoping he’d listen.

He paused, his eyes narrowing as he studied me, searching for something—fear, submission, maybe even disobedience. But whatever he was looking for, he didn’t find it. Instead, his expression hardened, and he grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him.

“That’s the second time you’ve lied to me.” His thumb brushed my lower lip. “Are you protecting him?”

“I’m not—” The words died in my throat as he pressed two fingers lightly against my lips, silencing me.

“Quiet.” His voice was calm enough to be frightening. “Don’t speak if you’re going to lie again.”